Religion in the American Experience

History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Randall Balmer

Join us during America’s 250^th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us more effective stewards of religion’s in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?

 

Season 4, Episode 11 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Randall Balmer

 

Guest Bio

A prize-winning historian and Emmy Award nominee, Randall Balmer holds the John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth, the oldest endowed professorship at Dartmouth College. He taught as Professor of American Religious History at Columbia University for twenty-seven years before coming to Dartmouth in 2012.

Dr. Balmer has published more than a dozen books, including America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State, Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter, God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, and The Making of Evangelicalism: From Revivalism to Politics and Beyond. His second book, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, now in its fifth edition, was made into an award-winning, three-part documentary for PBS. Dr. Balmer wrote and hosted that series as well as a two-part series on creationism and a documentary on Billy Graham. He has lectured around the country in such venues as the Commonwealth Club of California and the Chautauqua Institution and, under the auspices of the State Department, in Austria and Lebanon.

Show notes:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/america-s-best-idea-the-separation-of-church-and-state-randall-balmer/10c3765c6955cd65?ean=9781586424145&next=t

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

 

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

 

Chaplaincy in America: Part 2 - The Vietnam War

Chaplains– clergy attached to a secular institution including hospitals, prisons, embassies, schools, labor unions, police departments, fire departments, universities, intelligence agencies, airports, and military services - play a unique and meaningful role in the American landscape. These are ordained clergy who minister to members of the chaplain’s particular faith, to facilitate ministry to those of other faiths, and to care for all – including those who claim no religious faith. In this episode we are going to hear what Vietnam war chaplains teach us about religion, war, and the American project. 

It is our hope that by the end of this episode, each of us will be equipped to be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the ongoing American experiment in self-government.

 

Season 4, Episode 10: American Chaplaincy – Part 2

Guest Bio

Professor Jacqueline Whitt is Chief Learning Officer for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and Director of the Organizational Learning Unit (OLU) in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Department of State. She is the author of Bringing God to Men: American Military Chaplains, Religion, and the Vietnam War.

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion.

History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Mark Valeri

Join us during America’s 250^th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us more effective stewards of religion’s in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?

 

Season 4, Episode 9 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Mark Valeri

 

Guest Bio

Professor Mark Valeri is the Reverend Priscilla Wood Neaves Distinguished Professor of Religion and Politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, the director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, and author of The Opening of the Protestant Mind: How Anglo-American Protestants Embraced Religious Liberty.

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

 

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

American Religion: The Shakers

What is the history of the Shakers - The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing – in the United States? How have they shaped us and how has America shaped them? Why is it important for us to know? Who are the last two – now three – surviving members of this religious community, what are they doing and where are they doing it? And, finally, why will an understanding of this fascinating religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be better stewards of religion’s role in preserving the American experiment in self-government? 

 

Season 4, Episode 8 – American Religion: The Shakers

Guest Bio

Theresa Frey-Alexander is the Curator of Education and Interpretation at Shaker Heritage Society, the site of the first Shaker settlement, where she relishes bringing the history of the Shakers to life through innovative, multi-sensory exhibits and programs. She curated Ann Lee: One Woman’s Revolution, now on view. She holds a B.A. in History from Indiana University and a degree in Education from Siena University. She is also a musician, gardener, artist, and mother.

See:

• The Shaker Heritage Society
• Theresa Frey-Alexander’s recent presentation at the Religion and the American Founding conference
• Hancock Shaker Village video 
• Kens Burn documentary

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

 

History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Michael McConnell

Join us during America’s 250th as we uncover the long, fascinating, and critically important history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us better stewards of religion’s and religious freedom’s role in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?

 

Season 4, Episode 7 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Michael McConnell

 

Guest Bio

Dr. Michael McConnell is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Faculty Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, and from 2002 to 2009 was Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has briefed or argued many if not most of the religious freedom cases in the Supreme Court from the 1980s until now. Professor McConnell is the author of The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution, and co-author with Nathan Chapman of Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience.

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

 

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Christianity and the History of the United States of America

The book Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity was released in early 2026. The subtitle succinctly announces the contents, which makes the book feel epic and profound. What the museum wants to know is how understanding the tale the author tells will equip citizens to be more effective stewards of the role of religion, and the freedom that fuels it, in perpetuating American constitutional democracy.

• https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/matthew-avery-sutton/chosen-land/9781541646339/
• Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/03/how-christian-nationalist-became-epithet/686279/
• NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/books/review/chosen-land-matthew-avery-sutton.html
• Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/03/american-christianity-more-than-politics-chosen-land-sutton-review/

 

Season 4, Episode 6 – Christianity and the History of the United States of America

 

Guest Bio

Dr. Matthew Avery Sutton is the Berry Family Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts at Washington State University and has written many books besides this one, about various aspects of religion and U.S. history, including Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity ; Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War; and Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Religion and American Politics. 

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Steven Green

Join us during America’s 250^th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. Why will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective citizens in the work of perpetuating our democracy?

 

Season 4, Episode 5 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Steven Green

 

Guest Bio

Steven K. Green is the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University where he teaches courses in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Legal History, Jurisprudence, and Education Law in the College of Law, and Legal History and American Religious History in the College of Arts & Sciences.

 

He is the author of more than 50 law review articles and book chapters, appearing in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Cornell Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Emory Law Journal, and Boston College Law Review, among others. Green’s latest book is The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom, and the subject of this podcast episode.

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

 

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

 

History of the Seamen's Church Institute

Founded in 1834 as a mission of the Episcopal Church, the Seamen’s Church Institute provides vital services to seafarers, including crisis response, pastoral care, vessel visiting, counseling, transportation, and hospitality. The organization also supports mariner education and professional development through its Center for Maritime Education and advocates for seafarer rights through its Center for Mariner Advocacy. What is the history of this unique organization? Why will an understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective at perpetuating our democracy, which includes religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses? Mark Nestlehutt will guide us today in answering these and other questions.

Show notes:

Our Mission | Seamen’s Church Institute

https://seamenschurch.org/historical-resources/

 

Season 4, Episode 4 – History of the Seamen’s Church Institute

Guest Bio

The Reverend Mark Nestlehutt serves as the President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), the largest and most comprehensive mariner service agency in North America.

 

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Black Power, Jewish Politics in 20th Century America

What did the intersection of African American civil rights work and Jewish politics look like in the 20^th century? Why will an understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective citizens now in the work of perpetuating our democracy with its world-changing innovation of religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses? Dr. Marc Dollinger will guide us today in answering these and other questions.

Season 4, Episode 3 – Black Power, Jewish Politics in 20^th Century America

Guest Bio

Marc Dollinger is Professor, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair, in the Department of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University. He has a Ph.D. in history from UCLA and is the author of several books, including Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s, the basis of our discussion today. Dr. Dollinger’s research interests include American Jewish history, Jewish social responsibility, liberalism, Jews and public policy church/state separation, modern Jewish history and modern Jewish identity.

• https://jewish.sfsu.edu/prof-marc-dollinger-speaks-cnns-don-lemon-tonight

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Chris Beneke

Join us during America’s 250^th as we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations, which will equip us to be more effective at perpetuating the American experiment in self-government.

Season 4, Episode 2 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Chris Beneke 

Guest Bio

Chris Beneke is Professor and Associate Dean of First Year Experience and the Bentley Core at Bentley University. His research interests include American religious history, history of religious toleration, baseball and American history and American intellectual history. Dr. Beneke is the author of many books, including Free Exercise: Religion, the First Amendment, and the Making of America and The Lively Experiment: Religious Toleration in America from Roger Williams to the Present.

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has influenced America and how America has influenced religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.