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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    America Is a "Christian Nation" — Since When?

    The Constitution never mentions God, and the Founding Fathers were adamant about the separation of Church and State. The Pledge of Allegiance didn't say "under God" until the 1950's, and that's when the phrase "In God We Trust" showed up on the dollar bill.

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    By Warren Olney • Jun 25, 2015 • 33m Listen

    The Constitution never mentions God, and the Founding Fathers were adamant about the separation of Church and State. The Pledge of Allegiance didn't say "under God" until the 1950's, and that's when the phrase "In God We Trust" showed up on the dollar bill. Those are examples used by Kevin Kruse, a Princeton historian, to support his thesis in the new book, One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America.

    So why do so many Americans consider this is a Christian nation? We hear how Big Business used religion to discredit the New Deal, organized labor and government regulation. Socialism was demonized, and God associated with Free Enterprise Capitalism… all the way to the White House. Is that legacy still with us?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    One Nation under God…but Since When?
    1. 1:20President Obama Announces New Rules on Overtime Pay
    2. 8:08America Is a "Christian Nation" — Since When?You’re reading this
    3. 42:25The Collateral Damage of the Immigration Debate
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alan Cooperman

      Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

    • KCRW placeholder

      Kevin Kruse

      Princeton University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Gary Smith

      Grove City College

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    One Nation under God…but Since When?
    1. 1:20President Obama Announces New Rules on Overtime Pay
    2. 8:08America Is a "Christian Nation" — Since When?You’re reading this
    3. 42:25The Collateral Damage of the Immigration Debate
    Back to To the Point