Straight White American Jesus

Brad and Dan begin the episode by discussing the student loan forgiveness announcement the Biden administration made this week. They ask whether it went far enough and then track the responses from the GOP, who uniformly denounced it as irresponsible. Unfortunately for them we have the receipts about how much they received in forgiven PPP loans . . . Brad then takes us through a history of how universities have lost public funding, leading to higher fees, and you guessed it, a student loan crisis. This all happened when BIPOC and women started entering universities in larger numbers during the 70s and 80s.In the second segment they discuss how abortion has become the primary issue in statewide primary races across the nation. Dan tracks all the numbers from Florida to New York to Oregon and Brad discusses the overwhelming number of young women who have registered to vote in Pennsylvania.In the last segment they examine the calls to restrict voting rights to landowning men between the ages of 35-65 by prominent right-wing pundits. It's creeping fascism, pure and simple.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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Spiritual Warfare 2.0”How do appeals to “spiritual warfare” relate to the social and political struggles of the flesh-and-blood world? How do different kinds of Christian communities and traditions understand the relation between spiritual forces and the flesh-and-blood world? And what role does racial identity play in shaping understandings and expressions of “spiritual warfare”? Dan tackles these and other questions in this episode.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/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the archives, an episode from 2019 centered on how fundamentalist religions are prone to violence. This episode has renewed relevance given the recent discussions of civil war in the wake of the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago:Dan and Brad dissect why so many evangelical leaders--and high-level government officials--are threatening civil war if the president is impeached and/or removed. One thing is clear: the single group who is maintaining unwavering support for Trump's presidency = White Christian nationalists.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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and. Dan begin by discussing the week's GOP primary results, nothing that the GOP remains the Party of Trump. They juxtapose these results with the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, the Trump Org tax case in NY, and the other ongoing investigations. The takeaway: facts and morality don't matter in MAGA land. Just fealty to the leader.They then transition to two stories about American Christianity. First, the DOJ's investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention and what that means for the SBC's governance, theology, and future. The takeaway: we should stop giving American Christians the benefit of the doubt. Christian does not automatically mean good, civil, or trustworthy.https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117362904/southern-baptists-doj-investigation-sexual-abuseHouston Chronicle's Robert Downen on SWAJ: https://www.irreverent.fm/show/straight-white-american-jesus-1/special-episode-the-southern-baptist-conventions-apocalypse-with-robert-downen/The last segment is on the new article from the Atlantic on how Rad-Trad Catholics are using the rosary to as a militant symbol for spiritual and political warfare. This leads to analysis of how the Rad Trad movement represents a significant Christian nationalist faction within American Catholicism. Brad argues that there are correspondent elements of nostalgia, apocalypticism, and literalism with White Evangelical Christian nationalism.https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/08/radical-traditionalist-catholic-christian-rosary-weapon/671122/?utm_source=apple_newsSubscribe 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Spiritual Warfare 1.0”What is “spiritual warfare”? Why do some Christians understand their faith and practice in terms of spiritual warfare? And what are some of the concrete effects of understanding Christianity in terms of spiritual warfare? In this episode, Dan outlines where this language of spiritual warfare comes from, how different Christian groups understand and practice spiritual warfare, and considers the significance of spiritual warfare language for Christian groups that deny the reality of mental illness and the legitimacy of LGBTQ+ identities.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/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad speaks with journalist and pastor Angela Denker about the updated version of her book, Red State Christians.Red State Christians: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506482507/Red-State-ChristiansDenker spent a year traveling across the United States, interviewing the Evangelical Christian voters who supported the Trump presidency and exploring how their voting block continues to influence the landscape of modern conservative politics. From booming, wealthy Orange County megachurches to libertarian farmers in Missouri, to a church in Florida where the pastors carry guns, to an Evangelical Arab American church in Houston, to conservative Catholics on the East Coast--the picture Denker paints of them is enlightening, at times disturbing, but always empathetic.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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by going through the nuts and bolts related to the FBI's search of Trump's residence--what it requires to get a warrant, who had to sign off on it, and what it means that the GOP has no faith in the process or belief in the rule of law.They then examine the reactions to the search from MAGA Nation, followers of QAnon, and influential right-wing politicians, pundits, and influencers. The overall tone: This means the next civil war. Unfortunately, the consequences are already being manifest--yesterday a man tried to enter an FBI facility in Cincinnati and was killed in a standoff with law enforcement.The last segment examines the revelations that the FBI's search centered on classified information related to nuclear plans, weapons, and/or secrets. Brad lays out the case that this could be related to the billions of dollars Trump officials (including Jared Kushner) have received from the Saudi family. Dan argues it could be as simple as Trump wanting to show off to old golfing buddies. Michael Flynn and Saudi Arabian nuclear plans: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-pushed-saudi-nuclear-power-plan-report-says The Saudis invest in Kushner: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/jared-kushner-saudi-investment-fund.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Dan revisits the claim or aspiration to be “biblical.” If such claims or aspirations involve efforts to control religious adherents, what are the consequences of this? What claims or attitudes, or actions does it license? How do claims to be “biblical” create an “anything-goes” kind of spirituality? How does this play out in concrete, practical terms? Check out the episode to find out!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/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad speaks with Dr. Arlene Sanchez-Walsh, author of Latino Pentecostal Identity, about how and why many Latinx Evangelicals have signed on to Trump's brand of Christian nationalism. They discuss the history of Latinx conversion to evangelicalism and Pentecostalism and how such conversions require participation in an American colonial project that demands assimilation. They also discuss the religious-political Latinx leaders who have risen to prominence in the Trump era and sometimes inescapable allure of power and influence that has led many of them into the heart of MAGA Nation.Latino Pentecostal Identity: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/latino-pentecostal-identity/9780231127332Pentecostals in America: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/pentecostals-in-america/9780231141833Subscribe 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing takeaways from Kansas, where voters soundly rejected a state amendment proposal to ban abortion. In one sense, it offers hope that pro-abortion movements and candidates can push back in the wake of the Dobbs decision and make headway in the fight for women's rights, reproductive rights, and healthcare in this country. On the other, it will provide fodder for the American Right to argue to conservative voters that the only way forward is a national ban on abortion.Brad then takes a deep dive into Viktor Orbán's appearance at CPAC and what it means that the American Right looks to him as a model for the illiberal democracy they want to create here. He draws on his own work and that of Sarah. Posner to show that the current conservative fascination with Orbán was fueled by the Religious Right and Christian nationalists.Andrew Marantz at the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/07/04/does-hungary-offer-a-glimpse-of-our-authoritarian-futureSarah Posner at Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3b4kk/is-authoritarian-europe-becoming-the-new-hope-of-the-religious-right-v26n1The episode finishes with a look at the Arizona primary results. Down the GOP ticket in AZ election deniers won their races, meaning that the state could be run by proponents of the Big Lie very soon. It is, in essence, a test run for the kind of illiberal democracy we see in Hungary.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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices