When the Background Religion Breaks | Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and the American Soul

2025-10-08

America’s unspoken civil religion — be nice, feel good, God’s chill — has crashed.In this conversation, Sam Tideman (Transfigured) and I trace the rise and fall of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, the “default faith” of modern America. From Harvard Unitarianism to megachurch moralism, from the Chicago World’s Fair to the Jordan Peterson wave, we explore what happens when the background religion of “nice” stops working — and what comes next.🎙️ Guest: Sam Tiedeman – Host of Transfigured @transfigured3673 📺 Wa...

America’s unspoken civil religion — be nice, feel good, God’s chill — has crashed.

In this conversation, Sam Tideman (Transfigured) and I trace the rise and fall of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, the “default faith” of modern America. From Harvard Unitarianism to megachurch moralism, from the Chicago World’s Fair to the Jordan Peterson wave, we explore what happens when the background religion of “nice” stops working — and what comes next.

🎙️ Guest: Sam Tiedeman – Host of Transfigured @transfigured3673

📺 Watch Sam’s MTD series:

• Part 1 – The Forgotten History of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

https://youtu.be/5eHYMzanOvs?si=d_hUAfvIg7LrVc9M

• Part 2 – Does Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Still Exist?

https://youtu.be/XZfOfq6NJ4Y?si=oApWtsIJSjdecLD7

@MarkDParker Live Stream Mentioned with Sam @transfigured3673 link: https://www.youtube.com/live/HNoaLoVLFsQ?si=Cey0iD9HKgau8_DB

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