Episode Details

Where did “In God We Trust” really come from, and was it merely Cold War anti-communist propaganda?

 

In this episode of The Magistrate, Josh Howard and James Baird trace the forgotten Civil War-era origins of the phrase on American currency.

 

They discuss Baptist pastor Mark Watkinson, Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, U.S. Mint Director James Pollock, Henry Boardman of Tenth Presbyterian Church, the original National Reform Association, and the push to recognize God and the Christian character of the nation in public life.

 

This episode uncovers how “In God We Trust” was part of a broader pan-Protestant effort to call America to national repentance, acknowledge divine sovereignty, and confess dependence upon the God of the Bible.