The American Soul
Are you tired of hearing the myth about separation of church and state? Are you tired of being told that America is not and never was a Christian nation? Do you want to have the information to stand up for the truth and fight back against this fundamental lie that’s invading our culture and education? Each week, host Jesse Cope will dive into quotes and excerpts from our great leaders and documents throughout our history showing how in President Woodrow Wilson’s words “America was born a Christian nation.” We have the truth on our side and together we can absolutely turn our nation around. Follow Jesse @jtcope4 on Twitter and @jtcopeiv on Instagram for daily doses of the truth to help fight back. Subscribe to The American Soul and share the show with someone who needs to hear it. We're on a mission to spread the truth and get our nation back on the right track — and you can help us make this possible.
The American Soul
What We Tolerate In Ideology Decides What We Become
Headlines move fast, but the root struggle rarely changes: what ideas shape our lives, our families, and our country. We follow a clear thread—from Minnesota’s funding controversy to Churchill’s warnings about Nazism to FDR’s 1933 Christmas Eve fireside chat—to ask a hard question: do we evaluate people by ethnicity and origin, or by the ideology they carry and promote? That choice frames everything else, from policy to culture to how we raise our kids.
We read from 1 Corinthians on marital fidelity and self-giving, then turn to Revelation’s vision of justice and Psalm 143’s cry from the depths. These passages aren’t abstract; they show how private virtue sustains public courage. Proverbs adds a civic edge with small, wise creatures that model foresight, order, and presence—a reminder that strength without wisdom collapses. Along the way, we honor William S. Bond’s Medal of Honor service, because history’s courage steadies today’s resolve.
FDR’s Christmas message anchors the conversation in hope and Scripture. He quotes the promise that nations should not learn war forever, a line many now miss because biblical literacy has faded. Benjamin Franklin’s accounts of Scripture-saturated speech in early America reveal how a common text once set boundaries for power and protected freedom. When people know the words, leaders can’t easily bend them. When that knowledge fades, new creeds slip in under familiar language.
Our through-line is simple and urgent: ideology decides direction. If we abandon the principles of Christ—justice, mercy, humility, courage—we leave a vacuum that corrosive systems rush to fill. Rebuild literacy. Teach truth to children. Evaluate policies by dignity, not marketing. Support communities that pray, debate, and act with moral clarity. If this conversation moved you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review so others can find the show.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks.
SPEAKER_01:This is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are and whatever part of the day you're in. I sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully, you're getting to listen to it with somebody else. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you very much for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness. Thank you for not giving up on us. Thank you for the opportunities you provide us to help others. Help us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before you. Help us to truly love your Son Jesus Christ, and therefore to follow his commands. To love you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to care for those who have less than we do. Help us to care for those who are weaker than we are, in whatever way, for whatever reason. Help us to be grateful for the blessings and the talents and the skills that you've given us. To be humbly grateful. Be with our nation. Please guide her back to you. Help us to truly repent of our sins, both as individuals and as a nation. To look to you for guidance and wisdom. Be with our leaders both in the state and in the church. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. God, my word to your father. Please, and please be with those listening to the podcast, Father, wherever they are. Across the nation and around the world, be with their families, bless the marriages of those who are married. Help us to do your will. Your son's name we pray. God, my word to your father, again, please. Your son's name we pray. Amen.
SPEAKER_01:So some of y'all may have been paying attention over the last couple weeks to this mess up in Minnesota, or I guess it's spread maybe across a couple states now about the amount of money that has been given to these Somali immigrants. And it is a mess, folks. It definitely applies the term we used in a Marine Corps cluster or foobar.
SPEAKER_00:You can look those up.
SPEAKER_01:I won't put the expletives on here, but they both are fitting terms for this situation.
SPEAKER_00:But a lot of people are getting lost in skin color and ethnicity as an indication of why this is so bad. And that's missing the real picture, folks, which is ideology.
SPEAKER_01:If you look up what the prevalent religion, ideology, is in Somalia, you will see that it's somewhere north of 99% are Muslim.
SPEAKER_00:And again and again in the 20th century, there are certain ideologies that prove evil.
SPEAKER_01:Communism, socialism, fascism, Nazism, leftism, which I kind of use that to encompass all of those, and Islam. And if you don't understand that those ideologies will never stop until they are forced to, you're missing the picture and you're just setting yourself and those who count on you up for failure. You know, we've talked about the Churchill biography written by Manchester a number of times on the podcast. And one of the things, one of the mistakes, if not the mistake, that the British population in general certainly made, the French and others too, is they just couldn't comprehend that there was no negotiation with Hitler and the Nazis.
SPEAKER_00:Churchill was one of the only, a very, very small percentage, one of the only figures that was warning constantly about the threat posed by the Nazis and Hitler throughout the 30s. People just didn't want to see it.
SPEAKER_01:And if you don't understand, there was never going to be any negotiation with the Nazis, folks. It was going, they were going to have to be stopped by force. And that's exactly what we have today. And we have to get our head wrapped around that. The followers of the left and of Islam inside the United States are never going to willingly stop.
SPEAKER_00:And we just got to understand that. Marriage verse for today comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 3 through 6. Or 3 through 5.
SPEAKER_01:Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. So don't refuse sex to each other unless you agree not to have sex for a little while in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
SPEAKER_00:Scripture for today, going to Revelation again. Chapter 15, verses 1 through 8.
SPEAKER_01:Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God's wrath to completion. I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire, and on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue, and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them, and they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb. Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord, God the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed. Then I looked and saw that the temple in heaven, God's tabernacle, was thrown wide open. The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests. Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from God's glory and power. No one could enter the temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues. Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my plea. Answer me because you are faithful and righteous. Don't put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you. My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave. I am losing all hope, I am paralyzed with fear. I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don't turn away from me, or I will die. Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, I run to you and hide, I run to you to hide me. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness bring me out of this distress. And your unfailing love silence all my enemies, and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant. Proverbs thirty verses twenty four through twenty eight. There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise Ants, they aren't strong, but they store up food all summer. Locusts, they have no king, but they march in formation.
SPEAKER_00:Lizards, they're easy to catch, but they are found even in kings' palaces. Medal of Honor for today William S.
SPEAKER_01:Bond. Boatswain, highest rank, warrant officer, Boatswain's mate. I think that's what WO stands for in this case. U.S. Civil War. USS Kersarge Kersarge U.S. Navy June nineteenth, eighteen sixty four. Off Cherbourg, France. Served on board the USS Cursarge when she destroyed the Alabama off Cherbourg, France, nineteenth, June, eighteen sixty-four. Carrying out his duties courageously, Bond exhibited marked coolness and good conduct, and was highly recommended for his gallantry under fire by his divisional officer. Accredited to Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, not awarded posthumously. Born eighteen thirty nine, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, died march seventeenth, eighteen ninety-two, buried Sunrise Memorial Cemetery, BU Tac fifteen, Tac four, Tac two, Baljo, California, United States.
SPEAKER_00:William S Bond. So our Christmas message today comes from FDR.
SPEAKER_01:This was the first of his fireside, Christmas Eve fireside chats. And that was one of the things floating around in the back of my mind all those years ago when I started this podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Hard to believe we've been doing this going on five years now, about halfway through the fifth year.
SPEAKER_01:At any rate, I kind of hope that you one of the reasons, that's one of the reasons I say often, I hope you're getting to listen to this with somebody else. I hope it kind of helps build some community in your life, at least in some form or fashion. Franklin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Christmas Eve Fireside Chat, broadcast nationwide from the White House, December 24th, 1933, 1130 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. My friends, this is Christmas Eve. For the first time in my public life, I am speaking to you on this night that means so much to all of us who are Christians, and so much too to all of us who believe in the spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness toward our fellow man. I have never before talked to all of you from the White House on Christmas Eve, but tonight it seems natural and fitting that I should do so. We are celebrating the birthday of one who brought new hope to the world. Hope that someday nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. Tonight in millions of homes, in cities and villages and on farms, the family circle is gathered around the lighted tree or before the fireplace. Tonight all over the world, children are waiting for the coming of Christmas morning. Tonight too, many of us are thinking of those who are far away, sons and brothers and husbands, who are in the Army and Navy of the United States on land and sea, at home and abroad. To all of them, and to their families I send a special greeting, and the assurance that our thoughts and our prayers are with them. In this holy night may peace come upon the whole world. May the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of unselfish giving, of kindness, of tolerance, of good will abide with us not only tomorrow, but through all the days of the coming year. And so, my friends, I say to you from my home to your homes, a very Merry Christmas to you all, and to all of you a good night. So there's two additional quotes that I want to share with you all, thinking primarily about that Christmas Eve message just then. One is another one from Franklin D. Roosevelt that we've read here often. We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and the most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity. The other quote, it's actually two different sections from Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. It's the part written 1784 to 1788, part three, the section that begins in Passy, France. Repeating a text or two of scripture, or quoting a stanza or two of poetry on any occasion was common in America. And I remember in England, when I first came to London, being surprised at hearing a porter in the street quote scripture in a dispute with another porter. I thought it very singular, till I found that the lower people there were not much acquainted with the Bible. Where in the provinces of America where people were not so much accustomed to quote poets, they quoted scripture on every occasion. And even the children in their common disputes would argue from scripture and say, as it is said in the Bible, or the scriptures say so and so. There's a later passage in that same autobiography. Scarcely anyone in America, even of the vulgar, is ignorant of the scriptures. And I have heard some of the common people quote chapter and verse with as much readiness and accuracy as the clergy in Europe. We won't touch everything, but you go back to the marriage verse from 1 Corinthians, and uh my great uncle of World War II generation used to say, you never knew what was going on in a marriage until you were behind the bedroom doors. And when you apply that quote to scripture, folks, there's a lot of marriages, especially inside the church, uh, that aren't doing very well because of what is not going on behind the bedroom doors. And Psalm, the Psalms that we the Psalm that we read today, 143, if if you're really struggling, folks, if you're going through some dark times, David went through some really dark times. And I think that psalm, at least for me, is a great one to go back to and read over again when you're really struggling in any situation in life. So all of the last little bit, and don't, of course, don't forget William S. Bond, right? Fighting in the Civil War off the coast of France, uh seeking the Alabama. The last three, FDR's Fireside Chat, Christmas Eve 1933, and then the quote from FDR and the quotes from Benjamin Franklin kind of all go together with the original monologue, whatever you want to talk about from today. And that is the whole point today, folks, in every every single aspect of our nation goes back to ideology. There is no compromise with followers of the left or Islam. They're never going to stop unless they're forced to stop. And the point is, are we a people who follow the principles of Christ or are we not? That's the only possible hope of salvation we have rests in us following those principles. When you look at FDR's fireside chat, you go back, one of the things you'll notice is within the first couple sentences, he talks about nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. How many of us even know that that's a scripture reference today in America? You look at Franklin's comment from his autobiography, and he talks about the fact of how biblically literate we were at our founding, even all the way down to uneducated people with no real formal education, new scripture, as well as a lot of the clergy in Europe, which is a whole nother commentary, folks. One of the horrific parts of the tyranny of the church in Europe and England for centuries was they refused to let the common people read Scripture. And it wasn't out of the goodness of their hearts, folks. It was because they wanted power and control, and they didn't want the common person able to read scripture. Scripture and see what God was really saying. Right. And so Franklin goes, you know, everybody in America knows Scripture, but we don't today. And so we miss so many of these references that show our Christian heritage, our Christian foundation, and our founding fathers' speeches and letters and papers, and our great leaders throughout the history of our nation, and some of the not so great leaders, right? And then the other part, FDR's quote that we talked about how much our society rests on the Bible. Again, folks, that's the whole point. It's not race, it's not ethnicity, it's not whether your skin is black or brown or blue or yellow or pink or red or anything else. It's not where your ancestors came from. It's ideology. Do we follow evil ideologies like that in the 20th century? Socialism, communism, Nazism, fascism, leftism, Islam. You know, obviously Islam goes a lot farther back than the 20th century. Or are we a people that are turning to God and Jesus Christ and following those principles? There is no negotiation, no peace with the former group.
SPEAKER_00:They're never going to stop until they're forced to stop. And we just we gotta get our heads wrapped around that, folks.
SPEAKER_01:If you were looking for a family-friendly middle grade read along the lines of Narnia or Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Fablehaven, if y'all are some of y'all are familiar with that, The Hobbit. If you would check out Countryside, I would appreciate it. And if you enjoy it, if you would leave a review for the first or second book, those are so helpful. And if you feel like you're getting something out of the podcast on a regular basis, then you have three or four or five dollars a month that you can donate to the podcast. There is a web page on the Buzz Sprout website where you can set that donation up. And I would be immensely grateful for that support as well.
SPEAKER_00:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
SPEAKER_01:Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, God bless your marriages if you're married.
SPEAKER_00:God bless your nation wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to you all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.