Religion in American government: its role and history

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack

Published March 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM EDT

A smiling man with short brown hair wearing a black and white checked button-down shirt and black tie

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Spencer McBride, Ph.D.

Provided

Two smiling men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: the man at left has short grey hair and is wearing glasses and a red t-shirt, a blue button-down shirt, and a grey jacket; the man at right has short dark hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt with purple cuffs.

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Michael Oberg, Ph.D., on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, March 10, 2025

Mari Tsuchiya / WXXI News

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

Historian Spencer McBride says it is an American tradition: religion is used as a political or cultural cudgel. Politicians claim the mantle of godliness, while also claiming that their opponents are devoid of faith.

If it seems especially sharp today, McBride says that 2025 has plenty in common with past American eras. McBride is the author of several books, including a book about Western New York's religious and social upheaval from 1790 to 1860. He'll be a guest of the Rochester Historical Society, but first, he joins us on "Connections."

Our guests:

Spencer McBride, Ph.D., historian, author, podcaster, and associate managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project
Michael Oberg, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history at SUNY Geneseo

*Note: To learn more about McBride's presentation for the Rochester Historical Society on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m., click here.