Our guest is Benjamin Park, Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and has authored four books, including American Nationalisms, Kingdom of Nauvoo, and American Zion. Today we explore Theodore Parker. This orator of abolitionism, grappled with the meaning of the Bible, challenged the doctrines of Christianity, became a transcendentalist, sheltered fugitive slaves, and spoke with ferocious conscience about social progress. His view of history did not omit the horrors and pain we all see, but he believed the moral trajectory “bends towards justice.” Dr. Park fleshes out the life of a man who passionately defended the downtrodden and spoke against the cultural grain.