Evangelicals – Part One – Altared States
Summary
Hosts Dorian Linsky and Ian Dunn trace the origins of American evangelicalism, exploring its shift from a diverse, socially progressive movement to a conservative political force. They examine the Great Awakenings, the split over slavery, and the rise of fundamentalism in response to modern science. The episode highlights how showmanship and media, particularly television, reshaped the movement, culminating in the 1979 Moral Majority pivot.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and Intro
Introduction to Evangelicalism and its Political Rise
Defining Evangelicalism and Early American History
The First Great Awakening and Camp Meetings
Social Reform, Slavery, and the Civil War Split
Biblical Literalism vs. Modernism and Darwinism
The Rise of Fundamentalism and Dispensationalism
WWI, The Red Scare, and Anti-Intellectualism
The Scopes Monkey Trial and Fundamentalist Retreat
Billy Graham and the Post-War Evangelical Revival
Civil Rights, Pentecostalism, and the New Right
The Moral Majority and Modern Political Evangelicalism
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