[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

MAGAworld Splinters: Epstein Revelations, Civilizational Populism, and the Future of the GOP

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, hosts Brad O’Ri and Dan Miller discuss the tumultuous week surrounding U.S. politics, including the recent government shutdown, infamous Epstein emails, and the ensuing so-called 'MAGA Civil War.' They delve into the escalating division within MAGA ranks, highlighting the civilizational populism driving figures like JD Vance. Additionally, they explore the friction between Pope Leo and the American Council of Bishops concerning immigration policies. As a side note, the hosts announce their upcoming appearance at the American Academy of Religion Conference in Boston.

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

Dan is off this week. So we are pleased to bring you a feature from our new limited series American Unexceptionalism: Global Lessons on Fighting Religious Nationalism with Dr. Matthew Taylor and Rev. Susan Hayward.

South Korea is a nation that is deeply entwined with the United States. From the Korean War (which never technically ended) to Korean pop culture to the deep ties between Korean and American evangelical communities, what happens in the US affects South Korea and vice versa. But most Americans weren’t paying attention to the fact that Korean democracy was startlingly challenged less than a year ago when the president at the time (President Yoon) declared martial law and tried to have his political enemies arrested. That attempt at autocratic takeover was unsuccessful, because Koreans took to the streets to protest and even Yoon’s own party helped overturn his martial law decision and then impeach him. What can we in the United States learn from Korean activists and religious communities about how to resist wannabe tyrants? We get help on this question from two of the foremost experts on the interchanges between Korean religion and American religion: Helen J. Kim and Ray Kim.

Additional Resources

Dr. Matthew D. Taylor is the senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, where he specializes in American Christianity, American Islam, Christian extremism, and religious politics. His book, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy (Broadleaf, 2024), tracks how a loose network of charismatic Christian leaders called the New Apostolic Reformation was a major instigating force for the January 6th Insurrection and is currently reshaping the culture of the religious right in the U.S. Taylor is also the creator of the audio docuseries Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation.

Rev. Susan Hayward: was until recently the lead on the US Institute of Peace’s efforts to understand religious dimensions of conflict and advance efforts engaging religious actors and organizations in peacebuilding. She has conducted political asylum and refugee work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Advocates for Human Rights. Rev. Hayward studied Buddhism in Nepal and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

www.axismundi.us

Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi

Producer: Andrew Gill

Original Music and Mixing: Scott Okamoto

Production Assistance: Kari Onishi

Funded through generous contributions from ICJS, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the ICRD.

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

One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person's sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves. Amanda would be damned if her community were to ban stories representing minority groups. She spoke out that night at the meeting. Days later, she woke up to a nightmare that is still ongoing.

Amanda Jones has been called a groomer, a pedo, and a porn-pusher; she has faced death threats and attacks from strangers and friends alike. Her decision to support a collection of books with diverse perspectives made her a target for extremists using book banning campaigns-funded by dark money organizations and advanced by hard right politicians-in a crusade to make America more white, straight, and "Christian." But Amanda Jones wouldn't give up without a fight: she sued her harassers for defamation and urged others to join her in the resistance. The discussion delves into Amanda's story of growing up in Watson, Louisiana, her passion for literature and libraries, and the extreme harassment she faced after speaking out against book banning efforts in 2022. Amanda shares her journey, including filing a defamation lawsuit, the community's reaction, and the broader implications of book banning as a political tool. They also discuss practical steps for combatting censorship and supporting libraries.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/that-librarian-9781639733545/

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 unpack the historic election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York City and the predictable right-wing meltdown that followed, complete with claims that he’s somehow both too weak to lead and an existential threat to America. The hosts explore what this reaction says about the American right’s obsession with demographic change, the symbolism of Mamdani’s win for younger voters, and the generational shift redefining leadership in U.S. politics.

They also dig into the backlash against young women voters, who showed up in huge numbers for progressive candidates across multiple states. Brad and Dan play clips from conservative pundits lamenting women’s “suicidal empathy” and even calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment. The episode rounds out with sharp analysis of Democratic wins in Virginia and New Jersey, key court rulings, and local policy fights, ending on an optimistic note about the growing momentum for justice and accountability.

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

Josh Hawley argues that American “liberals” (anyone who isn’t a conservative Christian) don’t have a story to tell about men’s purpose in the world. But it turns out things are a lot more complicated than he lets on. It turns out that those “liberals” just might have a story worth telling after all. And, even worse for him, it turns out that his story actually isn’t so different from theirs after all. What is this story? How is it similar to and different from the story Hawley wants to tell? And what will that mean for Hawley’s ongoing exploration of manhood? Take a listen to this week’s episode to 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 Onishi is joined by Dr. Laura Field, author of Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, for a fascinating look into the intellectual roots of the MAGA movement and its rising political stars, including JD Vance. Together they trace the philosophical and theological threads that tie together the Claremont Institute, National Conservatives, and Postliberal Catholics—three camps shaping the hard right’s challenge to American liberalism. From Patrick Deneen’s critique of modernity to Adrian Vermeule’s “common good constitutionalism,” the discussion unpacks how these thinkers frame a moral and political alternative to liberal democracy, and how their ideas inform Vance’s worldview and public persona.

The conversation also explores what’s at stake when intellectuals try to fuse religion, nationalism, and governance into a single moral vision for America. Brad and Laura discuss the deep cultural anxiety driving this movement, the narratives of victimhood that sustain it, and the potential consequences of replacing pluralism with authoritarian moral certainty. They close with reflections on how to counter these ideas with honest, accessible scholarship and renewed democratic imagination.

Get Dr. Laura Field's book Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right⁠ HERE

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

Dan’s “demon” costume sets the stage for a serious warning: Americans may not be able to vote freely in 2026. Brad argues that authoritarian tactics and election interference are accelerating, pointing to SNAP benefit cuts, ACA premium hikes, and the creation of a National Guard “quick reaction force” as tools of social control. The hosts connect these developments to historical examples of militarized regimes and discuss how Trump loyalists embedding on military bases signal deeper threats to democracy.

They also turn their attention to JD Vance’s recent appearances at Ole Miss and Turning Point USA, where his rhetoric blends Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and populist theater. From his calls to teach Christianity in schools to his public remarks about his Hindu wife, Vance uses religion as a political weapon while appealing to the MAGA base. Yet amid the darkness, Brad and Dan highlight reasons for hope, including legal and judicial pushback against extreme policies and bipartisan resistance in the Senate.

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

Josh Hawley devotes the second chapter of his book to outlining what he sees as “man’s purpose.” He promises to answer the question of why men are here, and what they are supposed to do. What does he see as this purpose? And why does his claim to uncover man’s purpose ultimately amount to nothing? Why does Dan describe it as an “empty” account of purpose? And how does this undermine Hawley’s claim that the Bible’s story of man is the only story that can provide meaning and purpose? Check out this week’s episode to 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