Straight White American Jesus

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.

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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 impose religion on others.

The Crusaders are deliberately working to pervert this hallowed constitutional protection. Their vision of religious liberty codifies privilege and status for conservative, white Christians, a dwindling demographic. It’s a weapon to maintain their dominant, privileged caste status that can be used against nearly every law, rule, or regulation.

https://andrewlseidel.com/american-crusade/

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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 people are doing at Trump rallies and other MAGA events around the country. It may seem like par for the course at this point, but it hearkens back to scary stages in the development of fascism from the past.

In the final segment they dig into the widening scandal surrounding DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard stunt. Brad points out that it recalls the "Reverse Freedom Rides" of the 1960s.

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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.

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ANNOUNCING THE FIRST SWAJ LIVE EVENT! CHECK IT OUT: https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/

Brad speaks with the Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams a queer pastor in the Presbyterian USA Church and co-director for movement building at SACReD (Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity). They discuss the interreligious movement led by clergy and religious leaders to bring reproductive justice to the USA.

They also discuss:

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Brad and Dan begin by discussing the proposed federal abortion ban rolled out by Sen. Lyndsey Graham. Brad puts it in the context of the Christian nationalist attempt to return the country to where it was in the 1950s - and to ensure that the rights gained by BIPOC Americans, women, LGBT folks, immigrants, and others are reset. Dan points out the strange timing of the rollout and asks why Graham did it now. They both agree that this is the beginning of a slow roll to banning abortion in almost any case federally.

In the second segment they discuss the MAGA-ification of the GOP by examining primaries in New Hampshire and elsewhere. Where will the moderate Republican go?

Finally, they discuss Ron DeSantis' stunt of flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Both of them ask if this is what a Christian leader does in 2022 and how it can be considered any form of helpful governance. They also discuss how Uncle Ron has infused Florida schools with conservative curricula from Hillsdale College, disproving the notion that the governor wants to rid the state's schools of ideology of any kind.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/07/01/conservative-hillsdale-college-is-helping-desantis-reshape-florida-education/

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“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.

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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 harm is obligated. The word traditionally translated as repentance really means something more like return, and in this book, returning is a restoration, as much as is possible, to the victim, and, for the perpetrator of harm, a coming back, in humility and intentionality, to behaving as the person we might like to believe we are.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710956/on-repentance-and-repair-by-danya-ruttenberg/

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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 issued an invitation: “Join us on September 11th in front of the Capitol in DC to pray for Trump, pray for our country, and pray for God’s divine intervention.” 

Brad speaks with Dr. Brian Kaylor who wrote a piece outlining the details of Feucht's event and the ways it denigrates the memory of 9/11: https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/when-worship-goes-wrong

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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 proclamation that both Santa Claus and Jesus are White.

In the second segment, they discuss the hold a federal judge placed on the investigation into the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago. Brad calls attention to the holes in the judge's opinion and worries that this will delay the investigation months or years, leading us into the 2024 election with nothing decide. Dan worries about the precedent this will set in terms of famous people not being lawfully indicted to their reputational capital.

In the final segment Brad breaks down a new report from AP on how Michael Flynn has become a central figure in the network of Proud Boys, QAnons, election deniers, and conservative Christians by turning himself into a Christian nationalist figurehead.

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