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
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.
15 snips
Feb 6, 2026 • 1h 11min
Weekly Roundup: National Prayer Breakfast, ICE Theology, and the Super Bowl Halftime Debacle
A sharp roundup of how prayer and power collided at the National Prayer Breakfast and what that reveals about religion becoming entwined with state authority. They unpack performative praise, threats to tax-exempt status, and the rise of ethno-nationalist theology used to justify ICE and deportation. The conversation also touches on Super Bowl culture wars and the shift from evangelism to exclusionary parallel Christian culture.
17 snips
Feb 4, 2026 • 36min
It's in the Code ep 178: “There’s No Such Thing”
A critique of a political vision that frames patriarchal authority as service and sacrifice. A close look at how soft, inviting language masks high-control religious aims. Stories about what happens when kinder rhetoric collapses and leaders reveal coercive pressures. A personal account of leaving high-control religion for a more affirming path.
Feb 3, 2026 • 44min
Reign of Error 002: Pete Hegseth, Doug Wilson, and the God of War
Julie Ingersoll, professor of Religious Studies and author who studies religion and politics, unpacks Doug Wilson’s Christian Reconstructionism and its reach into Pentagon culture. She outlines how biblical law, patriarchal governance, and a belligerent “God of war” theology shape views on military power, domestic authority, and foreign conquest. The conversation traces the movement’s move from the margins into corridors of power.
12 snips
Feb 1, 2026 • 50min
Purity Culture and the Politics of White Innocence: Renee Good, Patriarchy, and Mar a Lago Face
Sarah Moslener, historian and author of After Purity and creator of the Pure White podcast, explores purity culture as a racialized system. She traces how white womanhood became a national symbol of innocence. They discuss aesthetics of compliance, January 6 performances of innocence, contrasting racialized state violence, and the risks for white women who defect from racial privilege.
15 snips
Jan 30, 2026 • 1h 5min
Weekly Roundup: Minnesota vs. ICE: Neighbors, Authoritarianism, and the Future of Democracy
They unpack ICE operations in Minnesota as a confrontation between state coercion and organized neighborhood resistance. They highlight grassroots “neighborism” mobilizing ordinary people to defend rights. They cover a controversial killing tied to shifting Second Amendment rhetoric. They examine an FBI raid on a Georgia election office and the broader threats to democratic norms and election integrity.
7 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 39min
It's in the Code ep 177: "Porn Again"
A critique of right-wing certainty about pornography and its social harms. A close read of claims that porn undermines marriage and manhood. A look at how data is used to leap from correlation to cause. An exploration of religious reasoning and confirmation bias shaping moral panic around sex.
Jan 26, 2026 • 45min
Raised on the Prosperity Gospel: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right
Josiah Hesse, journalist and author of the memoir On Fire for God, grew up inside prosperity gospel culture during the 1980s farm crisis. He recounts family sacrifice, tithing nearly everything, and how fear, shame, and economic collapse shaped faith. The conversation moves from intimate memories to the rise of the Christian Right, purity culture, religious trauma, and the long road out of evangelicalism.
16 snips
Jan 23, 2026 • 1h 4min
Weekly Roundup: The Sin of Empathy and the Theology of Terror From Minnesota to Davos
They unpack a Minneapolis church protest and its ties to Christian nationalist theology and ICE actions. They trace a strand of anti-empathy religious thought and how it normalizes state violence. They cover grassroots resistance, the detention of a child, a mistaken arrest, and clergy-led backlash. They close by linking these local fights to global threats from Davos and rising authoritarian rhetoric.
Jan 21, 2026 • 44min
It's in the Code ep 176: “A New Eden?”
The discussion dives into Josh Hawley’s perspective on the role of husbands in marriage and its purported societal benefits. Hawley’s nostalgic vision contrasts rural life with contemporary society, suggesting marriage can restore a lost Eden. However, the critique points out the exclusion of queer identities within this 'kinder' patriarchy. The hosts unravel how Hawley's arguments often rely on myth-making and selective biblical interpretations, creating contradictions in his vision of family and social order.
