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
42 snips
Mar 14, 2026 • 1h 8min
Weekly Roundup: MAGA Masculinity, the Iran War, and the DOGE Files: What Happens When Power Rejects Expertise
A sharp take on how a culture of macho action and disdain for expertise shaped risky Iran policy and strategic blind spots around the Strait of Hormuz. A closer look at young operatives cutting federal grants based on references to feminism, LGBTQ people, or race. Questions about how domineering governance and anti-knowledge politics harm institutions and could reshape political coalitions.
Mar 11, 2026 • 37min
It's in the Code ep 183: “Genocide Joshua”
A close reading of how a modern politician recasts biblical violence as a model for masculine strength. Questions about the ethics of commands to destroy entire peoples come up. The conversation examines textual problems, ancient context, and strategies used to sanitize or allegorize brutal passages. It probes how dehumanizing language and authoritarian rhetoric normalize violence.
42 snips
Mar 8, 2026 • 1h 1min
The Sunday Interview: The New MAGA History: How Trump, JD Vance, and the Right Are Redefining What It Means to Be American
Thomas Zimmer, historian and commentator on American memory, explains why he moved back to Germany. He explores how Trump, JD Vance, and others recast US history around ancestry and blood‑and‑soil nationalism. Short, sharp takes probe threats to scholars, the shift from civic to ethnic nationalism, and how that rewriting narrows who counts as American.
47 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 1h 2min
Weekly Roundup: Trump’s Iran War? MAGA Divisions, Epstein Distraction & End Times Politics
They debate competing Republican messages about U.S. strikes on Iran and whether the action is being downplayed. They unpack religious and apocalyptic rhetoric used to justify intervention. They question timing and possible distraction from the Epstein story. They review Texas primary shocks, Latino turnout, and intraparty clashes shaping MAGA and GOP dynamics.
Mar 5, 2026 • 51min
Reign of Error 007: Birth Control, Bathrooms & Biblical Patriarchy: The War on Gender and Reproduction
Sarah Jones, an award-winning New York Magazine writer who covers religion and national politics, joins to unpack the assault on transgender rights and how laws rewriting IDs fit a long Christian right strategy. Short takes cover the rise of bathroom bans, anti–birth control rhetoric and pronatalism, spiritual warfare language in state politics, and the uneasy fusion of evangelical patriarchy with new-age conspiracism.
Mar 4, 2026 • 39min
It's in the Code ep 182: “So, That’s a Warrior?”
Dan takes apart the idea that men are meant to be “warriors” and questions what that label even means. He critiques sweeping claims about masculine virtues and exposes evasive rhetoric and gender essentialism. A family anecdote and a list of traits get scrutinized for logic and historical gaps. The segment ends by teasing the limits of a diluted warrior concept.
8 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 23min
MAGA Christians Are Split Over Iran
A political and theological rift forms over U.S. strikes on Iran. One faction frames the conflict as prophetic and tied to biblical imagery. Another faction argues the action betrays nationalist, America First principles and questions its strategic value. The divide highlights tensions between apocalyptic theology and isolationist realism within conservative Christianity.
18 snips
Mar 1, 2026 • 54min
The Sunday Interview: Survivors Speak: Christian Nationalism, Patriarchy & Doug Wilson (Pamela Brown of CNN)
Pamela Brown, CNN chief investigative correspondent who made a documentary on Christian nationalism and Doug Wilson, narrates reporting from Moscow, Idaho and her viral interview with Wilson. She highlights survivor accounts of patriarchal theology, rigid church authority, abuse, and the role of classical Christian schools. The conversation examines the movement’s political ambitions and how COVID fueled its growth.
20 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 1h 7min
Weekly Roundup: State of the Union Fallout: ICE Expansion, Christian Nationalism & Retribution Politics
They dissect the State of the Union spectacle and the surrounding controversies without summarizing policy outcomes. They flag a proposed $38 billion ICE detention buildout and warnings about a nationwide network of camps. They explore how Christian nationalist rhetoric reframes order and belonging to justify exclusion and political retribution.
Feb 25, 2026 • 40min
It's in the Code ep 181: “It’s Not About Sacrifice”
A critique of claims that fatherhood requires self-sacrifice. Examination of how sacrificial rhetoric links to high-control religion and political agendas. Close reading of Abraham’s story and how scripture gets used to justify modern masculinity. Exploration of who really bears risks when sacrifice is demanded and who benefits from that narrative.
