Every November, one bird takes center stage on millions of tables and somehow, it’s not the bald eagle. The wild turkey, awkward and unmajestic, became America’s sacred symbol long before parades and pumpkin pie. But how?
In this Thanksgiving deep dive, Theology Made traces the strange story of the turkey from the forests of New England to Benjamin Franklin’s letters and Lincoln’s proclamation. Along the way, we uncover what this humble bird reveals about providence, gratitude, and the theology of ordinary things.
Why did early settlers see turkeys as proof of divine care? Why did Franklin call it the “respectable bird” of virtue? And how did it become the centerpiece of a national ritual of gratitude?
This episode explores the intersection of faith, food, and history showing that even the bird on your table is preaching a quiet sermon: grace often arrives in the most ordinary form.
