S3:E42 Take Away 1: Think Deeper About the Past

S3:E42 Take Away 1: Think Deeper About the Past

It’s time for American Christians to rethink the past. Can nostalgia for part of the past impact our witness?

MAGA folks look back on the history of the United States and see a golden era: the 1950s. When religion was in the public eye, television and movies were clean, and father came home from work with dinner hot on the table. The trouble is that this vision of the 1950s only existed in our imaginations or if we chose to ignore the world around us. The 1950s were an era of great upheaval, with public monuments to religion being erected at the same time as heavy censorship, McCarthyism, wars, racism, and sexism.

For the next few weeks we’ll be revisiting themes from season three of Truce to pull out some important takeaway. Takeaway 1: Think Deeper About the Past.

Helpful links:

Discussion Questions:

  • What do you think of when you think of the 1950s?
  • When is it okay to remember just part of history, and when do we need to consider the whole picture?
  • What era do people who wear MAGA hats want to return to? In other words, when was America greater than it is now?
  • When you think of your own childhood, what comes to mind?
    • Do world or social issues play into that?
    • How is nostalgia a helpful tool?
    • How can nostalgia shape our memory of the past?
    • Is there an era you wish to return to?
  • What can we do to create a fuller picture of the past when we retell it?