Episodes

Brad and Dan begin with a thorough breakdown of why the Texas bill to post the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is unconstitutional and un-American. They discuss parental rights, hypocrisy, and the dangerous escalation of religious supremacists - and where we are headed next. Rep. Talarico: https://youtu.be/we0b04Qbbvc In the second segment, Dan discusses all things Florida - from the fight with Disney, to the 1st Amendment implications of banning books, to the way DeSantis is flamin...

Today we are launching a new limited series called One Nation, All Beliefs. produced in partnership with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. This is the series intro. You can subscribe by going here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0HIjnVZjUwY8H1PD0M7F04?si=2653997c43cf442f Produced by Brad Onishi, with help from Emma Hulbert and Isaiah Perkins, at Straight White American Jesus in partnership with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the series highlights the ...

What does it mean when someone assure you that you are “right where God wants you to be”? Is it intended as a word of encouragement? As an affirmation that God is control? As a message of empowerment? Or is the aim manipulative, or controlling? And regardless of the intent, what are the possible effects of this assurance, positive or negative? Dan tackles these questions in this week’s episode. Merch: BUY OUR NEW Come and Take It and Election Affirmer ! https://straight-white-american-jesus.cre...

Brad speaks with Jeff Sharlet about his NYT bestseller The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. Jeff talks about everything from his long conversations about MLK Jr. with Harry Belafonte, to the lustful feeling of the first Trump rallies in 2015, to the desire for vengeance felt among MAGA nation in the wake of 2020, to following the ghost of Ashli Babbitt all over the country. In all, he paints a picture of a cracked nation filled with fear - and a longing for hope. Merch: BUY OUR NEW Come a...

Ten Commandments in Schools = religious freedom? In this economy? Brad and Dan discuss Tucker Carlson's ouster at Fox News - and what it means in the short and long terms. Dan takes us through the situation in Montana, where Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the only trans legislator in the state, has been locked out of the legislative session for no reason. The battle to repeal no-fault divorce - and how it relates to trans rights, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, and so many other issues around the co...

On the day that the Pornography Wars is released, we re-release Brad's interview with the author Dr. Kelsy Burke, a sociologist from the University of Nebraska. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/pornography-wars-9781635577365/ Burke spent the last five years researching and interviewing internet pornography's opponents and its sympathizers. She does a deep dive into the long history of pornography in America and then turns her gaze on our present society to examine the ways this industry touches on ...

What is “public confession,” and what is its relation to the practice of sharing one’s testimony? When and how does sharing a testimony verge into public confession? Why does public confession have to be “public,” and what concerns does this raise? In this second of a two-part pair of episodes, Dan explores these and other questions. SWAJ Seminar: https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/seminars/ Merch: BUY OUR NEW Come and Take It and Election Affirmer ! https://straight-white-american-jesus...

Many are wondering how and why religious minorities in the USA adopt conservative - and even fascist - political identities when it seems that the American Right is anti-immigrant and in many cases explicitly racist. Scholars Dr. Jane Hong (Occidental) and Dr. Adrian de Leon (USC/NYU) argue that Asian American (religious) conservatism should be understood not just as an imported phenomenon from outside these communities, but as something structural within the formation of Asian America itself, w...

Dan and guest co-host Annika Brockschmidt discuss "Stand Your Ground Laws" in the wake of more shootings in the USA. They outline the catch 22 of perpetual fear that people live in as "wrong place, wrong time" murders rise in the country. They then turn their attention to the onslaught of authoritarian legislative violence in Florida, including a law that would take children away from parents for giving them gender-affirming care. And then, finally, to SCOTUS and the abortion pill case - as well...

What do Christians mean when they refer to their “personal testimonies”? What do they mean when they refer to “witnessing” to others? Why do some Christians emphasize “testifying”? This language can be confusing to religious outsiders. For “insiders” to this way of speaking, it provokes a wide range of emotional responses, ranging from hope and encouragement to feelings of guilt and anger. In this first of two linked episodes, Dan explores these issues and others, exploring the basic idea of “gi...

Brad speaks to Dr. Miguel de la Torre about his new book, Resisting American Apartheid. They talk about how "Euro-Christianity" distorts faith. They talk about how becoming "un-American" might be the best way to save democracy. With unflinching analysis, De La Torre takes on authors revered in Christian theology, including Paul, Augustine, and heroes of the Reformation, aiming to uproot the ideological foundations of racism in Christianity. Following these through lines of oppression, he warns o...

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the utterly confusing rulings from several judges on legality and availability of mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill. Dan takes us through the complicated web of rulings and Brad analyzes how creating this mess was an intentional strategy by Christian nationalists to get the case kicked up to the Supreme Court. In the second segment the hosts discuss a case from Texas where Greg Abbott has promised to pardon a man recently convicted of murdering a ...

G.R.A.C.E.: “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” B.I.B.L.E.: “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” Acronyms like these are a common feature within the preaching and practice of a certain kind of popular American Christianity. What do they reveal about that distinctly American expression of religion? How do they relate to the influence of corporate and consumer culture within popular American Christianity? What does it mean for a church to be “on-brand,” and what does it mean that some Christ...

Brad speaks with writer, director, and comedian Holly Laurent, creator of the hit podcast MEGA about a satirical megachurch. They talk about her childhood in Haiti as a missionary, her path of deconstruction, and the winding pathways that healing takes us on. It's a raw interview about caring for family who have fallen into MAGA traps, hoping for change, and finding ourselves even when it feels like we are most lost. Oh, and they a laugh. ALOT. MEGA: https://www.megathepodcast.com/ Holly's Essay...

+ Clarence Thomas, Trump is Arraigned, and Wisconsin and Chicago Go Left

Almost all of us are likely familiar with calls on the political and religious right to oppose “wokeness” or to be “anti-woke.” We all have a sense that this is a dog whistle. But what, exactly, does it represent? Where has this way of thinking about society, religion, and politics come from? In this episode, Dan explores these issues, decoding appeals to “anti-wokeness” to highlight the Christian nationalist vision of society embodied within them. SWAJ Seminar: https://www.straightwhiteamerican...

Charlie Kirk Responds to the Trump Charges

Brad and Dan begin with first reactions to the late breaking news that Donald Trump will be indicted next week. They discuss the details of the case, the reactions from the GOP, and what the future might hold. They then turn their attention to Nashville, where the community continues to mourn the victims of the mass shooting at a private school. Dan discusses the numbness that lawmakers and everyday Americans feel in the context of ubiquituous gun violence. Brad links the unwillingness to addres...

What do Christians mean when they refer to “the Word of God,” or even just “the word”? What do they mean when they someone has offered a “good word”? This way of speaking is incredibly common within particular Christian communities, but may be mystifying to people who aren’t familiar with those communities or didn’t grow up in them. In this episode, Dan discusses the layers of meaning behind these seemingly simple phrases and decodes some of the ways they work within these Christian communities....

On a day when the USA suffers another mass shooting at a school, Brad talks about the symbolism of the AR 15, the sickness of wanting to provide absolute access to handheld killing machines, and the ways America's children are groomed into a cult of death. BUY OUR NEW ELECTION AFFIRMER MERCH! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book : https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/15064821...

On the Weekly Roundup Brad and Dan begin by going through the litany of Trump's attempts to thwart NY DA Alvin Bragg's case against him and his call for supporters to protest if/when he is arrested. This, in their mind, portends the kind of violence we saw at January 6th. They also note the complicity of GOP leadership in Trump's attacks on the DA and the ways the GOP has tied itself to Trumpism regardless of who is running for office. In the second segment the hosts check in on a number of case...

“I have a word on my heart for you,” or “the Lord has laid a word on my heart for you,” is a phrase that is common within conservative American Christian circles. Many people who are familiar with this phrase find that it gets under their skin, that it rubs them the wrong way, while those who are unfamiliar with it find it mystifying. What does it mean when Christians say this? Why does it provoke the (typically negative) reactions it does? In this episode, Dan explores this stock phrase within ...

Andrew Whitehead and Sam Perry

Brad and Dan begin by discussing Mike Pence's homophobic joke about Pete Buttigieg and his openly blaming of Donald Trump for the J6 insurrection. They then break down the GOP's reversal on mail-in voting and debate what effect it will have at the polls. Compromising Positions: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/compromising-positions-9780190924072?cc=us&lang=en& Finally, they check in on cases from San Diego to Texas to Florida to Missouri - highlighting how Christian misogyny and anti-LGB...