5.41 Ryan Helfenbein, David Schrock, & Trent Hunter • Interview • “Retrieving The Christianity of America’s Founding”

<p><strong>ABOUT THE EPISODE</strong></p><p>Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Ryan Helfenbein on his COA Longform Essay, &quot;Retrieving The Christianity of America&#39;s Founding&quot;</p><p><strong>Timestamps</strong></p><ul><li>00:00 – Introducing Ryan Helfenbein</li><li>04:33 – Ryan’s Path From Seminary to Liberty University</li><li>11:30 – Falwell’s Shift: From Ministers to Moral Majority</li><li>16:39 – Debating the Christian Nature of America’s Founding</li><li>19:03 – Reappraising Founders’ Faith: Beyond the Deist Label</li><li>23:19 – The First Amendment’s True Intent: No Denominational Establishment</li><li>28:01 – How Preachers Stirred Resistance to Tyranny</li><li>32:05 – From Christian Roots to Secular Education</li><li>37:40 – The Civil War and the Christian Nation Concept</li><li>40:06 – Wayne Grudem’s Framework for a Christian Nation</li><li>46:15 – Historical Christian Character and Moral Laws</li><li>48:34 – Tom Holland and Christian Origins of Modern Balues</li><li>51:32 – Modern Religious Freedom, Immigration, and the Church’s Civic Role</li><li>01:01:12 – Rebuilding America and Defending Our Christian Inheritance</li><li>01:03:30 – Trent’s Advice for Pastors on Civic Engagement</li><li>01:07:06 – Recommended Resources and Outro</li></ul><p><strong>Resources to Click</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://christoverall.com/article/longform/providence-protestantism-and-the-classroom-the-christianity-of-americas-founding-and-only-future/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Retrieving The Christianity of America’s Founding”</a> – Ryan Helfenbein</li><li><a href="https://prri.org/research/competing-visions-of-america-politics-religion-and-american-identity/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Competing Visions of America at 250: Politics, Religion, and American Identity”</a> – PRRI</li><li><a href="https://prri.org/research/mapping-christian-nationalism-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas”</a> – PRRI</li><li><a href="https://mikejohnson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?documentid=2885" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Speaker Johnson Leads Nation in Prayer of Rededication”</a> – Mike Johnson</li><li><a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/ms-nows-katy-tur-forgets-the-declaration-of-independences-most-famous-line-in-botched-hit-on-mike-johnson/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“MS NOW’s Katy Tur Forgets the Declaration of Independence’s Most Famous Line in Botched Hit on Mike Johnson”</a> – Isaac Schorr</li><li><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/james-carville-christian-nationalists-speaker-mike-johnson-bigger-threat-than-al-qaeda" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“‘Christian Nationalists’ like Speaker Mike Johnson are a bigger threat than al-Qaeda”</a> – James Carville</li><li><a href="https://www.newsweek.com/james-carville-dire-warning-about-mike-johnson-1848991" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Political Strategist’s Dire Warning About Mike Johnson”</a> – Rachel Dobkin</li><li><a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/02/23/sorry-politico-you-dont-get-to-rewrite-the-declaration-of-independence/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“Sorry, Politico: You Don’t Get to Rewrite the Declaration of Independence”</a> – Rachel Del Guidice</li><li><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/29/the-right-way-to-cover-the-intersection-of-religion-and-politics-00144261" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“The Right Way to Cover the Intersection of Religion and Politics”</a> – Heidi Przybyla</li><li><a href="https://cardinalpine.com/news/video/north-carolina-pastor-rejects-christian-nation-claims-from-gop-legislators/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">“North Carolina pastor rejects ‘Christian n