In the second episode from their 2019 series, Brad and Dan continue their discussion of the history of the Christian Religious Left. They try to figure out how Mainline Protestantism won massive cultural victories in the 20t…
This is the first episode in a 2019 series on the Religious Left . Brad and Dan begin by giving a brief history of the Christian Left over the last century. They highlight four main differences with evangelicalism: approache…
Brad and Dan are in Denver for the SWAJ event this evening! Buy a last minute ticket here: bradonshi.com/nationalism . If you can't watch live a recording will be sent to all virtual attendees in a week or so. In place of a …
We often hear Christians, cultural conservatives, and conservative politicians appeal to the family, and particularly the need for children to have families. Why do they say this? Would anyone disagree with it? When we crack…
Brad is joined by return guest and co-author Annika Brockschmidt to discuss three things: Her recent piece at Religion Dispatches on the fascist elements of the Right's taste for violence and cruelty The 2022 midterms, inclu…
Brad and Dan breakdown the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hopeful from the 2022 midterms. Join us at the SWAJ Live Event: https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/ We have in-person tickets at 50% off - use SWAJ50 (limited n…
Is the slogan, “stand for the flag, kneel for the cross” a harmless expression of the conviction that good Christians can also be good citizens? Or if we decode it, do we find that a meaning that’s much more pernicious than …
When it was first published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula immediately triggered a spate of strong emotional responses. These responses partly stemmed from its action-movie depiction of Christianity, but also partly from the…
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the attack on Paul Pelosi. Brad discusses the conspiracy theories that have taken hold surrounding the attack and why the jokes, memes, and laughs coming from the American Right reveal how th…
One of the most central commands given by Jesus of Nazareth in the Bible is to “love your enemies.” But if this is true, why does it seem like we seldom see this in practice among Christians, especially those who actively ar…
Monster in the Mirror is a limited audio series produced by Straight White American Jesus, and created and written by Dr. Lucas Kwong. Monster in the Mirror is a series about monsters. It's about how the fantastical beasts w…
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the brand new survey data from Pew Religion and PRRI about faith, politics, and American values. Dan brings up the numbers on how many people think the USA is a Christian nation and what that…
Brad is joined by Congressperson Jared Huffman, who represents California's 2nd District. Rep. Huffman is the only member of the House who is not affiliated with a religious tradition. He started the Freethought Caucus in 20…
Brad speaks with Dr. Lucas Kwong, creator of the SWAJ spinoff podcast series Monster in the Mirror - first episode drops Halloween 2022. They discuss how Christian nationalism is a story - a story about empire, fear of repla…
Brad and Dan discuss three stories from this week that show American conservatism is over - and what is taking its place is a right-wing totalitarianism that should scare us all. They begin by discussing new material on Hous…
In the previous episode, Dan decoded the affirmation that Christians are called not to “live in a spirit of fear,” showing that this affirmation actually masks a pervasive culture of fear. In that episode, he looked at the d…
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the final J6 hearing. Brad focuses on the new information that the Secret Service had tips about potential violence on J6 as early as December. They then discuss the released footage of Pelos…
One of the central admonitions within theologically conservative American Christianity is that Christians are not defined by a “spirit of fear.” What does this mean? Where does this way of talking come from? And what are its…
Brad does a preview from a key chapter in his new book. He argues that we should see purity culture - the movement for sexual purity in every way that swept through evangelical spaces in the 1990s - as an outworking of Chris…
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the revelations about Herschel Walker, GOP candidate for US Senate in Georgia, paying for an abortion for an ex-girlfriend. What interests them is how this event (like others) reveals the pow…
Theologically and culturally conservative American Christians actively mock “liberal” or “progressive” or “secular” appeals to “safety” in society. And yet, the rhetoric of safety, and the related idea of “health,” have pene…
Brad and Dan are in the same room! Recording SWAJ in person! It's the first time since 2019 and so they take the opportunity to do a primer on all things SWAJ: the origin story of the show, the rundown of all the series they…
