Straight White American Jesus

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Our monthly bonus episode begins with a visit from Dr. Leah Payne, author of God Gave you Rock and Roll: A History of Contemporary Christian Music. Brad and Dan ask her about the cultural significance of God rock and the ways that it reflects White evangelicalism's ideal family, gender roles, and sexual ethic. They all also tell hilarious stories of their own youthful experiences with Christian music - including the time Dan broke a dude's nose in a mosh pit and then prayed it out with him as a good brother in Christ. In the second hour, they turn to the Trump immunity trial and the ways it is threatening to tank the Jack Smith case and erode our democracy from within. Dan then does a deep dive into a report about trans care coming out of the UK - something that will make its way across the pond soon to the ears of every Uncle Ron in the country. The episode finishes with responses to a few very thoughtful AMAs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad and Dan begin by discussing the responses to campus protests across the nation, and then zoom into the actions and words of Sean Feucht and Eric Metaxas - two Christian nationalist influencers who led pro-Israel rallies in NYC and LA this week. Brad explains how and why Christian nationalists like them fetishize Israel for what it does for them, not for actual care or solidarity with Jewish People. In the second segment, Dan breaks down Trump's Time interview - a detailed foreshadowing of what will come in his potential next term: using the National Guard on American citizens, taking any civil rights from immigrants, letting states ban abortion, putting all employees on Schedule F, oh, and not accepting election results if he loses. In the final segment the hosts discuss the United Methodist Church's new policies on marriage, which are a step forward for gay couples within the nationa's second largest Protestant denomination. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ “In essentials, Unity; in non-essentials, charity.” This is a Christian “slogan” or theological aphorism that dates back almost 2000 years. But we still here it within diverse Christian contexts today. What is the impulse behind it? What does it tell us about Christian identity and “unity”? What are the different uses to which Christians put this aphorism today? How can it signal an inclusive, inviting, and open Christian community? How can it also serve the purposes and aims of high-control Christian communities? Give this week’s episode a listen to find out! Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Arthur Finkelstein is not a household name. Yet, he may be one of the most consequential political figures of the last century - he volunteered with Goldwater, grew up with Ayn Rand, helped Nixon and Reagan into the White House, and then orchestrated the ascendance of Netanyahu, the comeback of Orban, and the vilification of George Soros. He also had a hand in getting Trump over the finish line, albeit indirectly. Brad does a deep dive into the puppet master who may be the decoder ring for understanding the political nihilism of the GOP and the rise of authoritarianism across the globe. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ This week was the end of the first act. The point in the story when all the players, themes, issues, histories, and institutions that will determine the rest of the season come into focus. It's not the end. It's not even close. But it's the time when we see who and what will guide the journey. Brad and Dan begin by discussing the weight of the Trump hush money trial on Trump's ability to campaign - and project an image of bravado and control. They then go into the abortion case at SCOTUS, focusing on the grotesque nature of the discussion on women's health and bodies, and how this will weigh on voters in November. Brad hones in on the Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan aid package, commenting on how Biden touted it as a bipartisan win, but observing that the student uprisings at Columbia, Yale, USC, and all over the country portend a hard road ahead for Democrats with Gen Z. He finished by analyzing what the TikTok ban means and why it might be a Trojan Horse in the aid package. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In Dan's second conversation with Michelle Dowd, author of Forager: Fieldnotes for Surviving a Family Cult, they discuss the ways patriarchy and authoritarianism often mix in high-demand religions, how trauma from these experiences lives in the body, and the lifelong practices of healing from the mistrust of self that they teach. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Buy Forager: https://valsec.barnesandnoble.com/w/forager-michelle-dowd/1141906988?ean=9781643751856 Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Sometimes we have to pivot from analysis to organizing. From study to action. In order to do that, Brad speaks with the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance. They discuss ways to organize and mobilize for the 2024 elections in order to build a coalition of non-religious and religious Americans who share a commitment to democracy, inclusiveness, and equality. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad and Dan open with a discussion of the J6 cases at SCOTUS - and the fact that Clarence Thomas has not recused himself, despite his wife being involved in J6. The hosts then move to the details of the Stormy Daniels Hush Money case - going through the actual crimes being charged and explaining why they are indeed related to the election. In the final segment Dan analyzes an article in the Atlantic on what Americans lost when they stopped participating in organized religion. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/america-religion-decline-non-affiliated/677951/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad is joined by his brother, Dr. Brian Onishi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Penn State Altoona, to breakdown the politics, horror, spectacle, and meanings of "Civil War" - the new film out now. Weird Wonder by Dr. Brian Onishi: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-48027-0 Eugene Thacker (magic circle): https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/in-the-dust-of-this-planet Hollywood Reporter (about 50/50 split between conservative and liberal viewership): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-red-states-and-blue-states-1235875216/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In this episode, Dan interviews Michelle Down, author of Forager: Fieldnotes for Surviving a Family Cult, about her experiences and insights growing up in an extreme high-control religious community founded by her grandfather. Michelle helps us understand some of the dynamics of high-control religion, considers the role that coded language plays in such religion, and highlights the extreme focus on unity within such communities. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Taylor joins Brad to discuss a new breed of chauvinistic, theologically bull-headed Christian nationalists who might be better called “Christian supremacists.” These hard-liners believe that Christianity deserves a privileged space in American society — that Christians, being better than other human beings, should be entitled to a superior form of citizenship. They claim that Christians are even destined by God to rule over society. What is hazy nostalgia to the “God Bless America” crowd is an organized theological and political program for the Christian supremacists. BONUS CONTENT: AOC outlines why she fears Mike Johnson's plans in 2024 . . . SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Subscribe to Charismatic Revival Fury https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/charismatic-revival-fury-the-new-apostolic-reformation/id1738709631 Buy Charismatic Revival Fury for ad-free listening: https://mysoundwise.com/soundcasts/1708963220821s Matt Taylor's article: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/4/8/the-peril-radicalizing-some-evangelicals-goes-beyond-christian-nationalism Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ We kick things off with a humorous reflection on Dan's eclipse-chasing escapade in Vermont, drawing parallels to the comical misanthropy of Larry David. We then segue into a critical discussion on Donald Trump's latest strategic remarks on abortion and the perplexing enforcement of a Civil War-era law in Arizona, contemplating the broader ramifications these developments hold for political dynamics and individual rights. We then spotlight a movement to convert Gen Z in through anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and a focus on spiritual warfare. Called, "California Will Be Saved," it represents the powerful undercurrents of Christian nationalism sweeping through movements in California, and the assertive presence of spiritual warfare in Southern California's public spaces. The conversation spotlights the diverse leaders who are redefining conservative Christianity and the challenges they present, from their confrontational worship rallies to the influential Seven Mountains Mandate. We hover on the complexity of this movement's multiethnic and multiracial fabric, and its unsettling reach into the lives of Gen Z and the LGBTQ community. To cap off thE episode, we analyze the amicus brief on presidential immunity written by American historians and submitted in Trump immunity case at SCOTUS. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In this episode, Dan continues talking with Beatrice Marovich, author of Sister Death: Political Theologies for Living and Dying. In this episode, she talks with us about the concrete social and political effects of a Christian and cultural fixation on death, particularly as it relates to reproductive rights. She also talks with us about ways of thinking beyond death that move away from the traditional Christian notion of an “afterlife.” Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Kaylee Peterson is running for congress in Idaho. She's a thirty-something working-class mom who saw her hometown taken over by extreme right-wing politicians through coordinate funding and marketing campaigns. She explains why big money interests and Christian nationalists are teaming up in her state and creating one of the most radical political climates in the country - ravaging public schools and decimating the health care system, not to mention cultivating a sense of intimidation all over Idaho. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surprise! Brad sat down with Rev. Angela Denker to discuss Fargo Season 5, a series rife with Christian nationalism and related themes: violence, patriarchy, and right-wing authoritarianism. It's also a series full of love, forgiveness, and the hope of going home. Angela Denker is a Lutheran pastor and veteran journalist. She has written for many publications, including Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, and FORTUNE magazine. Denker has appeared on CNN, BBC and SkyNews to share her research on politics and Christian Nationalism in the U.S. Her book, "Red State Christians: A Journey Into Christian Nationalism and the Wreckage It Leaves Behind," was the 2019 Silver Foreword Indies award-winner for political and social sciences. Buy Red State Christians: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506482507/Red-State-Christians Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In the first segment, Dan and Brad discuss the growing call to overturn the 22nd Amendment in order for Trump to be president for more than two terms. They analyze why this is a step on the way to authoritarianism and one more sign of teetering democracy in the USA. In the second segment, the hosts turn to the outcry of Trans Visibility Day and Easter falling on the same day. Dan outlines how Christian natinoalists frame this as a faith vs. trans lives debate, while Brad turns to the rich history of Christian queer theology to explain that many Christians from the past thought of Christ himself as queer - and even trans. In the final segment, the hosts discuss the recent ruling in Indiana that allows for abortions in cases related to religious freedom. In essence, the winning argument is that abortion is a religious right because of its practice in many traditions. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Life and death are commonly seen as representing the starkest of binaries: Death is the ultimate adversary of all that lives. Dan talks with Dr. Beatrice Marovich, faculty at Hanover University, who argues that such understandings of mortality have been deeply influenced by a strain of Christian political theology that has left its mark on both religious and secular narratives. Adapting the figure of “Sister Death” from Saint Francis of Assisi, she calls for recognizing that life and death are family, rather than enemies. Buy Sister Death here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/sister-death/9780231208376 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ On this two-hour bonus episode, Brad and Dan are joined by Brad's former ministry partner and friend of 25 years Jason Thompson. They recount an absurd, whimsical, and somehow instructive story of flinging fresh fish at a wall with teenagers in order to build the Kingdom of God. From there they answer a bunch of AMA questions, and then finish with Dan taking the group through the idea that if you label anyone a Christian nationalist, then you label every person of Christian faith a Christian nationalist. It's Dan ranting at his best, with commentary from Brad and Jason. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad speaks to Dr. Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood about their new book, "Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism." They discuss how those Christians who are often thought of as liberal and/or progressive not only shaped key Christian nationalist dynamics of the present moment, but also perpetuate them in various ways. Buy Baptizing America: https://chalicepress.com/products/baptizing-america In the bonus content for subscribers, Brad talks about how reactions to the Baltimore bridge disaster reveal a country on the brink of divorce. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In the first segment, Dan breaks down the mess at NBC where Ronna Romney McDaniel was ousted from her position after protest by numerous on-air figures. While some have labeled this a travesty of a biased news environment, Dan explains why McDaniel should not be on any credible news network because of her track record of undermining elections, democracy, and the free press. In the second segment, the attention turns to a new bill in South Carolina that provides life insurance for embryos. In the final segment, the hosts spend significant time on the news that Trump is selling the God Bless USA Bible - the "only Bible endorsed by President Trump." It's blasphemous. It's craven. And it's another watershed moment in a decade of political and religious embarrassments. But, what will its impact be on voters? Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices