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
9 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 34min
Tucker Carlson vs. Mike Huckabee: The MAGA Rift Over Israel, Antisemitism, and Christian Zionism
A breakdown of a major MAGA rift over Israel, Christianity, and nationalism. The show spotlights clashes between Christian Zionist theology and a rising isolationist, conspiratorial strain. Topics include biblical land claims, antisemitic rhetoric, Epstein-related claims, and how appeals to “protecting children” are weaponized. It also surveys generational and ideological splits reshaping the American right.
Feb 22, 2026 • 44min
The Sunday Interview: Leah Payne with Dr. Melissa Deckman (PRRI) on Measuring Christian Nationalism (PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas)
Dr. Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI and political scientist focused on religion and public opinion. She explains PRRI’s five-item measure of Christian nationalism and maps its reach across states. Short talks cover demographics, media trust, links to immigration attitudes and political violence, and how national narratives shape local school-board and state politics.
23 snips
Feb 20, 2026 • 48min
Weekly Roundup: Pentagon Pulpit, Silenced Christians: Doug Wilson, James Talarico & the Battle for the American Soul
A Pentagon prayer service spotlights a strain of Christianity that fuses male authority with political power. Reporting traces that network’s rise, ties to military ritual, and allegations of patriarchal theology and abuse cover-ups. A blocked TV interview with a Christian critic shows how dissenting religious voices are being sidelined in public life.
Feb 18, 2026 • 34min
It's in the Code ep 180: “Freedom and Constraint”
A critique of Josh Hawley’s claim that rejecting history, family, home, and tradition erases identity. The host challenges caricatures of dissenters and explores social determinism versus radical self-invention. A chain-tattoo metaphor models how freedom and constraint shape who we become. The show also examines nostalgia, curated pasts, and political implications of oversimplifying identity.
10 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 1h 10min
Faith in the Streets: A Pastor's Firsthand Account of ICE's Terror and the Neighbors Resisting It
A vivid on-the-ground report from Minneapolis about mass ICE deployments and community resistance. They trace how clergy and multifaith networks mobilized, describing frontline tactics, arrests, and rapid national solidarity. The conversation connects local organizing to global lessons and offers practical steps for other cities preparing to defend democracy.
Feb 15, 2026 • 50min
The Sunday Interview: Ableism, WCN, and MAHA
Dr. Andrew Whitehead, sociologist who studies religion and politics. He explores links between Christian nationalism and discrimination against disabled Americans. The conversation covers Project 2025, how prosperity theology and market ideals shape views of worth, and how policy tools like vouchers and rhetoric exclude disabled people. It also highlights theological alternatives that reimagine disability and call for collective responsibility.
27 snips
Feb 13, 2026 • 1h 12min
Weekly Roundup: Epstein, ICE & the Super Bowl Culture War: What MAGA Prioritizes
They unpack Pam Bondi’s evasive congressional performance amid the Epstein files and the political theater around protecting children. They cover Twin Cities clergy forming prayer circles and human shields against ICE. They analyze the right’s fury over Bad Bunny’s Spanish Super Bowl set and what cultural backlash reveals about political priorities.
Feb 11, 2026 • 34min
It's in the Code ep 179: “A Father’s Virtues?”
A close reading of Josh Hawley’s claims about fatherhood and the virtues he ties to it. Questions about who counts as a father and whether those traits are uniquely male. Analysis of the cisgender and heteronormative assumptions behind his account. Discussion of how exclusionary rhetoric can push people toward controlling religious communities.
25 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 41min
James Dobson, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Theology of Abuse
They explore why Epstein circulated a James Dobson article to a young woman he was grooming and what that says about teachings that shift blame onto victims. The conversation traces how patriarchal theology normalizes male authority and enables grooming. It also examines how American “family values” rhetoric spread to post‑Soviet Russia and fed authoritarian, gendered power structures.
25 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 1h 16min
The Sunday Interview: How Blood and Soil Nationalism Went Mainstream w/Seth Cotlar
Seth Cotlar, a history professor who studies the American right and extremist movements, walks through the long migration of blood-and-soil nationalism into mainstream politics. Short, clear takes on archival discoveries, Oregon’s political shifts, media’s role in normalizing conspiracies, and the roots of antisemitic and “heritage American” rhetoric. Thought-provoking and historically grounded.
