Truce - History of the Christian Church

We've started to post bonus content for Truce on our Patreon subscribers. If you give as little as $3/ month you'll get special bonus episodes like this one. You can donate at https://www.patreon.com/trucepodcastSpecial thanks to Eric Nevins of the Halfway There podcast. Learn more about his show at: https://ericnevins.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember Occupy Wall Street? That movement from the early 2000's caused a stir after the financial crisis of 2007-2008. They demanded that the people responsible for the crash be punished for their actions. We in the Christian church often struggle with the rich-- how to treat them, how to see ourselves. In this episode we take a look at some statistics that will make us rethink our view of the we...

John D. Rockefeller was a shrewd businessman. Even to the point of breaking the law to get what he wanted. His Standard Oil company was eventually broken up using the Sherman Antitrust act. But his money kept influencing society. On this episode of the Truce Podcast, we take a field trip to the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park to see how one wealthy family strong-armed Congress in...

John D. Rockefeller was the richest man... maybe ever. His Standard Oil Company swallowed up the competition and broke the law. Yet, this man claimed the name of Christ. We're in the middle of a series about money in the church. How does it get to the church? Does it matter where the money comes from and where it goes? This episode of the Truce Podcast was written and produced by Nick Staron: http...

Are Christians supposed to tithe? It's a big question, one that many pastors disagree on. A tithe literally means 10%. A bunch of people in the Old Testament were commanded to give 10%... are we supposed to continue that tradition today? This is the first part in our series about money in the church -- how it gets there, where it's used, and how it can be used to gain power. Special thanks to our...

Reaching Muslims via the Internet. Can it be done? Our special guest today uses Google Ads, videos, and messaging apps to reach out in Muslim countries. We can't give any specifics about who he is or which organization he works for. But we think you'll find this episode inspiring. Topics explored: * How can we reach out to Muslims using the Internet? * What questions to Muslims have about Christia...

The Pew Research Center released a study stating that there will be more Muslims in the world than Christians by the year 2050. That study terrified many Christians! Because we're so used to being the dominant religion on Earth. So there seemed to be only one solution -- have more babies. On this episode of the Truce Podcast, we press pause on the would-be baby boom and ask, "is there a better way...

This bonus episode features Samy Tanagho, author of "Glad News, God Love You My Muslim Friend". Samy explains a few ways that Christians can reach out to our Muslim friends. He recommends that we start with common ground: Jesus as Messiah, Abraham and Isaac, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 9/11 many American Christians became afraid of Islam. Even to the point of no longer wanting to share the gospel with Muslims. On this special episode of the Truce Podcast, Chris speaks with Dr. Hormoz Shariat of Iran Alive Ministries and Samy Tanagho, author of "Glad News, God Loves You My Muslim Friend". In this episode we discuss:* How international ministries can impact Muslim countries...

If life begins at conception, what do we do with all of the embryos left after in vitro fertilization? Author and journalist Nate Birt joins us to discuss embryo adoption and his book Frozen But Not Forgotten. This is a Truce Podcast extra. Truce is a listener supported show. Donate on Patreon, GoFundMe, and on our website. Send us an email to let us know what you think of the show and follow us o...

Did Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle murder Virginia Rappe? That questions defined the film industry for thirty years. Upset with Hollywood's moral failures, Christians demanded changes. We took over, fighting until the studios decided to censor themselves. This special episode of Truce ties into our last episode with Abby Johnson of the Unplanned movie. This episode explores:* Who was Fatty Arbuckle?* Who...

Freedom of speech. We all say we want it, but do we really? On this episode of the Truce podcast, we talk with Abby Johnson, the subject of the new film "Unplanned" which hit theaters in March. Abby shares her story of having worked for Planned Parenthood and how she quit after witnessing an abortion for herself. Please note: this episode may not be appropriate for all listeners. We also speak wit...

Did you know that Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump have all stumped for the multi-level marketing industry? MLMs, direct sales, and network marketing have powerful friends. But what about Christian "celebrities"? On this, our fourth and final episode on MLMs, we're going to demonstrate how the gospel is used to sell an illegitimate business model. People...

The Amway Decision. The Federal Trade Commission decided that Amway was not an illegal pyramid scheme, but a legitimate business. How did that happen? Why is it important. This week on the Truce Podcast we're joined once again by Robert Fitzpatrick of Pyramid Scheme Alert (https://pyramidschemealert.org/), author of Ponzinomics to explore the history of MLMs. Also in this episode is a brief histor...

We know that tying business to religion can be tricky. Think about recent stories involving Hobby Lobby, Chick-fil-A, or In-N-Out Burger. But what happens when we tie our religion to a business model that just doesn't work? That's what many multi-level marketing (MLM) companies do every day. They saddle distributors with debt and product they can't sell... often in the name of Jesus. We're joined...

What is multi-level marketing? It turns out, it is a very popular business model that targets Christians and other people of faith. But... it is almost guaranteed to fail. Because MLM's and direct sales companies are not designed to sell a product but to sell the business itself. Joining us for this episode is Robert Fitzpatrick. He's the president of Pyramid Scheme Alert and the author of the new...

We're taking a week off from releasing a full episode of the Truce podcast, but I wanted to give you a little something to think about. Where is your media coming from? Your audio sermons? Your curriculum? Let's start a conversation! You can find the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @trucepodcast.com. God willing, there will be a new episode next week. Learn more about your ad choices....

The Prosperity Gospel. It goes by a lot of names. Prosperity, name it and claim it theology, The Secret, the word of faith movement... but how did it begin? Who came up with the ideas that are now spreading throughout the world? This week on the Truce Podcast we interview Brandon Kimber, director of the new film American Gospel. The film takes a deep dive into the world of the prosperity gospel, a...

This week we talk with Mark Galli, editor in chief of Christianity Today about leadership. Are we all called to lead or are just some of us? Does that mean we don’t have to lead if we’re not gifted in that way? We’re also joined by Paul Wingfield of the One Man and His Wilderness podcast. Our main Bible verse comes from Romans 12:3-8.Things we explore in this episode:* Are all Christians supposed...

Is it okay to fail? Are we okay with failure in the Christian church? Even mainstream churches frequently link financial and business success with God's blessing. If we're not rich and don't have a big following, does that mean that God doesn't love us? This week on the Truce Podcast we sit down once again with Andrew Schwab, lead singer of Project 86 and host of the Pioneers Podcast to discuss fa...

There are so many temptations for people who create media. We are constantly targeted by scams, encouraged to brag about ourselves, and told we could always be doing better. Those pressures are shaping the modern church. For better or worse. This week on the Truce Podcast we are joined by Andrew Schwab of Project 86 and the Pioneer's Podcast to explore the odd temptations facing modern Christianit...

Author Michelle DeRusha (Katrina and Martin Luther, True You) gave up media for six weeks. She did it for Lent, the time of year right before Easter when some Christians give something up in order to draw closer to God. In this episode of the Truce Podcast we hear from her about her experience, and from you, our listeners about your experience with the Truce Podcast Media Time Out. If you would li...

We're surrounded by media. All the time. On our phones, the television, radio... even music at the supermarket. When was the last time you enjoyed the silence? This week on the Truce Podcast, we're going to take a break from media. No TV, radio, music, social media, movies... none of it. We're doing it for a few different reasons:*To demonstrate to ourselves that we don't need our phones as much a...

New episodes of the Truce Podcast are coming soon! Our special guests will include Andrew Schwab of Project 86 and The Pioneers Podcast, author Michelle DeRusha, and Robert Fitzpatrick from Pyramid Scheme Alert. We're exploring how Christians are marketed to and how sometimes makes us fall into some pretty dark traps. Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, or Spotify. www.trucepodcast.com Learn...

In World War II the world was in chaos. Men shooting other men. The old world of horses and bayonets collided with machine guns and tanks. In the midst of the madness, thousands of men left their trenches on Christmas and met their neighbors. It was a spontaneous gathering of brothers. We in the Christian church can learn a lot from them. Truce is a listener supported show. Click here to help. Our...