Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
The speaker quotes Billy Sunday calling it “hell against heaven,” claiming you’re either “a patriot or a traitor in the cause of Jesus Christ and the cause of his country,” and even saying critics of registration/war bonds should be shot; what does this reveal about how evangelical Christianity can merge Jesus’ cause with national cause, and where might similar rhetoric exist now—more subtly—in sermons, songs, or Christian media?
Another way to ask: What does Billy Sunday’s “patriot or traitor” talk show about mixing Jesus’ cause with the nation’s cause? Where do you see similar ideas today, even in subtle ways in sermons, songs, or Christian media?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript presents Billy Sunday as an example of evangelical rhetoric that fuses loyalty to Jesus with loyalty to the nation, treating dissent as betrayal of Christ. It warns that Christian language can be used to sanctify national war aims and demonize conscientious objection.
- The speaker identifies Sunday as a “prominent evangelical pastor” and notes his strong pro-war posture.
- New York Times headline: “40,000 cheer for war and religion mixed by Sunday,” showing mass religious support.
- Sunday equates the enemy leader with evil: “sink the Kaiser with the devil as an enemy alien,” and frames it as “hell against heaven.”
- He explicitly merges causes: “either is a patriot or a traitor in the cause of Jesus Christ and the cause of his country,” implying they are the same cause.
- He endorses violence toward dissenters: those who criticize registration, conscription, or war bonds should be “line them up against the wall and shoot them.”