Straight White American Jesus

Brad is joined by Alan Elrod, CEO and founder of the Pulaski Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens to democracy when entertainment values replace empathy. They start with the Olivia Nuzzi scandal and what it exposes about journalistic ethics, voyeurism, and the public’s fascination with watching someone fall apart in real time. From there, Brad and Alan zoom out to look at the rise of reality TV and algorithmic social media, tracing how both have shaped a political culture that thrives on humiliation, moral certainty, and the dehumanization of anyone outside one’s tribe.

The discussion turns to the viral hit Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and what its popularity reveals about our appetite for spectacle and dysfunction. Brad and Alan dig into why empathy and curiosity are essential for a functioning democracy and how those virtues are being eroded by the panopticon we now live in—one where everyone is a potential broadcaster and every misstep can become a public referendum. They explore how cancel culture, mob justice, and entertainment-driven politics harm people across the political spectrum, and connect these themes to the “Trump effect” that blurred the line between celebrity culture and governing. The episode closes with a look at a new national security document that frames American identity through Western supremacy, raising questions about how foreign policy, entertainment, and democratic decay are more intertwined than we might think.

A sharp, timely, and at times unsettling exploration of what happens when a nation starts confusing spectacle for civic life.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan return with a packed Weekly Roundup that cuts through the noise of culture war headlines to get at what is really happening in American politics and religion this week. They start with the bizarre story dominating Congress: alleged Venezuelan narco boats, U.S. military strikes, and the growing scrutiny around Pete Hegseth’s involvement. Brad and Dan unpack the legal and ethical questions raised by the operation, the bipartisan concerns over potential war crimes, and the way Hegseth’s rhetoric is being weaponized in the larger project of authoritarian politics. As blame shifts within the administration, the hosts look at how these events fit into a longer pattern of circumventing democratic norms under the guise of national security.

From there, the episode moves into the latest culture war flashpoint out of Oklahoma. A University of Oklahoma student, Samantha Fulnecky, received a failing grade on a paper centered on conservative Christian claims, and the incident was quickly inflated into a statewide moral panic. Brad and Dan trace how a classroom disagreement became a coordinated spectacle, how politicians and media personalities seized on the moment, and what the uproar reveals about academic freedom and the pressure educators face in a polarized climate. They discuss the difference between expressing a viewpoint and meeting academic standards, and why higher education has become a convenient battleground for Christian nationalist narratives.

The hosts also break down the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Texas’s contested congressional maps in place for 2026. They examine the racial and partisan consequences of the ruling, what political leaders are saying in response, and how the decision fits into a broader assault on voting rights and democratic representation. Despite the heavy topics, Brad and Dan close with reasons for hope. They highlight ongoing pushback against authoritarian politics, communities organizing for justice, and signs that democratic accountability remains possible.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley builds his account on masculinity and manhood on the idea that men are created in God’s image and, as such, are his representatives on earth. But what is Hawley’s God like? What kind of God does Hawley worship? Who is this God that is the pattern for human manhood? In this episode, Dan argues that Hawley’s God’s insecurity drives him to exercise his power to dominate others. Check out the episode to hear why.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad takes a hard look at the American right’s response to the recent shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, and shows how the rhetoric around the tragedy signals a shift from overt Christian nationalism to something even broader and more dangerous: Western supremacy. He traces how this worldview draws from older ideas about civilizational conflict and cultural hierarchy and how it is now being revived by politicians, pundits, and tech billionaires who frame immigration and diversity as threats to the survival of the West.

Using statements from Donald Trump, Fox News, Elon Musk, and leaders of conservative think tanks, Brad breaks down how the language has moved from “protecting Christian America” to “defending Western civilization” and how that shift expands the target while narrowing the circle of belonging. He explains why Western supremacy is an exclusionary, anti democratic ideology and how it lays the groundwork for policies that declare entire groups incompatible with society. It is a sobering, sharp analysis of a growing political narrative that insists not everyone deserves a place at the table.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Dan talks about the popular praise and worship song, “Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart.” What is the message of this song? Written as a song of solace and hope, how does it also express an attitude that denies the reality of the things about this world and our places in it that should change? And what is the significance of expressing this attitude in the form of a song? Take a listen and find out.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan are back from the American Academy of Religion conference in Boston and kick off this episode with some love for the folks they met there before diving into a wild week in American politics and religion. They start with the viral moment between Erika Kirk and JD Vance at a TPUSA event, unpacking the media frenzy, the rumors about Kirk’s political aspirations, and what this says about the internal dynamics of a GOP that’s trying to blend celebrity, piety, and power. From there, they break down the Department of Justice’s statement implicating Kristi Noem in deportation flights and what that level of entanglement means for accountability within the MAGA movement.

The second half of the episode takes a thoughtful turn as Brad and Dan dig into Bill McKibben’s essay “They’re Doing to America What They Did to Christianity,” exploring how nostalgia and selective memory shape everything from Christian identity to policy debates. They look at why both right wing and progressive versions of Christian nationalism are so dangerous, how civilizational populism reshaped politics during and after the Obama years, and why the GOP still has no coherent healthcare plan. Despite the heavy topics, the hosts offer reasons for hope with updates on recent legal wins, global news like Bolsonaro’s sentencing in Brazil, and reminders of why staying engaged matters.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Onishi sits down with Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Starr to dig into his new book, American Contradiction, and the idea that the United States is less a shining city on a hill and more a city built on a fault line. Starr traces how the nation’s promise of liberty has always coexisted with exclusion, hierarchy, and inequality, and how those tensions erupted in new ways during the 1990s. Together they unpack how the end of the Cold War, the rise of culture wars, and the shockwaves of policies like NAFTA reshaped party coalitions, fueled resentment, and set the stage for today’s political divide. Starr explains why the 90s were a turning point and how institutional structures like the Senate and Electoral College amplify polarization rather than contain it.

The conversation also explores the growing gap between social progress and economic inequality and the challenges facing a Democratic Party trying to represent both progressive activists and working class voters. Bradley and Paul talk about the power of political storytelling, from nostalgia for an imagined past to despair over historical injustices, and how both shape the current moment. Despite everything, Starr ends with a measure of hope that the United States still has the capacity for reinvention and surprise if it can finally reckon with its contradictions and build a more inclusive national story.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of 'Straight White American, Jesus,' Brad Oishi discusses the Trump administration's paradoxical treatment of Christianity. Highlighting the arrest of Christian clergy during a protest at the Broadview immigration facility, Oishi critiques the administration's selective support for certain Christian ideologies while persecuting others. He explores the historical prominence of Evangelical Christianity in American politics and critiques the intersection of this with Trump’s deportation policies. Oishi underscores the dangers of Christian nationalism, emphasizing how it prioritizes a narrow interpretation of Christianity, leading to broader socio-political ramifications. The episode also touches on the broader implications of these actions, including upcoming ICE raids on Spanish-speaking churches and the administration's fragility amidst ongoing controversies.

Soulforce: https://redcircle.com/shows/bb8f7ce2-d8f0-4859-bbac-c33c48e3ccb6

American Unexceptionalism: https://redcircle.com/shows/b92b742b-b515-4bde-8f34-7d8e312edf82

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to, and discussion of, death by suicide]. In this episode, Dan begins exploring what Josh Hawley calls “a man’s battle.” Hawley argues that what defines men, what gives them purpose, is fighting and confronting evil, and maintaining order in the face of chaos. But what exactly does this mean? And how does it make “evil” necessary? Why is this a tragic and dangerous view of the world? And what is the alternative? How can we understand “order” and “chaos” without falling into the trap of Hawley’s worldview? Check out the episode to hear Dan’s answers to these questions.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad takes listeners through two heartbreaking stories that reveal how religion, immigration policy, and selective notions of freedom collide in today’s political climate. He first looks at the attempted deportation of a Holocaust survivor born in a refugee camp after World War Two who has lived in the United States for decades.

Brad shares details about the survivor's health struggles, the harsh conditions he has faced in detention, and what his case says about the cruelty baked into ICE’s approach to long-term residents. He then turns to an incident at the Broadview facility in Chicago, where clergy were suddenly told they could not pray for or with detainees. The conversation digs into religious liberty, the right to worship, and the way vulnerable people are denied both care and dignity inside these facilities.

Throughout the episode, Brad connects these cases to larger themes of religious populism, civil liberties, and the uneven ways religious freedom gets applied in America. He contrasts the peaceful interfaith protests at Broadview with the violence of January 6th and reflects on who gets labeled as a threat when faith enters the public square. Brad also shares updates about the future of the show, including a redesigned website, new ways to connect, and expanded content for subscribers that digs into the shifting MAGA coalition and early positioning for the 2028 presidential race.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices