Episodes

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 who stalk the imagination of contemporary Christian nationalists were birthed in another white God fearing empire. It's about how Christian nationalism's past and the clues to its future line, the pages of some of the most popular novels in English.Christian nationalism isn...

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 means. Brad discusses the high number of Christians who think that patriotism is an important part of faith - and why that feeds Christian nationalism on an everyday level.After the break, Dan brings up the PRRI data that shows how many Americans think the country has been...

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 2018 to highlight the concerns and needs of Americans who are humanists, freethinkers, agnostics, and otherwise invested in freethinking in politics and the public square. Perhaps most importantly for SWAJ in March 2022 Rep. Huffman held a hearing on White Christian nationalism...

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 replacement, and anxiety about the other. In this story, White Christian invent monsters that they then blame for "destroying" the nation and the culture they want to protect. So, political enemies become demons. Elections become apocalyptic events. And the stakes are reduced to ...

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 House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who it seems is willing to hold the country hostage by not raising the debt limit in order to get what he wants in the form of cutting certain government programs. Brad and Dan use this to delve into the shift from classical conservative idea...

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 dynamics and effects of this affirmation within the spiritual and religious experience of individuals and particular congregations. In this episode, he continues that work, looking at how this culture of fear spills out from individuals and congregations, taking form the Chris...

+ Anti-Semitism Should Worry Us All

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 Pelosi, Schumer, et al trying to get military and law enforcement help as the Capitol was under siege.In the second segment Dan breaks down the verdict in the Alex Jones case. He zeroes in on how the GOP has reacted to the news by playing the victim - as if Alex Jones did nothin...

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 effects? Dan answers these questions in this first of paired episodes on this topic, decoding this language to reveal what’s really going on with this insistence on not experiencing fear in the Christian life.Join us at the SWAJ Live Event: https://www.bradonishi.com/natio...

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 Christian nationalism. For Brad, Christian nationalism is the original purity culture because Christian nationalism is about creating and sustaining a pure nation - a nation that is ordered the right way with White Christians in power and everyone else knowing their place on the m...

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 power-at-all-costs worldview of the GOP and the Christian nationalists at the heart of the party. Such events also show how any criticism of GOP Christians is perceived as persecution - as if they are targets of spiritual warfare, rather than public figures being asked about inc...

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 penetrated deeply into this religious culture. One the surface, these emphases represent a more inviting, less judgmental form of spirituality. But in this episode, Dan decodes this language to show that, beneath that appearance, this rhetoric harbors judgment and resentments tha...

History, "Good Guys," and Big Money

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've done in the past and are planning for the future, the books they've written, the live event coming up in Denver, and why Brad is a California cliche and Dan is a walking dad joke.Join us at the SWAJ Live Event: https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/For access to the ...

Many have heard Christians claim that “God’s ways are not our ways,” or that “God moves in mysterious ways.” While these words might have been offered as comfort in a trying time, they have had a negative impact on many. In this episode, Dan cracks the code on phrases like these find out why, and to understand the multiple meanings encoded within them.Join us at the SWAJ Live Event: https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irrevere...

Brad speaks with constitutional lawyer Andrew Seidel about the crusade to weaponize religious freedom for the minority - and against the majority.The Bible speaks of people beating swords into plowshares, but some conservative American Christians are proving that a false prophecy. They’re beating plowshares into swords. A group of committed and well-funded activists—“Crusaders”—are attempting to redefine and weaponize religious liberty, to change a hallowed legal protection into a tool to impo...

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST SWAJ LIVE EVENT! https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/Brad and Dan begin by going through the details of Trump's awful no good week of legal woes and lawsuits. Dan piles up the hits against him and shows how the arguments he makes on social media and rallies don't hold up in court. He also points out that the more Trump is pursued by the law, the more his base see him as a suffering martyr.This sets up the next segment where Brad and Dan go through the creepy salutes pe...

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST SWAJ LIVE EVENT! https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/You may hear Christians say they are called to be “in the world, but not of the world”? What does that mean? When someone talks in this way, what kind of Christian are they likely to be? How does this way of talking relate to different conceptions of Christian identity, to contemporary Christian nationalism, or to the ongoing “culture wars” that affect so many of us? Dan tackles these questions in this episode.For ac...

+ What the Bible Says About Abortion

+ Uncle Ron DeSantis and His Migration Stunt

“Freedom in Christ”What do Christians mean when they appeal to “freedom in Christ”? Where does this phrase come from? How is it understood differently by different kinds of Christians? And why does it seem confusing or hypocritical to so many? Dan tackles these and other issues in this episode.For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/products/the-orange-wave-a-history-of-the-religious-right-since-1960Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www....

American culture focuses on letting go of grudges and redemption narratives instead of the perpetrator’s obligations or recompense for harmed parties. As survivor communities have pointed out, these emphases have too often only caused more harm. But Danya Ruttenberg knew there was a better model, rooted in the work of the medieval philosopher Maimonides.For Maimonides, upon whose work Ruttenberg elaborates, forgiveness is much less important than the repair work to which the person who caused ...

Christian musician and political activist Sean Feucht wants people to join him on Sept. 11 for a time of worship at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool. It’s not unusual for people to gather for prayer, reflection, and even music on that date as we recall the terrorist attacks two decades ago. But Feucht’s event has a little different branding.“Pray for America. Pray for President Trump.”That’s how Feucht’s group Hold the Line titled the Sept. 11 event. After invoking 2 Chronicles 7:14, they is...

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the recent "controversy" over the casting of BIPOC actors in a new Lord of the Rings series. Dan lays out the reactions from American conservatives who claim that casting a diverse cast is nothing but woke nonsense that denigrates Tolkien's vision and makes the series unwatchable. Dan analyzes how this reaction reveals the racism at the heart of their concern. Brad discusses how conversations about fictional characters matter, recalling Megyn Kelly's famous procl...