

Straight White American Jesus
Bradley Onishi + Daniel Miller
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 13, 2021 • 8min
Check Your Worldview, Bro.
Brad discusses something that has been bothering him since his Twitter spat with Timothy Keller: Why are all the Reformed Theo-Bros always talking about worldviews. Brad unpacks the buzz words they use to uncover the will to power, the righteous arrogance, and the relativism at the heart of this theological system. After listening to this you will understand why Reformed pastors and theologians--John MacArthur, Timothy Keller, John Piper--often consider themselves the most intellectual, the most relevant, and the most manly.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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May 10, 2021 • 10min
The Long History of a National Menace
Brad speaks with Dr. Philip Gorski, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Yale University. They preview his new co-authored book (with Sam Perry) on the history and future of Christian nationalism in the United States. Professor Gorski illuminates how White Christian nationalism has been part of the American fabric since the Puritans. One of the reasons it is hard to combat is that its threads have become so embedded in our national narratives that we often don't see them. However, the Trump presidency created a situation where they could no longer be ignored. Yet that doesn't mean that the threats of authoritarianism, xenophobia, and racism they pose have been thwarted. One possible future, according to Gorski, is a Heerenvolk autocracy . . . listen to the conversation to learn what that is and why it could be our next national chapter.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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May 7, 2021 • 10min
Weekly Roundup: Extremism is the Virtue
Brad and Dan examine the competing ideals often put forth by the GOP: 1) Be an individualist who thinks for herself vs. 2) work to unite the country behind a common cause.They discuss how these ideals are often contradicted by the GOP's actions and policies. First, they look at the ouster of Liz Cheney for thinking for herself by opposing Trump's Big Lie. Put in her leadership place: Elise Stefanik, someone who went from freethinking moderate to Trumpian acolyte. Then there is Mitch McConnell, who blames Biden for a lack of bipartisanship but says out loud that his goal is 100% to block the administration's goals. Finally, there is the wild goose chase of an audit in Arizona, where conspiracy theorists are sniffing for bamboo and looking for nonexistent watermarks in an effort to overturn an election that happened six months ago--if the election doesn't go how you want, tear down the nation. Is that how the saying goes?They finish with an explainer on the worker shortage debate raging in the wake of COVID and some brief comments on the Josh Duggar Case.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Venmo: @straightwhitejc
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May 5, 2021 • 9min
The Rise of the Illiberals
Where is the GOP headed four months after an attempted coup? Even further down the rabbit hole of authoritarianism. In the wake of his jarring interview with Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz on fascism in rural America, Brad shows that these anti-democratic impulses are not limited to fringe pockets of the country. They are at the heart of the contemporary conservative movement and GOP. This portends even more anti-democratic maneuvers, threats of violence, and repeats of the 1/6 coup attempt, even as Trump fades from public consciousness as time goes on. He may be on his way out, but the trendy fascism he instituted in our public square is not.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Venmo: @straightwhitejc
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May 3, 2021 • 10min
"I'm a Fascist"
Brad speaks with Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Recovering Truth Project (Arizona State University) about her recent article, "The Hybridity of Rural Fascism." She discusses the Evangelical converts to Orthodoxy in rural Appalachia, at least one of which self-identifies as a fascist. She explains how the group sees Trump as too conservative, and instead looks to Putin as the model leader for this--and any--country. As her and Brad explore, the community represents the extreme end of Christian patriarchy, authoritarianism, and trad-values. While it would be easy to label it as a fringe movement, Dr. Riccardi-Swartz reminds us just how prevalent these values are in contemporary White Christian America.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Venmo: @straightwhitejc
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Apr 30, 2021 • 9min
Weekly Roundup: This is Not Not a Racist Country
Brad and Dan discuss how racism and patriarchy stem from a desire for power and control. They relate this to comments by Rick Santorum on Native American culture, American culture, and the history of the nation. They also apply it to statements from Lyndsey Graham, who said we can't be a racist nation because we elected Obama, and Tim Scott who gave the response to Pres. Biden's address a few days ago.They discuss patriarchy in relation to the revival of Promise Keepers as a way hetero-patriarchal movement designed to combat the recognition of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in this country. This leads to a discussion of Josh Duggar, who was arrested on child pornography charges this week and Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is alleged to have paid underage girls for sex.This episode finishes with a round of Falwell's Follies.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Venmo: @straightwhitejc
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Apr 26, 2021 • 9min
The Museum of the Bible
Brad speaks with Dr. Jill Hicks-Keeton, Associate Professor of Religion at Oklahoma University and co-editor of The Museum of the Bible: A Critical Introduction, about the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. Started by the Green family, who own the Hobby Lobby franchise, the Museum of the Bible is what happens when an evangelical megachurch tries to transform into a Smithsonian museum--it mixes Evangelical propaganda with Christian nationalist rhetoric and a supersessionist theology that sees Judaism ending as soon as Christ comes on the scene. The result is more of a monument to White American evangelicalism rather than a museum operating at the highest standards of scholarship and curation. Dr Hicks-Keeton provides a critical view from the standpoint of biblical studies and the study of religion.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Apr 24, 2021 • 9min
Weekly Roundup: The Civil War Never Ended
Brad and Dan connect the threads of the Chauvin murder conviction, the proposed America First caucus, and racialized violence across the country. They use historical instances from the Civil War, the 1920s, and other moments in the nation's history to explain how we are still living in two countries with two sets of rules. They conclude by examining how Sikh individuals were targeted in the Indianapolis mass shooting and use this instance to explain how religion is raced in the United States and what that means for both White Christians and BIPOC from all religious traditions.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Apr 21, 2021 • 10min
Police Brutality, Family Values, and White Supremacist Christianity
In the wake of the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, Brad argues that family values have been used for centuries as a vector for White supremacist Christianity. Not only are family values used today as a way to draw attention away from racial inequality and other systemic issues, but they have been used throughout American history to justify racism and white supremacy. There is a direct line connecting the concern for order, the vision of the family as the hierarchical structure wherein Godly character is formed, and the defense of slavery and contemporary forms of systemic racism.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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Apr 19, 2021 • 11min
Teaching Creationism = Gateway for LGBTQ+ Bigotry
Brad speaks with Andrew Seidel, constitutional lawyer at the Freedom From Religion Foundation and author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American. He explains how the Arkansas state legislature's anti-trans bill and the bill to legalize teaching creationism in schools are linked. By inserting creationism into school curricula, Seidel explains, there is the possibility of codifying the idea that there are only two sexes and two genders, which in essence codifies the exclusion of trans people. If you would like to get involved in fighting the bill, write to arklawsuit@ffrf.org.Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJCOrder Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ronTo Donate:
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