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Jimmy Swaggart was caught in a major controversy in the late 1980s. It involved the famous American televangelist, who was a leading figure in Pentecostal Christianity. In 1988, Swaggart publicly admitted to “moral failure” after reports surfaced that he had been involved with a prostitute, behavior that directly contradicted the strict moral standards he preached. The revelation led to his suspension by the Assemblies of God, his church denomination, and caused significant damage to his reputation and ministry. Swaggart delivered a widely televised, tearful confession, which became one of the most memorable moments in religious broadcasting, symbolizing broader concerns at the time about hypocrisy, accountability, and power among high-profile televangelists.

This proved to be a problem for Pat Robertson, who was running for president. Just as he needed his conservative brothers and sisters on his side... they disappeared or chose another politician.

When he lost the race, he continued his streak of being shelved by politicians. He and other evangelicals with large followings placed their hope in politicians to save them. Only to find disappointment.

Sources:

• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• Pat Robertson: A Life and Legacy by David Edwin Harrell Jr.
• Andrews, T. M. (2017). The Rev. Marvin Gorman, who prompted Jimmy Swaggart's downfall in the '80s, dies at 83
• Art Harris, W. P. (1988, Feb 26). Jimmy Swaggart's secret life in the world of no-tell motels 'shouting, weeping' Preacher was just another man on prowl. Toronto Star
• RNC National Convention speeches 1988, around 2:35:00
• God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams
• PETER STEINFELS (1989, Jun 12). Moral majority to dissolve; says mission accomplished. New York Times
• Rolling Stone Magazine article on Jay Sekulow. By Andrew Perez, January 3, 2024
• Washington Post article about Robertson's death

Discussion Questions

• How did success become a problem for the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition?
• Why is it a problem that we keep being marketed to with fear?
• How could conservative evangelicals argue both that they were the majority AND a persecuted minority? Why does it matter?

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Pat Robertson’s bid for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination (often discussed in 1989 contexts because of its aftermath) marked a notable moment in American politics, as a prominent televangelist moved out of religious broadcasting and directly into the national political arena. After building a large following through his Christian Broadcasting Network and The 700 Club, Robertson formally entered the Republican primary race in late 1987, having first set an unusual condition for his candidacy: he would run only if three million Americans pledged support through petitions to pray, work and contribute to his campaign—an effort that succeeded and gave him a built-in grassroots base. His platform blended standard conservative Republican positions—such as lower taxes and strong defense—with a strong emphasis on social and moral issues informed by his evangelical Christian worldview.

During the 1988 primary season, Robertson surprised many political observers by finishing second in the Iowa caucuses, ahead of Vice President George H.W. Bush and indicating the mobilizing power of evangelical voters in early nominating contests. However, he struggled to maintain momentum as voting moved to later states: his support weakened in more diverse primary electorates, and he did not win a competitive share of delegates nationwide. Ultimately, Robertson suspended his campaign in 1988, later endorsing Bush, who went on to win the nomination and presidency. In the aftermath of his presidential run, Robertson organized the Christian Coalition in 1989, which became a significant force in mobilizing conservative Christian voters and shaping Republican politics in the 1990s and beyond.

His campaign was plagued by the public falls of other televangelists like Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Our special guest for this episode is John Wigger.

Sources

• PTL: The Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s Evangelical Empire by John Wigger
• Pat Robertson: A Life and Legacy by David Edwin Harrell Jr.
• God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams
• "Clean Up Radio Everywhere" (Season 3, Episode 22) WKRP in Cincinnati
• Prime Time Preachers by Jeffrey K. Hadden and Charles E. Swann.
• Fager, C. (1982, May 05). Falwell and co.--on the skids... or speeding up? In these Times
• Interview with Frances Fitzgerald on the Gospel Coalition
• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• “CBN'S Pat Robertson: White House Next?” Saturday Evening Post, March 1985. by Cory SerVaas M D. and Maynard Good Stoddard.
• ABC News story on the Bakkers
• Interview with Falwell on the Bakker scandal

Discussion Questions

• A lot of evangelicals with large followings are super into entrepreneurship. Why is that? How does it change evangelicalism?
• Why would it be risky for Robertson to have extraction interests in poor countries?
• How did the public falls of televangelists impact Robertson?
• What is there to be learned from the Tim and Tammy Faye Bakker scandals?

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Several months ago, Chris informed the audience that he was thinking about moving to Europe. Now, he's back to update everyone!

Chris went to Seville, Spain, for several weeks to take Spanish-language classes and see if he'd like to live there. It is an exciting, vibrant, clean city with a lot of fun attractions. He got to see Ferria and Semana Santa, as well as Cordoba, Granada, Cadiz, and more. The result is that he does not think he's quite ready to move to Europe. But he came back to the US with a lot of inspiration for future episodes!

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The Iran-Contra Affair was a major political scandal in the United States during the second term of President Ronald Reagan in the mid-1980s. At its core, the affair involved the secret sale of arms to Iran—despite an arms embargo—in the hopes of securing the release of American hostages held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. These sales were initiated covertly by members of the U.S. government, who believed they could foster better relations with moderate elements in Iran while also achieving humanitarian aims. The operation violated official U.S. policy and Congressional restrictions, particularly the Boland Amendment, which explicitly prohibited aid to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

The second part of the scandal involved diverting profits from the Iranian arms sales to fund the Contras, a right-wing rebel group fighting the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The Reagan administration had viewed the Contras as essential to stopping the spread of communism in Central America. However, Congress had explicitly forbidden further military aid to the Contras, making the diversion of funds both illegal and secretive. Key figures in the affair included Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North of the National Security Council, who helped coordinate the operation, as well as senior officials like National Security Advisor John Poindexter.

When the operation was exposed in 1986, it triggered a political firestorm and led to multiple investigations by Congress and an independent counsel. While President Reagan claimed he had no knowledge of the diversion of funds, the scandal significantly damaged his administration’s credibility. Several officials were convicted of crimes related to the affair, though many were later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush. The Iran-Contra Affair remains a powerful example of executive overreach and the risks of conducting foreign policy outside the bounds of democratic oversight.

Sources:

• Nixonland by Rick Perlstein
• Vietnam Ken Burns documentary, especially episodes 2 and 7
• Time article about the credibility gap
• Reagan's 1981 inaugural address on C-SPAN
• Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz
• fun video about the video game Contra
• Brief article about the Boland Amendment
• PBS article about Iran-Contra
• Way Out There In the Blue by Frances Fitzgerald
• article about North's time as NRA head
• article about Oliver North
• Fox News website about Oliver North
• Los Angeles Times article “Religious Right Drums Up Support for North” September 3, 1988
• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• Shadow Network by Anne Nelson
• Battiata, M. (1987, Sep 26). "Beverly LaHaye and the hymn of the right; leading her women in support of Reagan, bork, and SDI: The Washington Post (Pre-1997 Fulltext)"
• article about Robert Bork

Discussion Questions:

• What was the Iran-Contra scandal about?
• Why did the US support the overthrow of Nicaragua?
• Should politicians be held accountable for their lies? How?
• What crimes/ actions are enough to make you stop supporting a politician?
• What happens when we tie our Christian faith to politicians? Political movements?

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A bunch of evangelicals like Tim LaHaye, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell pushed many in the evangelical movement to support Ronald Reagan for president. The New Right tied them to the Republican Party. But... what did they get for their efforts?

In this mini-episode, Chris lays out some of the few things they got. And some of the things that Reagan did that upset these evangelicals with large followings.

One thing they didn't like was the appointment of Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female Supreme Court judge. But Reagan did dedicate a day of prayer and offered an amendment to protect prayer in schools (though it was never going to pass).

It's possible that what Reagan really left these evangelicals with large followings was not legislation, but permission to use deeply flawed individuals to achieve their goals.

Sources:

• God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams
• The Invisible Bridge, Nixonland, and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• Proclamation 4999. National Family Week 1982
• Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz
• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• New York Times article about the O'Connor opposition
• Christianity Today article about O'Connor's opposition
• New York Times Article “Reagan Proposes School Prayer Amendment, May 18, 1982.
• Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ by John G Turner
• Article on National Ice Cream Day
• Letter from Gary North to Paul Weyrick
• Article on the US overthrow of Grenada
• Revive Us Again by Joel Carpenter

Discussion Questions:

• What did evangelicals get from Reagan?
• How did these evangelicals with large followings continue after Reagan?

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Ronald Reagan’s economic policies, often referred to as “Reaganomics,” were based on supply-side economics. His administration focused on reducing the role of government in the economy by cutting taxes, especially for corporations and high-income individuals, with the belief that this would stimulate investment, job creation, and overall economic growth. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 was a cornerstone of this approach, slashing income tax rates across the board. Reagan also prioritized deregulation, aiming to reduce government oversight in industries such as banking, energy, and transportation, under the idea that less regulation would foster greater business efficiency and innovation.

At the same time, Reagan significantly increased defense spending while aiming to cut domestic programs, which contributed to a substantial rise in the federal budget deficit. While the economy experienced a period of strong growth and declining inflation during his presidency—especially after the early 1980s recession—critics argue that the benefits were unevenly distributed. Income inequality widened, and the national debt tripled by the end of his two terms. So... was it worth it? Who benefited from his programs? And what does that say about us as a nation?

Sources:

• Article about Reagan's radio program
• The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• The story of Tom Smith, the bread manufacturer
• Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot
• Way Out There in the Blue by Frances Fitzgerald
• Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz
• A bio of Bob Taft
• A helpful article about the savings and loan crisis

Discussion Questions:

• What does the term "Reaganomics" mean?
• Why is trickle-down economics helpful to the rich and not the poor?
• Do you think that Americans favor the rich? Why?
• How have your opinions about the rich and the poor shaped your faith?

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The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), announced by President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983, was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from nuclear attacks, particularly those launched by the Soviet Union. Often dubbed "Star Wars" by critics, the initiative aimed to develop a space-based shield that could intercept and destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) before they reached U.S. territory. The plan called for the use of advanced technologies, including ground-based interceptors, space-based lasers, and other futuristic weapon systems, many of which were in the early stages of research or purely theoretical at the time.

Reagan's vision for SDI was rooted in his desire to shift U.S. defense policy away from the Cold War doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), which relied on the threat of retaliatory strikes to deter nuclear war. Instead, SDI aimed to make nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete" by providing a defensive solution that would render enemy missiles ineffective. The initiative sparked intense debate, both domestically and internationally. Critics argued that it was technologically unfeasible, enormously expensive, and risked escalating the arms race by undermining existing arms control agreements like the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Despite its ambitious goals, the Strategic Defense Initiative faced numerous scientific and budgetary challenges, and many of its proposed technologies never moved beyond the conceptual or experimental stages. Nevertheless, SDI played a significant role in the strategic dialogue between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the 1980s, influencing arms negotiations and highlighting the role of technological innovation in defense policy. By the early 1990s, after the Cold War ended, the program was scaled back and eventually evolved into the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization under subsequent administrations.

Sources:

• Way Out There in the Blue by Frances Fitzgerald
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• JFK Library article about the missile gap
• PBS article about Reagan's security plans
• Reagan's "evil empire" speech
• Article from harvest.org about their predictions for Magog
• Bill Graham's sermon, which uses the fear of communism to create a sense of urgency
• Armageddon and the Coming War with Russia pamphlet by Jerry Falwell
• Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ by John G Turner

Discussion Questions:

• What was the Strategic Defense Initiative?
• What were its goals?
• Why did they keep it around even after it was obvious it didn't work?
• Does Reagan fit the mold of conservatives of his time? Of conservative Republicans through American history?

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Ronald Reagan was an odd choice for evangelicals. For one, he and his wife regularly consulted a medium. He was a Hollywood actor, which should have put him at odds with fundamentalists. Also, Christians have a long history of charity and compassion, while Reagan's policies cut aid to poor people. But in 1980, a lot of evangelicals turned to the Republican Party to vote for him over the evangelical Jimmy Carter. What happened?

Jimmy Carter gave audience to evangelical audiences, though not in the same way as Reagan. Carter told people to conserve, while Reagan's optimistic consumerism played to the rising prosperity gospel. Reagan delivered his famous endorsement of evangelicals at the Religious Roundtable, while Carter was suspiciously absent. Also, evangelicals have built up a strong craving for leaders. They love a strongman leader. So when Reagan showed up and promised to be tough, they went for him.

Today, we're examining some of the reasons that Reagan became a favorite of evangelicals. And why... maybe that doesn't make sense.

Sources:

• Article on shibboleths
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein
• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• A Prophet With Honor by William Martin
• James Robison's speech at the Religious Roundtable
• 1980 GOP Platform
• Reagan's GOP acceptance speech in 1980
• Reagan's inauguration speech

Discussion Questions:

• What is a shibboleth?
• How do you test if someone is really a Christian? What if they're a politician? Does it matter?
• Why did Reagan seem like an unlikely match for evangelicals?
• How did Reagan impress evangelicals?
• What did this make you think about James Robison?

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Before he became president, Reagan was the head of the Screen Actors' Guild. When it came down to backing his followers or helping big business, he chose business. The same was true when he fought air traffic controllers. In this way, you can see the influence of Ayn Rand.

Reagan grew up as a poor kid, but he later became a famous radio star and movie icon. When his star faded, he became a political guest speaker and found a new path forward.

In this episode, we're going to better understand the groundwork for the Reagan presidency. Our special guest is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:

• Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz
• US v. Paramount Pictures from Justia
• article from the Reagan library
• Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot
• The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• CNN article on Paul Manafort
• Reagan's speech at the Neshoba County Fair
• NPR article on the infamous "welfare queen"

Discussion Questions:

• Why is it valuable to understand Reagan's role in messing with his union?
• How did his treatment of his union parallel that of his actions against air traffic controllers?
• What do you think of Reagan and his legacy?
• Why have some Republicans lifted him up as the ultimate conservative?

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Boy, the Religious Right did not like Carter, at least by 1980. Some of them, like Pat Robertson, had high hopes for him at the start. But they quickly grew to distrust the man from Georgia.

Why? In this episode, Chris goes through some of the top issues that evangelicals had with Jimmy Carter. They include his article in Playboy Magazine that mentions his struggles with sex (but also featured a strong gospel message), his support of the ERA, and his lackluster responses to their questions about abortion.

But... It's not as if Ronald Reagan was significantly better. Reagan was not a regular churchgoer like Carter. He consulted a medium for his decisions. He was a divorced former actor in a time when evangelicals didn't like Hollywood. So... how bad was this Carter guy that they didn't vote for him?

Our special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:

• Today story on Carter's church
• Tampa Bay Times story on Carter's church
• Associated Press story on Carter's church
• Christianity Today article on Carter's 100th birthday
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• Document the interview the Religious Right guys did
• Criswell ad
• Strom Thurmond ad
• Playboy Magazine, November 1976
• Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz
• White House Conference on Families: Listening to America's Families. Pamphlet
• God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams
• The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
• The Surprising Work of God by Garth Rosell
• Jimmy Carter Library interview with Robert Maddox
• Carter's speech to NAE (courtesy of Jimmy Carter Presidential Library)

Discussion Questions:

• Why did some evangelicals so strongly oppose the ERA?
• What did you see in the Playboy article that might be construed as unappealing to Christians?
• If Reagan engaged in fortunetelling, why did some evangelicals follow him and not Carter?
• Why have evangelicals become enamored of leaders? What has that done to our witness?

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President Jimmy Carter's presidency (1977–1981) faced several major challenges, both domestically and internationally. One of the biggest domestic issues was the struggling U.S. economy. Carter inherited high inflation and unemployment, problems that worsened during his term. The country experienced "stagflation" — a combination of stagnant economic growth and high inflation. The energy crisis, marked by oil shortages and skyrocketing gas prices, further fueled economic instability. Though Carter promoted energy conservation and alternative energy development, many Americans viewed his efforts as inadequate or overly pessimistic.

Internationally, Carter faced major challenges in foreign policy. One of the most significant was the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began in November 1979 when 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The crisis lasted 444 days and was a major blow to Carter’s administration, especially after a failed rescue attempt. It deeply affected U.S. relations with Iran and damaged public confidence in Carter’s leadership. Though Carter did achieve a major diplomatic success with the Camp David Accords — a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel — the Iran Hostage Crisis ultimately overshadowed much of his foreign policy work.

Another major issue during Carter’s presidency was a perceived lack of effective leadership. Carter, known for his integrity and moral outlook, struggled to build strong relationships with Congress and the media. He often took a technocratic, detail-oriented approach to governing, which alienated many political allies. Critics saw his administration as indecisive and overly focused on long-term goals rather than immediate results. These perceptions contributed to a loss of public confidence and were a key factor in his defeat by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.

The special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:

• Phyllis Schlafly's debate with Buckley
• Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
• Slate story on Chisholm
• Video showing Carter's opposition to integrated busing
• Reagan by Bob Spitz
• The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein
• These Truths by Jill Lepore
• Crash Course by Paul Ingrassia
• C-SPAN clip of Carter's malaise speech
• Who is Government? by Michael Lewis

Discussion Questions:

• What do you find appealing about Carter?
• How do voters sometimes use issues that are beyond a politician's control to judge them?
• Why would Carter and his predecessors choose to give the Panama Canal to Panama?
• How would an event like the hostage crisis impact an election?

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