Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Straight White American Jesus
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Straight White American Jesus episodes
- It's In the Code 203: "Who Are God's Chosen People?"
Theologically conservative Christians believe apparently contradictory things about Judaism and Jewish people. On the one hand, they will often describe Jewish people as being “the people of God.” On the other hand, they typically hold that, as non-Christians, Jewish people are condemned to go to hell when they die. How do these attitudes fit together? Is it possible to hold them together consistently? What do the answers to these questions tell us about conservative Christians’ understandings of Judaism and Jewish identity? And why are questions like these ones we’re not supposed to ask in church? Join Dan for this week’s episode to find out!
Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/
Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch!🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
39 min - ICE Infiltrated Churches: The Secret Operation Targeting Minnesota Protesters
ICE agents infiltrated churches, activist meetings, libraries, and community organizations in Minnesota as part of what has been dubbed Operation Puppet Master. In this episode of Axis Live, Matthew D. Taylor and Rev. Susie Hayward discuss what newly disclosed documents reveal about the government's surveillance of protesters—and what it means for religious freedom, constitutional rights, and the future of democracy.
They also examine the growing anti-Muslim campaign targeting Dearborn, Michigan, including a planned "Crusader March" backed by MAGA activists, and explore how Christian nationalism is fueling new forms of religious exclusion.Finally, Taylor and Hayward discuss the dismantling of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the loss of religious expertise within American foreign policy, and what the current crisis tells us about the health of American democracy—and where hope for a democratic revival might come from.🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/#ICE #OperationPuppetMaster #ChristianNationalism #ReligiousFreedom #Trump #MAGA #Immigration #Minnesota #Dearborn #Islamophobia #AmericanDemocracy #Democracy #USIP #PoliticalExtremism #AxisLive
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 8 min - The Sunday Interview: Congressman Jared Huffman on the Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi sits down with Congressman Jared Huffman to discuss his new book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. Huffman shares his journey from growing up in a devout Mormon community to becoming a humanist and the only openly non-believing member of Congress, and explains how the rise of Trump and Christian nationalism pushed him to speak publicly about the dangers of religious extremism. They discuss the New Apostolic Reformation, January 6, the religious forces surrounding Trump, Mike Johnson, the influence of Christian nationalism in Congress, Christian Zionism, traditionalist Catholicism, and why the separation of church and state is increasingly under threat. Huffman also explains why he believes saving democracy will require religious and nonreligious Americans to work together—and why, even in a deeply troubling political moment, he refuses to give up.
🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.
https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...No Prophets: https://bookshop.org/p/books/no-prophets-the-fight-to-save-democracy-from-christian-nationalism-jared-huffman/b28b36a73cf41cdd
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
56 min - Weekly Roundup: “We Need Fascism”: The American Right's Dangerous Turn
Steven Crowder recently released a video titled “We Need Fascism,” making an explicit argument for fascism rather than merely flirting with the idea. In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down Crowder’s argument and ask what it reveals about the direction of the American right.
The conversation connects Crowder’s rhetoric about communism, violence, and “disinfecting” the country to a broader political movement increasingly portraying opponents of MAGA and Christian nationalism as enemies of America. Brad argues that this reflects a deeper shift: if the Christian nationalist right no longer believes it represents a majority of Americans, democracy itself can begin to look like an obstacle rather than a solution.🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 11 min - SWAJ Rewind: It's In the Code 115: "Strong Handshakes"
With Dan on vacation, we bring you one of the most popular episodes of It's In the Code: "Strong Handshakes"
In this episode, Dan continues decoding a card from a church bulletin that outlines the features of a particular church. The focus this time is the promise of “strong handshakes.” There’s a lot to decode with this idea: What does it express about gender? About sexuality? About the family? About this church’s view of proper social order? Check it out to find the answers to these (and other!) questions.
Church Bulletin Photo HERE
Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/
Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch!🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/e...Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 min - Axis Live: A Pastor Takes on the Senate—and the Christian Right + Rubio's Cringe Nationalism
In this week's Axis Live Brad Onishi begins by breaking down a video posted by the US Department of State that showcases Marco Rubio's Christian nationalism and Western civilizationalism. Brad digs below the surface to decode the ways Rubio outlines a common good conservatism that seeks to impose order and virtue through family, church, and state.
Brad then welcomes Rev. Adam Hamilton to the show. Hamilton is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Kansas who is attempting to end a 90-year drought of Democratic Senators from Kansas. Rev. Hamilton talks about how he will be a public servant for all Kansans not despite his faith, but because the Jesus he serves is a public servant for all people.Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch!🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/e...Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 8 min - The Sunday Interview: “Is the Religious Left Really Rising? Faith & the Democratic Party”.
What does the emerging religious left look like—and is it becoming a force in Democratic politics? In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne speaks with Associated Press religion and culture reporter Kyrsta Fauria about her reporting on progressive candidates and activists drawing on religious traditions to confront economic inequality, defend workers’ rights, and advocate for policies like universal health care. They discuss Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, the interfaith coalition supporting his campaign, and the ways his Muslim faith has been both weaponized against him and intentionally foregrounded in his political identity.
Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/
Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch!🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.💬 Join the conversation on Substack and Discord — links below.Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...#AbdulElSayed #MichiganSenate #MichiganPolitics #DemocraticPrimary #ProgressivePolitics #ChristianNationalism #Trump #MAGA #TedCruz #MikeJohnson #Democrats #GOP #AmericanPolitics #IsraelPalestine #MedicareForAll #CitizensUnited #ProjectEsther #PoliticalDissent #2026Election #christiannationalism #religion #christianity #USALearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
37 min - Weekly Roundup: Abdul El-Sayed and the New Red-Green Scare + Project Esther
In the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi examines how the American Right and MAGA are reacting to Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan by calling him anti-American, communist, socialist, and more. As Brad explains, these rhetorical choices are strategies that correspond to a larger effort by the Trump administration to criminalize dissent. Brad traces the code words used by the American Right against Sayed, Mamdani, and others to NSPM7 and Project Esther.
This is about more than one Senate race in Michigan. It’s about who gets to define what counts as “American,” what kinds of political disagreement are considered legitimate, and what happens when the language of political opposition becomes the language of political persecution.Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch!🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right.💬 Join the conversation on Substack and Discord — links below.Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...#AbdulElSayed #MichiganSenate #MichiganPolitics #DemocraticPrimary #ProgressivePolitics #ChristianNationalism #Trump #MAGA #TedCruz #MikeJohnson #Democrats #GOP #AmericanPolitics #IsraelPalestine #MedicareForAll #CitizensUnited #ProjectEsther #PoliticalDissent #2026Election #christiannationalism #religion #christianity #USALearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
57 min - It's In the Code 202: “Why Do They Quote the Old Testament?”
In this episode of It’s In the Code, Dan Miller tackles a question from a Jewish listener that cuts to the heart of Christian theology: if Jesus established a new covenant that fulfilled the Old Testament law, why do so many conservative Christians continue to rely on Old Testament verses to make moral arguments? Dan explores the New Testament's teaching on grace, the Apostle Paul’s insistence that Christians are no longer bound by the Jewish law, and the complicated relationship Christians have with the Hebrew Bible. Along the way, he explains why many conservative Christians selectively appeal to Old Testament commandments—especially on issues like sexuality—while disregarding countless other laws they believe no longer apply.
https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ 💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.
The Axis Mundi Network A growing independent media institution that combines the expertise of public scholarship with the rapid-response daily drops and live video podcasts.
By Brad OnishiLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min - Axis Live: Netanyahu Meets with the NAR + Dems do God Talk + Andrew Whitehead
In this livestream of Straight White American Jesus (Axis Live), Matthew Taylor and Brad Onishi analyze three stories:
1. The meeting between Bibi Netanyahu and New Apostolic Reformation Leaders like Lance Wallnau2. The emerging crop of Democratic candidates who are pastors and/or religious leaders3. With Andrew Whitehead, the new evidence of how Christian nationalism is a predictor for opposition to income equality and a social safety net.https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/
💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar:https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/#Warnock #Talarico #ChristianNationalism #Authoritarianism #FarRight #WesternCivilization #Immigration #TheEconomist #Politics #Religion #Democracy #Trump #JDVance #PeterThiel #AxisMundi #BradOnishi #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents #Geopolitics #Civilizationalism #AmericanCaesarGo to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 8 min
About Straight White American Jesus
From the publisher's feed
An in-depth examination of the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism and Evangelicalism by two ex-evangelical ministers-turned-religion professors. If you have ever wondered what social and…
historical forces led white evangelicals to usher Donald Trump into the White House this is the show for you. As former insiders and critical scholars of religion, Dan Miller and Bradley Onishi have a unique perspective on the Religious Right. Guests have included Chrissy Stroop, R. Marie Griffith, Janelle Wong, Randall Balmer, Katherine Stewart, and many others.