The book Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity was released in early 2026. The subtitle succinctly announces the contents, which makes the book feel epic and profound. What the museum wants to know is how understanding the tale the author tells will equip citizens to be more effective stewards of the role of religion, and the freedom that fuels it, in perpetuating American constitutional democracy.

• https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/matthew-avery-sutton/chosen-land/9781541646339/
• Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/03/how-christian-nationalist-became-epithet/686279/
• NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/books/review/chosen-land-matthew-avery-sutton.html
• Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/03/american-christianity-more-than-politics-chosen-land-sutton-review/

Season 4, Episode 6 – Christianity and the History of the United States of America

Guest Bio

Dr. Matthew Avery Sutton is the Berry Family Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts at Washington State University and has written many books besides this one, about various aspects of religion and U.S. history, including Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity ; Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War; and Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Religion and American Politics.

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Join us during America’s 250th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. Why will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective citizens in the work of perpetuating our democracy?

Season 4, Episode 5 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Steven Green

Guest Bio

Steven K. Green is the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University where he teaches courses in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Legal History, Jurisprudence, and Education Law in the College of Law, and Legal History and American Religious History in the College of Arts & Sciences.

He is the author of more than 50 law review articles and book chapters, appearing in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Cornell Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Emory Law Journal, and Boston College Law Review, among others. Green’s latest book is The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom, and the subject of this podcast episode.

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Founded in 1834 as a mission of the Episcopal Church, the Seamen’s Church Institute provides vital services to seafarers, including crisis response, pastoral care, vessel visiting, counseling, transportation, and hospitality. The organization also supports mariner education and professional development through its Center for Maritime Education and advocates for seafarer rights through its Center for Mariner Advocacy. What is the history of this unique organization? Why will an understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective at perpetuating our democracy, which includes religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses? Mark Nestehutt will guide us today in answering these and other questions.

Show notes:

Our Mission | Seamen’s Church Institute

https://seamenschurch.org/historical-resources/

Season 4, Episode 4 – History of the Seamen’s Church Institute

Guest Bio

The Reverend Mark Nestlehutt serves as the President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), the largest and most comprehensive mariner service agency in North America.

Podcast Support

Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.