Truce Chris Staron

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Joseph McCarthy was an unexceptional junior congressman from Wisconsin. He grew up brawling in the streets, playing cards, and embellishing his stories. Then, during a Lincoln Day address in 1950, Joseph McCarthy told an audience that he had a list of 205 communists working in the government. Within days, he was a household name.
McCarthy started "investigating" suspected communists in the American government, focusing on the US State Department. Along the way, he brought in a young lawyer named Roy Cohn. Cohn was already known for his work sending Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair. Now, he and McCarthy bullied and cajoled during private hearings. Being labeled a communist, or even a suspected communist could ruin a person's career. People committed suicide rather than face their scrutiny.
Their reign lasted four years, ending in the televised broadcasts of the Army-McCarthy hearings in which a lawyer asked if McCarthy had any decency. That was pretty much it for McCarthy. But Roy Cohn went on to have a well-connected career, providing legal services for the mob and Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News. He also became a mentor to a young real estate mogul named Donald Trump. Famous people like Andy Warhol attended his birthday party at Studio 54. Cohn died of AIDS, something that was killing gay men rapidly in the 1980s, though he denied he ever had it.
This is the story of two men allowed to prey on the fears of the American people for their own gain. One fell hard, the other found himself fighting against his own people.
In this episode, Chris interviews Larry Tye, author of the book "Demagogue". He's also the author of "Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend" and "Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon".

Sources:

"Demagogue" by Larry Tye

Helpful article about the Rosenbergs


Article about Klaus Fuchs

McCarthy's speech in Wheeling, WV

New York Times, February 23, 1954. Pages 16-17 “Transcript of General Zwicker's Testimony Before the McCarthy Senate Subcommittee”


Video from Army-McCarthy hearings (forward to the last 20 minutes if you want to jump to the stuff I used)


The guest list for Roy Cohn's birthday at Studio 54


Discussion Questions:

Why do we love demagogues?

Who are other demagogues in American history?

The threat of communists in the government in the 1950s is sometimes downplayed. Do you think it was a real concern?

McCarthy ran for Congress in an illegal way while still in the Marines. How do you feel about that?

Roy Cohn sometimes went against his own people, claiming that gay people did not deserve equal rights. What might have been his motivation?

Do you see any crossover between McCarthy, Cohn, and Donald Trump?

Cohn died of AIDs in the 1980s when the disease was at its peak. Why might he have wanted to keep his illness a secret?


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The Love Thy Neighborhood podcast is really well produced. But they also take deep dives into some of the things going on in modern Christianity that I can't cover on Truce. They are a good supplement to the stuff we cover on this feed. So we thought... why not share each other's show?
In this bonus episode, you'll hear Chris talking with Anna Tran and Jesse Eubanks about their episode "Where the Gospel Meets Artificial Intelligence". It is a look into the ways in which AI may someday try to gain ground in the spiritual realm. Also, they do an interview with TikTok evangelist York Moore who uses that medium to share the gospel. I was especially interested in the ways in which AI chatbots are building false relationships with people, taking the place of human interactions.
They cover a lot of ground! Let them know that you heard about their show from the Truce Podcast!
Season six starts in just a few months, but I will be launching a bonus episode in a few weeks. Subscribe so you get every new episode as it's released.
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Season 5 of the Truce Podcast was a blast! I'm hard at work on season 6, which will discuss how American evangelicals got tied to the Republican Party. It is already coming together so well! I can't wait to share it with you.
God willing, season 6 will drop in the fall or early winter of 2023.
Like, subscribe, sign up for the email list, and remember the show in your prayers!
Godspeed!
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On March 4, 1933, FDR delivered his inaugural address. In it, he used the phrase "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". I did a little searching and this phrase is used a LOT in Christian books. So often. But it almost always refers to the fear one person has in their heart. In reality, it is a comment on collective fear. The Great Depression started in 1929 and was exacerbated by a bank run in which Americans lost faith in the value of our currency and the banking systems.

That is an important distinction. FDR's speech is about collective fear. As I've contemplated the modernist/fundamentalist debate this season, I keep returning to the idea of fear, not in the US economy but in God's economy. He commands us to love the Lord, keep His commands, love our neighbors, turn the other cheek, and give to those who ask of us. Why do we forget to do this important work? Could it be because we've lost faith in God's economy?

This episode features a clip from my discussion with Jacob Goldstein, former host of NPR's Planet Money podcast and the current host of Pushkin's What's Your Problem? podcast. His book is Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing.

Select Sources

FDR's Inaugural Address

Jacob Goldstein's Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing


Movie: It's a Wonderful Life


Discussion Questions:

Why does it matter that FDR's quote "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is a collective statement and not one about individual fear?

What are some identifying features of God's economy?

Do you trust in the way that God tells us to do things?

When was the last time you prayed for someone who you don't like?

Do you believe in turning the other cheek?


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"The ends justify the means" is a phrase we hear occasionally. Often it is used to justify bad behavior, so long as it creates a profitable outcome. But we Christians know that we are called to live righteous lives. Are we people of the ends, or should we be known as a people of the means?
Chris is joined this week by Pastor Ray McDaniel of First Baptist Church in Jackson, WY, and his twin brother Nick Staron to discuss this important issue.

Discussion Questions:

What does "the ends justify the means" mean?

How have you seen that philosophy played out?

Is that something you believe?

How would things change if we focused more on the way we do things instead of our goals?

How have fundamentalists justified their goals with poor behavior? How have modernists?


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In 1945, C.S. Lewis published his excellent book "The Great Divorce". It happens to be one of my favorite books. It has many themes, the biggest of which is that there can be no hell in heaven. The two are divorced from each other (hence the title). Another is that humans are easily distracted from God's work and the gospel.
This season I've been telling the backstory of Christian fundamentalism. I think many of us have been distracted from the gospel because of politics or the people around us. If you were joined by a loved one who passed away or an angel who challenged you to walk to heaven, would you? What distracts you from following Jesus? From really going for it?
Special thanks to my improv troupe (Nick, Josh, and Jackie) who helped with voices. Additional vocal work came from Paul Hastings from the "Compelled" podcast and Jerry Dugan from "Beyond the Rut". Give their shows a listen and let me know what you think!

Sources:

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis (though I only used some concepts)

Discussion Questions:

What distracts you from following God?

Are you tied too strongly to things? Safety? Your family? Your job? Your identity? Your politics?

What books do you read over and over again? Why?

How can a person's own love of intellectualism be a distraction? How can we have compassion?


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