Grant Wacker: the Defining Moments of Religion in America
Homebrewed Christianity
Dr. Tripp Fuller | Theologian, Philosopher, Minister
4.6 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 22 September 2025
⏱️ 60 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | What is up theology nerds today on the podcast? |
| 0:09.6 | We're looking at the history of religion in America with one of the preeminent historians, Grant Wacker. |
| 0:17.6 | And he gives this proposition that I found fascinating. He calls it the Bushman test |
| 0:22.9 | inspired by the historian Richard Bushman. He said when looking back in time trying to capture |
| 0:29.1 | the life, times thought, and wrestling of a figure, you want to write the history knowing that |
| 0:34.7 | someday you might just be hanging out with them in heaven. |
| 0:38.5 | That kind of critical yet sympathetic and understanding framework is something historians work |
| 0:43.9 | for. And in this conversation, Grant talks about how that animated his own book, an amazing |
| 0:49.3 | book on The Life of Billy Graham. But more than that, more than that, I messaged him and said, hey, I'm wanting to |
| 0:56.0 | talk to historians about the story of religion in America as we get near our 250th anniversary. |
| 1:03.7 | And he came up with 10 defining moments in American religion. Actually, there were 11. |
| 1:11.7 | But you get the point. |
| 1:16.8 | This is a legendary historian taking the time to reflect and think about the different movements, |
| 1:21.7 | energies and patterns of religion here in America, and he unpacks them and shares us with us. |
| 1:24.1 | And man, it is awesome. |
| 1:29.7 | So I know all you historian nerds are gonna be pumped to hear this, but, |
| 1:34.4 | but any of you thinking about the nature of religion in America, it is a great thing to get to know where we came from and what in knowing our past can shape wherever going. I had a blast |
| 1:39.8 | talking with Dr. Wacker and I hope you do too. Remember, remember the best brew, the best brew |
| 1:45.9 | is a shared brew. So go, go send this episode to one of your friends who you think will benefit |
| 1:51.2 | from it and maybe it will inspire a zesty conversation between you two. Enjoy. |
| 2:08.8 | Yeah, I'm Grant Wacker, and I taught at University of North Carolina and then at Duke, and I retired, Duke Divinity School, and retired five years ago, live in Kerry on North Carolina. |
| 2:15.4 | And I used to teach American religious history. And that is in |
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