Research On Religion » King James Bible

Tracy McKenzie on the First Thanksgiving (Annual Encore)

tonygill — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 16:33:01 +0000

While Tony is taking an extended sabbatical and trying to update some technical issues with the audio, we encourage you to enjoy this annual favorite of his.

What events led up to the “First” Thanksgiving and what was life like for the Pilgrims who celebrated it? Prof. Tracy McKenzie, a professor in the Department of History at Wheaton College, takes up this topic from the vantage point of a Christian historian. He challenges some of our “grade school” understandings of what that event was all about, but in a manner that retains the reverence for the people and events during that time.

We start our conversation by looking at the topic of “revisionist history.” Prof. McKenzie provides a very profound and nuanced discussion of what it means to be “revisionist,” while simultaneously admitting that he is not a fan of that term. A good portion of what Tracy does in his most recent work is not only to discuss Thanksgiving, but is designed to prompt Christians to think critically about their history as a means of living their faith more honestly. As part of this, we quickly learn that the “First” Thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November is not actually the first thanksgiving in the New World. Tracy explains why this is.

We then explore who the Pilgrims were and what motivated them to eventually set sail for Virginia, initially, but had them landing in modern day Massachusetts. This discussion includes what the Pilgrims believed theologically and how they acted out their faith. Surprisingly, we discover that the Pilgrims were very averse to celebrating the traditional holidays we take for granted today, such as Christmas and Easter, but rather considered only Sunday as the only “holy day.” Prof. McKenzie then shares how “days of thanksgiving” were celebrated by the Pilgrims, but not as a regular holiday but rather as a “particular holy day” that would only be called on special occasions.

We also bring up several other characteristics of the Pilgrims that might surprise us, including their dislike of the King James Bible and how they prayed with eyes upward rather than heads bowed. And one of the more interesting aspects of the Pilgrims to come up was that they never gave thanks for their food before eating, although they did pray to have the food blessed. The political views of these Separatists then comes into our discussion as well as the diversity of the passengers aboard the Mayflower and how that diversity would be managed with the Mayflower Compact. The economic conditions of the Pilgrims in their first year falls under our scrutiny, observing that they first set out with a communal farming structure but this breaks down after two years and William Bradford agrees to privatize parcels of land.

Other topics covered include relations with the Wampanoags, how the “first” Thanksgiving was celebrated, and how this event is forgotten for nearly 200 years until it came to capture the American imagination in the 1820s and ’40s. Tracy also reveals how Thanksgiving was considered a “Yankee” holiday during the secessionist crisis that led up to the Civil War and how it eventually became a nationally-recognized holiday under the FDR administration.

Prof. McKenzie finishes the interview with his own reflections on what this story of Thanksgiving has meant to him and his family, and how Christians need to celebrate their history as well as remembering it for what it really is. His insights as a father, and not just a historian, should resonate with many of our listeners. This is an encore presentation. Recorded: November 5, 2012.

Faith & History, Tracy McKenzie’s personal blog.

The First Thanksgiving, by Tracy McKenzie.

Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War, by Tracy McKenzie.

One South or Many? Plantation Belt and Upcountry in Civil War Era Tennessee, by Tracy McKenzie.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims.

Scott Carroll on the King James Bible.

Evan Haefeli on the Dutch Origins of Religious Liberty.

Thomas Kidd on Benjamin Franklin’s Faith

tonygill — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 08:00:29 +0000

Benjamin Franklin is one of America’s most famous Founding Fathers, and is widely regarded as being amongst the “Deist” camp when it comes to religiosity. Prof. Thomas Kidd, a professor of history at Associate Director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, joins us to discuss the life and spiritual development of Ben Franklin. We begin with a discussion of where Franklin ended his life and why he has a reputation as being a Deist, and what Deism encompasses, particularly in the late 18th century. We then boomerang to Franklin’s early life growing up in a very strict Calvinist/Puritan household. The King James Bible had an immense formative impact on Ben’s life, who said in his autobiography that he read it by age five. We talk about the relationship he had with some of his siblings including Jane Mecon and James, under who he worked as an apprentice in the printing business. Prof. Kidd walks us through Ben’s rebellious period in his late teens and early twenties, which took him to Philadelphia and abroad to London where he lived a very licentious life for a time. We also talk about some of his early writings under the pseudonym Silence Dogood, a bit of a poke at the famous preacher Cotton Mather, but one that also showed some degree of reverence for the Christian preacher as well. Franklin never received much of a formal education despite being very smart. Tommy speculates that Ben was removed from formal schooling as his parents start to suspect that his contact with educational institutions made him more skeptical of Christianity. We see how this plays a role in his attitude towards college, including a particular view towards Harvard (which we reveal in the podcast). Upon returning from London, we learn about how Franklin’s religiosity and experience with religious diversity gives him a more mature view, forming what Dr. Kidd terms a “doctrinal-less moralist Christianity.” We talk about how religion is laced throughout his most famous writings in Poor Richard’s Almanac and how well he knew the King James Bible, better than many of the more orthodox Christians at the time. The other major influence on Franklin’s development was his relationship with George Whitefield, which first started as a business partnership (as religious tracts and hymnals were popular sellers for printers at the time), and then later becomes a personal friendship. Tommy talks about how the two had numerous respectful conversations over their theological differences. We finish our discussion with Franklin’s later life approaching the US Revolutionary War and Constitutional Convention and how the notion of God’s Providence began to play a larger role in his thinking. Prof. Kidd ends our discussion with some reflections on why understanding Franklin’s religion remains salient for our contemporary understanding of society. Recorded: May 29, 2017

Prof. Thomas Kidd’s Twitter feed and blog, The Anxious Bench (with other historians).

Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father, by Thomas Kidd.

American Colonial History: Clashing Cultures and Faiths, by Thomas Kidd.

Baptists in America: A History, by Thomas Kidd and Barry Hankins.

George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father, by Thomas Kidd.

Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots, by Thomas Kidd.

God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution, by Thomas Kidd.

The First Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America, by Thomas Kidd.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims.

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Mark David Hall on Roger Sherman, Puritan Patriot.

Mark David Hall on Religion & the Founding Fathers.

Mark David Hall on Religious Minorities in the U.S. Founding.

Daniel Dreisbach on Religious Rhetoric in the Founding Era.

Should Christians Have Fought in the US Revolutionary War? A Debate.

Chris Beneke on Religion, Markets, and the Founding Era.

John Fea on Religion & the American Founding.

Jonathan den Hartog on the Spiritual and Political Life of John Jay.

Michael McClymond on Jonathan Edwards.

Andrew Hoffecker on Charles Hodge and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Jonathan den Hartog on Patriotism and Piety.

Daniel Dreisbach on Biblical Rhetoric in the Founding Era

tonygill — Sun, 15 Jan 2017 09:00:18 +0000

The Bible was the most common book to be found in houses throughout the United States in the late 18th century, and it is no surprise that the Founders would rely upon passages from Scripture to inform the dialogue around the building of a new nation and governmental system. Prof. Daniel Dreisbach, a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University, elaborates on how the Bible was used to frame political ideas during this revolutionary era. Our conversation begins with how religious symbolism manifested itself in the first presidential inauguration of George Washington, and how the choices made back then still echo throughout the ages and up to the present. We also discover that despite all the thoughtful planning that went into the pageantry of the first inauguration, the planners almost forgot one crucial thing. (You will have to listen to the audio to find out what that was.) We then turn to a discussion of the role of literacy, religion, and the King James Bible in the British American colonies and how this impacted how political leaders would frame their arguments for the new republic and communicate with the citizens. Irrespective of the religiosity of any given Founder, the presence of the Bible in American education meant that it was a references point for all people and a literary source for speaking a unified language in a new nation. Daniel notes that the King James version had a certain rhythm and poetry to it that lent itself to rhetorical uses. He also points out how Protestantism’s “dangerous idea” about a “priesthood of all people” also became a crucial component of justifying a democratic republic placing sovereignty in the common person as opposed to a monarch. We then discuss how the Bible was used rhetorically, with Daniel emphasizing its importance in crafting metaphors, providing weight and authority to political language, modeling new precedents that were being established with this revolutionary form of government, and promoting the notion of Providence at work in American history. Prof. Dreisbach provides specific examples of how this plays out and gives reference to a couple critical biblical passages including Micah 6:8 (on the role of government by covenant), Proverbs 14:34 (the need for an informed and virtuous citizenry), and Proverbs 29:2 (on the character of the magistrate). Daniel points out that while the Founders desired a virtuous political class, the Calvinist emphasis on original sin made it necessary to create institutions that built in a “Plan B” to contain the worst desires and actions of are all-too-human leaders. We finish off with Daniel providing his personal thoughts on what all this means for our contemporary period, what he learned over the decades of studying this era, and promising to come back later in the year to talk about the role of religious rhetoric in justifying the notion of liberty within the American experiment. Recorded: December 19,2016.

Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers, by Daniel Dreisbach.

Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation between Church and State, by Daniel Dreisbach.

Faith and the Founders of the American Republic, edited by Daniel Dreisbach and Mark David Hall.

The Sacred Rights of Conscience, edited by Daniel Dreisbach and Mark David Hall.

The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life, by Daniel Dreisbach, Mark David Hall, and Jeffry Morrison.

The Founders on God and Government, edited by Daniel Dreisbach, Mark David Hall, and Jeffry Morrison.

RELATED PODCASTS

Daniel Dreisbach on Abe Lincoln’s Religious Rhetoric.

Mark David Hall on Religion and the Founding Fathers.

John Fea on Religion and the American Founding.

Mark David Hall on Roger Sherman, American Patriot.

Mark David Hall on Religious Accommodations and the Common Good.

Mark David Hall on Religious Minorities in the U.S. Founding.

Chris Beneke on Religion, Markets, and the Founding Era.

Kyle Swan on Christianity and (Classical) Liberalism.

John Fea on the American Bible Society.

Jonathan den Hartog on Patriotism and Piety.

Jonathan den Hartog on the Spiritual and Political Life of John Jay.

Gary Scott Smith on Presidential Faith.

Tracy McKenzie on The First Thanksgiving (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 09:00:59 +0000

What events led up to the “First” Thanksgiving and what was life like for the Pilgrims who celebrated it? Prof. Tracy McKenzie, the chair of the Department of History at Wheaton College, takes up this topic from the vantage point of a Christian historian. He challenges some of our “grade school” understandings of what that event was all about, but in a way that retains the reverence for the people and events during that time.

Other topics covered include relations with the Wampanoags, how the “frist” Thanksgiving was celebrated, and how this event is forgotten for nearly 200 years until it came to capture the American immagination in the 1820s and ’40s. Tracy also reveals how Thanksgiving was considered a “Yankee” holiday during the secessionist crisis that led up to the Civil War and how it eventually became a nationally-recognized holiday under the FDR administration.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Tracy McKenzie’s bio at Wheaton College Department of History.

Faith & History, Tracy McKenzie’s personal blog.

The First Thanksgiving, by Tracy McKenzie.

Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War, by Tracy McKenzie.

One South or Many? Plantation Belt and Upcountry in Civil War Era Tennessee, by Tracy McKenzie.

RELATED PODCASTS

Scott Carroll on the King James Bible.

Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims.

Evan Haefeli on the Dutch Origins of Religious Liberty.

Daniel Dreisbach on Abe Lincoln’s Religious Rhetoric

tonygill — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 08:00:27 +0000

On the sesquicentennial anniversary of the waning months of the US Civil War, Dr. Daniel Dreisbach — professor of Justice, Law, and Society at American University — stops by to discuss the use of religion in Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric. We pay special attention to Lincoln’s most famous, and shortest, speeches – the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural.

The conversation starts with an examination into the use of biblical language dating back to the earliest days of colonial America. Prof. Dreisbach notes three consistent aspects of political language used from the early 17th century through Lincoln’s era: 1) the citizenry was biblically literate; 2) the nation was by and large Protestant; and 3) there was a vision of America as being God’s “new Israel.” We revisit some themes of earlier podcasts with Mark David Hall regarding how many of the Founding Fathers of the revolutionary era were influenced heavily by religious thinking, despite the best known Founders (e.g., Madison, Jefferson) being more influenced by the Enlightenment.

The interview then jumps over to the early life and times of Abraham Lincoln, a descendant of Puritans and born into a family that was active in a Calvinist Baptist tradition. While Daniel points out that Abe was known to ridicule preachers and exhibit some skepticism about his theological upbringing in his teen and early adult years, Lincoln was unmistakably shaped by the religious milieu of his time. The role of the King James Version Bible weighed heavily in his early education and was the dominant translation of Scripture in America during the early 19th century. Prof. Dreisbach points out some of the unique aspects of the KJV Bible with respect to its use of words and cadence that made it accessible to a “less educated” (or ploughboy) population. Tony notes that given Lincoln’s humble upbringing, this version of the Bible would seem to resonate with Lincoln.

We then move to Lincoln’s political career observing that the use of religious rhetoric in speeches was apparent quite early, including in his Young Men’s Lyceum and “House Divided” speeches. Lincoln comes to the White House at a time when states are seceding from the republic and his First Inaugural Address takes on a more “workman” flavor, laying out the difficulties facing the divided nation, though at the end there are references to the “better angels of our nature.” The podcast then fast forwards to the Gettysburg Address, given several months after the famed battle, and turning point, of the Civil War. Daniel fills us in on some of the background of the speech itself, dismissing the popular notion that it was written on the back of an envelope during the president’s train ride to Pennsylvania. Instead, Prof. Dreisbach points out that it is a carefully crafted speech with language that is not directly taken from the Bible, but calls strongly upon its use of particular words and phrases. He recounts a number of these portions of the speech and further observes that in its spoken form it has a cadence that is reminiscent of the King James Bible. The theme of conception, birth, death, and re-birth is also highlighted.

With Gettysburg and Vicksburg behind us, and the war drawing to a close, we then examine Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, which also clocks in as a remarkably short speech. Unlike the Gettysburg Address, though, the Second Inaugural uses references to God and the Bible more directly. Daniel observes that this is not a speech that gloats upon (inevitable) victory by the Union forces, but instead develops a tone of reconciliation and noting that all parties in the conflict have borne the costs of the sin of slavery that blemished this young nation. We discuss whether the concept of providence was a strong theme in the speech, with Daniel taking a very nuanced version of this question and noting that Lincoln was circumspect in seeing the United States as the “new Israel” as earlier Puritans had done. We finish with some of Dr. Dreisbach’s personal reflections on what he learned in studying Lincoln’s rhetoric and what it means for our understanding of our modern times. Recorded: March 6, 2015.

(Note: Tony is well aware of his odd pronunciations of “rhetoric” and “address” and was surprised at how “ploughboy” he sounded when reviewing the tape.)

RELATED LINKS

Daniel Dreisbach’s bio at the School of Public Affairs, American University.

“Lincoln’s 700 Words of Biblical Meditation,” by Daniel Dreisbach (at the Library of Law & Liberty).

“The Sacred Sounds of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,” by Daniel Dreisbach (at the Library of Law & Liberty).

Faith and the Founders of the American Republic, edited by Daniel Dreisbach and Mark Hall.

The Sacred Rights of Conscience, edited by Daniel Dreisbach and Mark Hall.

The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life, edited by Daniel Dreisbach, Mark Hall, and Jeffry Morrison.

Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation between Church and State, by Daniel Dreisbach.

RELATED PODCASTS

Sean Scott on Religious Rhetoric in the US Civil War.

Mark David Hall on Religion and the Founding Fathers.

Mark David Hall on Roger Sherman, Puritan Patriot.

Mark David Hall on Religious Minorities in the American Founding.

Chris Beneke on Religion, Markets, and the Founding Era.

John Fea on Religion and the American Founding.

Tracy McKenzie on the First Thanksgiving

tonygill — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 09:00:13 +0000

We start our conversation by looking at the topic of “revisionist history.” Prof. McKenzie provides a very profound and nuanced discussion of what it means to be “revisionist,” while simultaneously admitting that he is not a fan of that term. A good portion of what Tracy does in his most recent work is not only to discuss Thanksgiving, but is designed to prompt Christians to think critically about their history as a means of living their faith more honestly. As part of this, we quickly learn that The “First” Thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November is not actually the first thanksgiving in the New World. Tracy explains why this is.

Tracy McKenzie on The “First” Thanksgiving

tonygill — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:00:13 +0000

What events led up to The “First” Thanksgiving and what was life like for the Pilgrims who celebrated it? Prof. Tracy McKenzie, the chair of the Department of History at Wheaton College, takes up this topic from the vantage point of a Christian historian. He challenges some of our “grade school” understandings of what that event was all about, but in a way that retains the reverence for the people and events during that time. We start our conversation by looking at the topic of “revisionist history.” Prof. McKenzie provides a very profound and nuanced discussion of what it means to be “revisionist,” while simultaneously admitting that he is not a fan of that term. A good portion of what Tracy does in his most recent work is not only to discuss Thanksgiving, but is designed to prompt Christians to think critically about their history as a means of living their faith more honestly. As part of this, we quickly learn that The “First” Thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November is not actually the first thanksgiving in the New World. Tracy explains why this is. We then explore who the Pilgrims were and what motivated them to eventually set sail for Virginia, initially, but had them landing in modern day Massachusetts. This discussion includes what the Pilgrims believed theologically and how they acted out their faith. Surprisingly, we discover that the Pilgrims were very averse to celebrating the traditional holidays we take for granted today, such as Christmas and Easter, but rather considered only Sunday as the only “holy day.” Prof. McKenzie then shares how “days of thanksgiving” were celebrated by the Pilgrims, but not as a regular holiday but rather as a “particular holy day” that would only be called on special occasions. We also bring up several other characteristics of the Pilgrims that might surprise us, including their dislike of the King James Bible and how they prayed with eyes upward rather than heads bowed. And one of the more interesting aspects of the Pilgrims to come up was that they never gave thanks for their food before eating, although they did pray to have the food blessed. The political views of these Separatists then comes into our discussion as well as the diversity of the passengers aboard the Mayflower and how that diversity would be managed with the Mayflower Compact. The economic conditions of the Pilgrims in their first year then comes under our scrutiny, observing that they first set out with a communal farming structure but this breaks down after two years and William Bradford agrees to privatize parcels of land. Other topics that we cover include relations with the Wampanoags, how the “frist” Thanksgiving was celebrated, and how this event is forgotten for nearly 200 years until it came to capture the American immagination in the 1820s and ’40s. Tracy also reveals how Thanksgiving was considered a “Yankee” holiday during the secessionist crisis that led up to the Civil War and how it eventually became a nationally-recognized holiday under the FDR administration. Prof. McKenzie finishes the interview with his own reflections on what this story of Thanksgiving has meant to him and his family, and how Christians need to celebrate their history as well as remembering it for what it really is. His insights as a father, and not just a historian, should resonate with many of our listeners. Recorded: November 5, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Tracy McKenzie’s biography at Wheaton College.

Lincolnites and Rebels: A Divided Town in the American Civil War, by Tracy McKenzie.

One South or Many? Plantation Belt and Upcountry in Civil War Era Tennessee, by Tracy McKenzie.

Research on Religion Facebook Fan Page where you can view the cover of Tracy’s forthcoming book on Thanksgiving.

RELATED PODCASTS

Scott Carroll on the King James Bible.

Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims.

Scott Carroll on Biblical Manuscripts & the King James Bible

tonygill — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:00:09 +0000

This year (2011) marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James version of the Holy Bible. To celebrate this momentous event, Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion is sponsoring a three-day conference (April 7 – 9, 2011) with some of the world’s most pre-eminent scholars. Our podcast warly welcomes Scott Carroll, director of the Green Collection, principal investigator for the Green Scholar’s Initiative, and former professor of ancient history at Cornerstone University. Dr. Carroll’s work takes him around the globe collecting biblical manuscripts and ancient artifacts that will be on display in the Green Collection, one of the world’s largest private collection of such antiquities (sponsored by the Green family, owners of Hobby Lobby). We begin our podcast with a brief overview of this collection, the scholarly work connected to the collection, and plans for a future museum. (Listeners wishing to get directly to the substantive discussion can fast foward to minute 18:00). We then engage in a broad conversation covering the diffusion and dissemination of ancient manuscripts, the various translation of the Old and New Testaments, and how such translations were viewed throughout history. This brings us up to the history behind the King James version. Dr. Carroll takes us through the tumultuous era of Tudor England, with the various machinations of monarchs such as Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth. With the ascencion of the House of Stuart, we then discuss how King James’s authorized translation was heavily influenced by William Tyndale and how the result of a decade-long process had a greater impact on the English language than Shakespeare (who was fond of quoting from the Geneva Bible). Not only do we examine how religious dissenters such as the Puritans viewed, and eventually adopted, the King James Version (particularly in the American colonies), but we assess the overall impact of the KJV Bible up to present day. Recorded: March 18, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Dr. Scott Carroll’s webpage at Baylor’s ISR.

The King James Bible and the World that it Made, a conference sponsored by Baylor’s ISR (April 7-9, 2011).

The Green Scholar’s Initiative (including information about the Green Collection and opportunities for undergraduate and graduate research).