Episodes

Why REvangelical is Not Deconstruction
Feb. 24, 2021

Why REvangelical is Not Deconstruction

Brad lays out the case as to why the REvangelical movement coming from The Gospel Coalition and other voices in the Evangelical universe should not be considered deconstruction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...
The Nostalgic Myths that Drive MAGA Nation with Dr. Ruth Braunstein
Feb. 22, 2021

The Nostalgic Myths that Drive MAGA Nation with Dr. Ruth Braunstein

Brad talk to Dr. Ruth Braunstein, Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut, about the nostalgic myths that drive MAGA Nation. Their conversation centers on how recognizing the structure of these myths enables u...
Weekly Roundup: Abandon the Snowflakes
Feb. 19, 2021

Weekly Roundup: Abandon the Snowflakes

What is the point of government? Is is capitalist profit or the common good? Brad and Dan explain how these questions connect notable events from this week--from Rush Limbaugh's death, to the energy disaster in Texas, Ted Cru...
S1.Ep.9 (Re-release): Genderqueer and Exvangelical Pastor Ann Reilly
Feb. 17, 2021

S1.Ep.9 (Re-release): Genderqueer and Exvangelical Pastor Ann Reilly

Brad and Dan's interview with Reilly, Associate Pastor at Presbyterian New England Church in Saratoga Springs NY. Reilly shares how she grew up evangelical, realized she was gay right about the time she received the call to m...
On Sexual Abuse and the Jezebel Type
Feb. 16, 2021

On Sexual Abuse and the Jezebel Type

Brad discusses the Ravi Zacharias scandal and why sexual abuse is so rampant in Evangelical spaces: authoritarian leadership structures, patriarchal theology, in group/out group mentality, and a lack of oversight. He then rel...
Weekly Roundup: Who is the Demon Now?
Feb. 12, 2021

Weekly Roundup: Who is the Demon Now?

Is talking about Christian nationalism akin to demonizing White Christians? Some right-wing theologians and leaders would like you to think it is. But they are wrong. We provide strategies for talking about Christian national...
S1.Ep8 (Re-release) If You Believe in Gay People, Please Leave! -with David Gushee
Feb. 11, 2021

S1.Ep8 (Re-release) If You Believe in Gay People, Please Leave! -with David Gushee

Dan's 2018 interview with ethicist and former AAR president David Gushee, who left evangelicalism after changing his views of LGBTQ relationships. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/mes...
Christian Nationalism at the 2021 Super Bowl
Feb. 8, 2021

Christian Nationalism at the 2021 Super Bowl

Brad talks about: Christian nationalism and Bruce Springsteen's Meet in the Middle ad Tom Brady's friendship with Donald Trump and White Privilege Tom Brady and Colin Kapernick: The Center and the Margin The Kansas City Footb...
Weekly Roundup: The Greene New Deal
Feb. 5, 2021

Weekly Roundup: The Greene New Deal

Brad and Dan talk about the false equivalence the GOP tried to draw this week between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ilhan Omar. This takes place in the context of a discussion about the generational legacy Trump holds over the R...
S1.E7 (Re-Release): Dating Jesus
Feb. 4, 2021

S1.E7 (Re-Release): Dating Jesus

On an episode from fall of 2018 Brad and Dan share stories from their experiences with purity culture and provide a primer on gender and sexuality in Evangelicalism. They then interview Reverend Sarah Buteux about her journey from Evangelicalism (where she was told women couldn't be pastors) to min…
I Would Have Been at the Capitol Insurrection with author Monica Rodden
Feb. 2, 2021

I Would Have Been at the Capitol Insurrection with author Monica Rodden

Monica Rodden is a novelist and ex-evangelical. She wrote this recent piece in the Boston Globe about how she would have been the type of Christian to be part of the Capitol Insurrection. In her interview with Brad, she discu...
Weekly Roundup: White Supremacist Christians Are Christians
Jan. 29, 2021

Weekly Roundup: White Supremacist Christians Are Christians

Brad and Dan unpack how religions are what people do. The same goes for political parties. This means that White Supremacist Christians and QAnon Christians are Christians. They may not be the kind you like or want to be ass...
S1.Ep.6 (Re-release): Evangelical Cultures of Life and Angel Babies
Jan. 28, 2021

S1.Ep.6 (Re-release): Evangelical Cultures of Life and Angel Babies

In an episode from fall of 2018, Brad and Dan discuss the issue of abortion in Evangelical culture and how it became a litmus test for who is a "real Christian." Brad then interviews Dr. Myev Rees, an expert on reproductive r...
Religion at the Capitol Siege with Peter Manseau
Jan. 25, 2021

Religion at the Capitol Siege with Peter Manseau

Dr. Peter Manseau is a curator of American religious history at the Smithsonian and the author of ten books. He started #capitolsiegereligion soon after the January 6 insurrection in order to facilitate a crowdsourced collect...
Weekly Roundup: Biden Takes Office While MAGA Nation Wonders What's Next
Jan. 22, 2021

Weekly Roundup: Biden Takes Office While MAGA Nation Wonders What's Next

Brad and Dan discuss the inauguration, including the theological aspects of Biden's speech and the civil religiosity of Biden's approach. They then transition to how key members on the Right, including Tucker Carlson and Rand...
S1.Ep.5 (Re-release): White Evangelicalism, Nationalism, and Populism
Jan. 20, 2021

S1.Ep.5 (Re-release): White Evangelicalism, Nationalism, and Populism

An episode from Season 1 where Brad and Dan discuss nationalism and populism in the White Evangelical subculture. This is a nice primer for understanding what we now call Christian nationalism and its pervasiveness in America...
Hitler, Trump, and the Danger of Failed Coups
Jan. 18, 2021

Hitler, Trump, and the Danger of Failed Coups

Brad is joined by Dr. Richard Steigmann-Gall, a historian and expert in Nazi Germany. They compare Hitler's failed coup of 1923 and the Jan. 6 Insurrection at the US Capitol. The discussion focuses on several themes present i...
Weekly Roundup: They Told Us Civil War Was Coming
Jan. 15, 2021

Weekly Roundup: They Told Us Civil War Was Coming

Brad and Dan begin by recalling their episode from the eve of Trump's first impeachment, when the quoted a number of Evangelical leaders threatening/predicting civil war if Trump was impeached. Then, it seemed hyperbolic. Now...
S1.Ep.4 White Jesus (Re-release)
Jan. 12, 2021

S1.Ep.4 White Jesus (Re-release)

In an interview from 2018, Brad and Dan talk to Dr. Glenn Bracey of Villanova University about his experiences in White churches as a Black man. Dr. Bracey unpacks racialized dimensions of the Evangelical culture that shed li...
A White Christian Nationalist Coup Long in the Making - with Dr. Kelly J. Baker
Jan. 11, 2021

A White Christian Nationalist Coup Long in the Making - with Dr. Kelly J. Baker

Dr. Kelly J. Baker, author of Gospel According to the Klan: The KKK’s Appeal to Protestant America, 1915-1930, stops by to discuss how the January 6 insurrection was long in the making. Using the 1920s Klan as a historical pr...
Weekly Roundup: Trump's Insurrection
Jan. 8, 2021

Weekly Roundup: Trump's Insurrection

Brad and Dan analyze the January 6 Insurrection at the United States Capitol. They begin by discussing the unprecedented aspects of the events. Then, a discussion of Christian nationalism and its manifestation through insurre...
S1.Ep3 (Re-Release): The History of the Religious Right
Jan. 5, 2021

S1.Ep3 (Re-Release): The History of the Religious Right

What if I told you the Religious Right formed on the basis of racism and not abortion? What if segregation was the real issue and the unborn were used later to justify it? That's what we discover on this episode. Brad and Dan...
S1.Ep.2 (Re-release): 81% WTF
Dec. 29, 2020

S1.Ep.2 (Re-release): 81% WTF

Think of this as a SWAJ primer. We cover many of the major themes of the show in a relatively brief conversation. On our second ever episode, we put the White Evangelical support for Trump in historical perspective. Brad lays...
S1.Ep.1 (Re-Release): Why Straight White American Jesus?
Dec. 22, 2020

S1.Ep.1 (Re-Release): Why Straight White American Jesus?

After many requests, we begin the re-release of Season 1! On this first episode Brad and Dan introduce themselves and tell their stories of being evangelical youth group kids, ministers, and seminarians, and then leaving the ...