Truce - History of the Christian Church

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The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), announced by President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983, was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from nuclear attacks, particularly those launched by the Soviet Union. Often dubbed "Star Wars" by critics, the initiative aimed to develop a space-based shield that could intercept and destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) before they reached U.S. territory. The plan called for the use of advanced technologies, including ground-based interceptors, space-based lasers, and other futuristic weapon systems, many of which were in the early stages of research or purely theoretical at the time.

Reagan's vision for SDI was rooted in his desire to shift U.S. defense policy away from the Cold War doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), which relied on the threat of retaliatory strikes to deter nuclear war. Instead, SDI aimed to make nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete" by providing a defensive solution that would render enemy missiles ineffective. The initiative sparked intense debate, both domestically and internationally. Critics argued that it was technologically unfeasible, enormously expensive, and risked escalating the arms race by undermining existing arms control agreements like the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Despite its ambitious goals, the Strategic Defense Initiative faced numerous scientific and budgetary challenges, and many of its proposed technologies never moved beyond the conceptual or experimental stages. Nevertheless, SDI played a significant role in the strategic dialogue between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the 1980s, influencing arms negotiations and highlighting the role of technological innovation in defense policy. By the early 1990s, after the Cold War ended, the program was scaled back and eventually evolved into the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization under subsequent administrations.

Sources:


Way Out There in the Blue by Frances Fitzgerald


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein

JFK Library article about the missile gap

PBS article about Reagan's security plans

Reagan's "evil empire" speech

Article from harvest.org about their predictions for Magog

Bill Graham's sermon, which uses the fear of communism to create a sense of urgency


Armageddon and the Coming War with Russia pamphlet by Jerry Falwell


Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ by John G Turner

Discussion Questions:

What was the Strategic Defense Initiative?

What were its goals?

Why did they keep it around even after it was obvious it didn't work?

Does Reagan fit the mold of conservatives of his time? Of conservative Republicans through American history?

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Ronald Reagan was an odd choice for evangelicals. For one, he and his wife regularly consulted a medium. He was a Hollywood actor, which should have put him at odds with fundamentalists. Also, Christians have a long history of charity and compassion, while Reagan's policies cut aid to poor people. But in 1980, a lot of evangelicals turned to the Republican Party to vote for him over the evangelical Jimmy Carter. What happened?

Jimmy Carter gave audience to evangelical audiences, though not in the same way as Reagan. Carter told people to conserve, while Reagan's optimistic consumerism played to the rising prosperity gospel. Reagan delivered his famous endorsement of evangelicals at the Religious Roundtable, while Carter was suspiciously absent. Also, evangelicals have built up a strong craving for leaders. They love a strongman leader. So when Reagan showed up and promised to be tough, they went for him.

Today, we're examining some of the reasons that Reagan became a favorite of evangelicals. And why... maybe that doesn't make sense.

Sources:


Article on shibboleths


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein


The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein


The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald


A Prophet With Honor by William Martin


James Robison's speech at the Religious Roundtable

1980 GOP Platform

Reagan's GOP acceptance speech in 1980

Reagan's inauguration speech

Discussion Questions:

What is a shibboleth?

How do you test if someone is really a Christian? What if they're a politician? Does it matter?

Why did Reagan seem like an unlikely match for evangelicals?

How did Reagan impress evangelicals?

What did this make you think about James Robison?

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Before he became president, Reagan was the head of the Screen Actors' Guild. When it came down to backing his followers or helping big business, he chose business. The same was true when he fought air traffic controllers. In this way, you can see the influence of Ayn Rand.

Reagan grew up as a poor kid, but he later became a famous radio star and movie icon. When his star faded, he became a political guest speaker and found a new path forward.

In this episode, we're going to better understand the groundwork for the Reagan presidency. Our special guest is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:


Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz

US v. Paramount Pictures from Justia


article from the Reagan library


Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot


The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein

CNN article on Paul Manafort

Reagan's speech at the Neshoba County Fair

NPR article on the infamous "welfare queen"

Discussion Questions:

Why is it valuable to understand Reagan's role in messing with his union?

How did his treatment of his union parallel that of his actions against air traffic controllers?

What do you think of Reagan and his legacy?

Why have some Republicans lifted him up as the ultimate conservative?

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Boy, the Religious Right did not like Carter, at least by 1980. Some of them, like Pat Robertson, had high hopes for him at the start. But they quickly grew to distrust the man from Georgia.

Why? In this episode, Chris goes through some of the top issues that evangelicals had with Jimmy Carter. They include his article in Playboy Magazine that mentions his struggles with sex (but also featured a strong gospel message), his support of the ERA, and his lackluster responses to their questions about abortion.

But... It's not as if Ronald Reagan was significantly better. Reagan was not a regular churchgoer like Carter. He consulted a medium for his decisions. He was a divorced former actor in a time when evangelicals didn't like Hollywood. So... how bad was this Carter guy that they didn't vote for him?

Our special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:


Today story on Carter's church


Tampa Bay Times story on Carter's church


Associated Press story on Carter's church


Christianity Today article on Carter's 100th birthday


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein


Document the interview the Religious Right guys did

Criswell ad

Strom Thurmond ad


Playboy Magazine, November 1976


Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz


White House Conference on Families: Listening to America's Families.
Pamphlet


God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams


The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald


The Surprising Work of God by Garth Rosell

Jimmy Carter Library interview with Robert Maddox

Carter's speech to NAE (courtesy of Jimmy Carter Presidential Library)

Discussion Questions:

Why did some evangelicals so strongly oppose the ERA?

What did you see in the Playboy article that might be construed as unappealing to Christians?

If Reagan engaged in fortunetelling, why did some evangelicals follow him and not Carter?

Why have evangelicals become enamored of leaders? What has that done to our witness?

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President Jimmy Carter's presidency (1977–1981) faced several major challenges, both domestically and internationally. One of the biggest domestic issues was the struggling U.S. economy. Carter inherited high inflation and unemployment, problems that worsened during his term. The country experienced "stagflation" — a combination of stagnant economic growth and high inflation. The energy crisis, marked by oil shortages and skyrocketing gas prices, further fueled economic instability. Though Carter promoted energy conservation and alternative energy development, many Americans viewed his efforts as inadequate or overly pessimistic.

Internationally, Carter faced major challenges in foreign policy. One of the most significant was the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began in November 1979 when 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The crisis lasted 444 days and was a major blow to Carter’s administration, especially after a failed rescue attempt. It deeply affected U.S. relations with Iran and damaged public confidence in Carter’s leadership. Though Carter did achieve a major diplomatic success with the Camp David Accords — a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel — the Iran Hostage Crisis ultimately overshadowed much of his foreign policy work.

Another major issue during Carter’s presidency was a perceived lack of effective leadership. Carter, known for his integrity and moral outlook, struggled to build strong relationships with Congress and the media. He often took a technocratic, detail-oriented approach to governing, which alienated many political allies. Critics saw his administration as indecisive and overly focused on long-term goals rather than immediate results. These perceptions contributed to a loss of public confidence and were a key factor in his defeat by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.

The special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:

Phyllis Schlafly's debate with Buckley


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein


Slate story on Chisholm


Video showing Carter's opposition to integrated busing


Reagan by Bob Spitz


The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein


These Truths by Jill Lepore


Crash Course by Paul Ingrassia


C-SPAN clip of Carter's malaise speech


Who is Government? by Michael Lewis

Discussion Questions:

What do you find appealing about Carter?

How do voters sometimes use issues that are beyond a politician's control to judge them?

Why would Carter and his predecessors choose to give the Panama Canal to Panama?

How would an event like the hostage crisis impact an election?

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