Truth and Way Podcast

Independence, Confederation, and the Birth of a Nation

As the United States marks 250 years since July 4, 1776, the assumption seems clear: we're celebrating the birth of a nation.

But history tells a more complex story.

In this episode, we take a closer look at what the Declaration of Independence actually accomplished- and what it didn't. Did 1776 create the United States as we know it, or did it begin a longer process that unfolded...

Beneath many of today's cultural and political tensions is a deeper question: who belongs, and where do I fit? In this episode, we explore how identity, status, and the stories we inherit shape the way we see ourselves and others. As familiar patterns begin to shift, what often feels like loss may actually be a disruption of identity rather than reality itself.

Looking at how race and belonging have been formed over time, we conside...

If some are drawn to systems of power through fear, others place their hope in the belief that those same systems van be reformed from within. In this episode, we explore how modern empire often operates not through chaos, but through stability- through institutions, expertise, and the promise of progress.

While real improvements can happen, the deeper structures often remain unchanged. The question is not whether reform matters, b...

There is a question many people are quietly asking: why do so many support systems that don't seem to serve them? In this eposode, we explore how fear, identity, and belonging shape political loyalty far more than facts or policy. Drawing on the deeper theme of empire, we examine how fear becomes a worldview, how it is reinforced through culture and community, and why it often gets directed toward the wrong targets- especially in t...

Deconstruction isn't about tearing faith down- it's about telling the truth about the Christianity we inherited. letting go of what empire shaped, and rebuilding a faith rooted in Jesus rather than fear, nationalism, or power. In this episode, we explore why so many believers feel disillusioned, how the Chrusrch became entangled with political identity, and what it means to reconstruct a faith that is humble, hopeful, and free. Thi...

Politics has become a kind of modern religion, shaping identity, loyalty, and even the way many Christians imagine hope. But the Kingdom of God refuses to fit inside partisan lines. In this episode, we explore why oth major parties operate within the logic of empire, why politics cannot deliver salvation, and how Christians can engage public life without being consumed by fear or outrage. Drawing from Scripture, history, and a King...

Naming the Power Behind Oppression

Empire isn't just a government or a political system. It's a spirit- a way of seeing the world that forms our fears, our desires, and even our assumptions about God. In this episode, we explore how the spirit of empire shapes identity, divides communities, distorts Christian faith, and infiltrates the church without being noticed. And we ask what it means to follow Jesus with a Kingdom imagination ...

Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter morning.

In this Holy Week journey, we walk slowly through the three days that reveal the truth about our world and the hope at the center of the Christian story. We confront the violence of empire at the cross, sit honestly in the silence and disorientation of Holy Saturday, and stand with the women at the empty tomb as new creation breaks open. Drawing from Scripture and Moltmann's theology o...

St. Patrick's story is not myth- it is a collision between empire, exile, and the liberating Gospel of Jesus. In this special episode, we revisit Patrick's true witness, trace Ireland's centuries under domination, and examine how Irish-Americans shifted from resisting empire to defending it. Through history, theology, and personal reflection, we expose the powers that shape our imagination and rediscover a faith that refuses to bow...

The Seven Mountains Mandate has become one of the most influential- and least understood- forces shaping Christian nationalism today. In this episode, we explore where the Seven Mountains idea came from, why it spread so quickly through charismatic and evangelical circles, and how it re-frames Christianity around conquest instead of Christ. Far from being a harmless call to "influence culture," the Seven Mountains Mandate is a blue...

Introduction Series- Part 4

A grounded walk through Scripture's true spiritual landscape: exile. We draw from Israel's story, Jesus' teachings, the early church, and Revelation to show why Christians were never meant to rule empire, but to outlast it. Exile becomes not a crisis but a calling, and faithfulness becomes our quiet resistance.

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠
• Substack...

Introduction Series- Part 3

A clear-eyed look at how nearly every denomination inherited an imperial blueprint rather than Jesus' design. We trace the habits Christendom gave us- hierarchy, control, respectability- and contrast them with the small, open, table-shaped community Jesus imagined. A vision of the church not as we've known it, but as Scripture has always promised

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mai...

Introduction Series- Part 2

A plain-speech exploration of why Christian hope doesn't depend on reclaiming cultural power. We expose the myth of a "Christian nation," name the wounds of late-stage Christendom, and show why the hope of Jesus-resurrection, new creation, and the Kingdom- can only grow once empire stops pretending to be our home.

Links:

• Website:⁠ https://www.truthandway.org⁠
• Email: ⁠mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org⁠

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Introduction Series- Part 1

A plain-speech history from the early church to Christendom to today's civil religion. We trace the five levers that bent the church toward power- sword, altar, law, treasury, time- name the real gifts and real costs, and explain why the way of Jesus (cross, table, truth) can't be welded to the state.

Links:

• Website: https://www.truthandway.org
• Email: mailto:tcotton@truthandway.org

Credits:

• Music...