Straight White American Jesus
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
The Sunday Interview: The Bachelor, Christian Nationalism, and the Politics of Purity w/ Claire Fallon
and evangelical assumptions; how conservative Christian contestants have turned reality TV fame into influential media platforms; and how figures like Madison Pruitt have moved from The Bachelor into the world of MAGA Christian influence. They also explore the politics of dating in the Trump era, the rise of Mormon reality TV, and what shows like Love Is Blind and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Weekly Roundup: "Free Derek Chauvin" + the Anti-Democracy Christian Nationalism Debate
Christian nationalism is not simply a religious movement—it is a political project that challenges the foundations of a pluralist democracy.
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller examine the growing Christian nationalist effort to redefine who counts as a “real” American, from arguments about immigration and religious identity to the defense of Derek Chauvin and the rejection of democratic accountability. T
It's In the Code 203: "Who Are God's Chosen People?"
Theologically conservative Christians believe apparently contradictory things about Judaism and Jewish people. On the one hand, they will often describe Jewish people as being “the people of God.” On the other hand, they typically hold that, as non-Christians, Jewish people are condemned to go to hell when they die. How do these attitudes fit together? Is it possible to hold them together consiste
ICE Infiltrated Churches: The Secret Operation Targeting Minnesota Protesters
ICE agents infiltrated churches, activist meetings, libraries, and community organizations in Minnesota as part of what has been dubbed Operation Puppet Master. In this episode of Axis Live, Matthew D. Taylor and Rev. Susie Hayward discuss what newly disclosed documents reveal about the government's surveillance of protesters—and what it means for religious freedom, constitutional rights, and the
The Sunday Interview: Congressman Jared Huffman on the Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi sits down with Congressman Jared Huffman to discuss his new book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. Huffman shares his journey from growing up in a devout Mormon community to becoming a humanist and the only openly non-believing member of Congress, and explains how the rise of Trump and Christian natio
Weekly Roundup: “We Need Fascism”: The American Right's Dangerous Turn
Steven Crowder recently released a video titled “We Need Fascism,” making an explicit argument for fascism rather than merely flirting with the idea. In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down Crowder’s argument and ask what it reveals about the direction of the American right.
The conversation connects Crowder’s rhetoric about communism, violence, and
SWAJ Rewind: It's In the Code 115: "Strong Handshakes"
With Dan on vacation, we bring you one of the most popular episodes of It's In the Code: "Strong Handshakes"
In this episode, Dan continues decoding a card from a church bulletin that outlines the features of a particular church. The focus this time is the promise of “strong handshakes.” There’s a lot to decode with this idea: What does it express about gender? About sexuality? About the family
Axis Live: A Pastor Takes on the Senate—and the Christian Right + Rubio's Cringe Nationalism
In this week's Axis Live Brad Onishi begins by breaking down a video posted by the US Department of State that showcases Marco Rubio's Christian nationalism and Western civilizationalism. Brad digs below the surface to decode the ways Rubio outlines a common good conservatism that seeks to impose order and virtue through family, church, and state.
Brad then welcomes Rev. Adam Hamilton to the sh
The Sunday Interview: “Is the Religious Left Really Rising? Faith & the Democratic Party”.
What does the emerging religious left look like—and is it becoming a force in Democratic politics? In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne speaks with Associated Press religion and culture reporter Kyrsta Fauria about her reporting on progressive candidates and activists drawing on religious traditions to confront economic inequality, defend workers’ rights, and advocate for policies like universal h
Weekly Roundup: Abdul El-Sayed and the New Red-Green Scare + Project Esther
In the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi examines how the American Right and MAGA are reacting to Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan by calling him anti-American, communist, socialist, and more. As Brad explains, these rhetorical choices are strategies that correspond to a larger effort by the Trump administration to criminalize dissent. Brad traces the code words used by the American Right against Sa
It's In the Code 202: “Why Do They Quote the Old Testament?”
In this episode of It’s In the Code, Dan Miller tackles a question from a Jewish listener that cuts to the heart of Christian theology: if Jesus established a new covenant that fulfilled the Old Testament law, why do so many conservative Christians continue to rely on Old Testament verses to make moral arguments? Dan explores the New Testament's teaching on grace, the Apostle Paul’s insistence tha
Axis Live: Netanyahu Meets with the NAR + Dems do God Talk + Andrew Whitehead
In this livestream of Straight White American Jesus (Axis Live), Matthew Taylor and Brad Onishi analyze three stories:
1. The meeting between Bibi Netanyahu and New Apostolic Reformation Leaders like Lance Wallnau
2. The emerging crop of Democratic candidates who are pastors and/or religious leaders
3. With Andrew Whitehead, the new evidence of how Christian nationalism is a predictor for op
The Sunday Interview: Exvangelicals, Christian Nationalism, and the Novel That Saw It Coming
Brad Onishi interviews TJ Poortinga, author of Electric Orange, a darkly comic novel about memory, media, and the danger of being taken seriously. Part psychological mystery, part alternate history, it’s a portrait of a person—and a nation—that can’t distinguish madness from insight. When Pieter Verboom has a nervous breakdown on national television, the last thing he expects is to become a populi
Weekly Roundup: Fauci McCarthyism, Elon's Revenge Porn Lawsuit, Trump Africa AI Scandal
On the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller breakdown three stories:
1. The GOP pursuit of Anthony Fauci over COVID era decisions and funding.
2. A new poll that shows 66% of MAGA supporters would continue to push for a candidate accused of sexual assault + Elon Musk's lawsuit against a law that bans nudifying AI.
3. The State Department's humiliating mistake in using an error-filled AI-
It's In the Code 201: "Why Take Only Some of the Bible Literally?"
Dan Miller continues his "Questions You Weren't Supposed to Ask in Church" series with a reflection on why only some biblical commands are to be taken literally, but others are not. The episode is based on an email from a listener named Matt, who writes: “If we as Christians are to love as Jesus loved (e.g., John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend”),
Axis Live: Elon Musk Thinks Ethnic Cleansing is Normal + The Bible Belongs in Schools?
Elon Musk says he just wants “secure borders.” But is that really what his politics are about?
In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi breaks down Musk’s explosive interview with The Economist, where he accused its editor of being a “traitor to the West.” Brad explains why this language signals something much larger than immigration policy: the rise of Western civilizationalism, a political mov
The Sunday Interview: Martin Luther King Jr. Wasn’t Born a Hero
In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne speaks with Dr. Lerone Martin, author of Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King Jr., about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. before he became the civil rights icon we know today. They explore King's teenage years as an agnostic, his struggles with racism and academic challenges, his love of basketball, and the parents, teachers, mentors, and communities
Weekly Roundup: The Odyssey, Christian Nationalism, and the Invention of “Western Civilization”
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller explore the American right’s furious reaction to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and what the controversy reveals about race, representation, gender, sexuality, and the politics of “Western civilization.” From outrage over Black actors and queer representation in contemporary adaptations to the right’s insistence that certain stories, traditions, and cultural identities
American Caesar by Brad Onishi (Sneak Peek)
In this special episode, I’m sharing the prologue to my forthcoming book, American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy, which will be published on September 15, 2026. The story begins with my own experience as a teenager in evangelical Christianity—and with the way my understanding of Jesus, America, and the role of Christians in public life has changed over th
It's In the Code 200: “What Do We Love When We Love God?”
How much love is enough? In this episode of It’s In the Code, part of the series “Questions I Wasn’t Supposed to Ask in Church,” we examine one of the most influential teachings in conservative Christianity: that Christians must love God or Jesus more than anyone and anything else. What happens when this teaching becomes an impossible demand? Drawing on a listener’s powerful experience, we explore
Axis Live: Pete Hegseth’s Testosterone Crusade + Trump's MAGA Iran Disaster
Trump’s war with Iran is exposing a growing fracture inside the MAGA coalition. As the conflict continues, young America First voices—including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes—are increasingly at odds with the Christian nationalist and Christian Zionist establishment that continues to support Israel and the war.
Brad Onishi, Matthew D. Taylor, and Holly Berkley Fletcher discuss th
The Women of the Far Right: Female Influencers, Tradwives, and Online Radicalization w/ Eviane Leidig
This week on the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Annika Brockschmidt sits down with extremism researcher Eviane Leidig, author of The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization, for an in-depth conversation about the women reshaping today's far-right movement. Together they explore how female influencers have become some of the movement's most e
The Myth of One Nation Under God w/ Reza Aslan
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi sits down with renowned scholar, author, and television producer Reza Aslan for a wide-ranging conversation about America's religious past—and why that history matters more than ever. Drawing on Aslan's new podcast series, Our Seven Neighbors, they unpack the myths surrounding "one nation under God," the long struggle for genuine religi
It's In the Code Episode 199: "Is God a Liar?"
In this episode of It's In the Code, host Dan Miller tackles one of the most provocative questions a believer can ask: Did God lie in the Garden of Eden? Beginning with a listener's question about Genesis and God's warning that Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Dan takes a close look at the biblical text itself rather than the assumptions many Chri
Axis Live: From Lindsey Graham to Charlie Kirk: The Theology of MAGA
In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor examine the political and religious legacy of Lindsey Graham following his death, asking how a senator once known for challenging Donald Trump ultimately became one of Trump's most loyal defenders. They explore Graham's transformation through the lens of white evangelical politics, Christian nationalism, and the pursuit of political p
The Sunday Interview: The Missionary Myth: How Evangelicalism Exported Christian Nationalism
In this Sunday Interview, Brad Onishi sits down with historian and former CIA Africa analyst Holly Berkley Fletcher, author of The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Drawing on her experience growing up as a Southern Baptist missionary kid in Kenya, Fletcher explores how the evangelical missionary movement became intertwined with American exceptionalism, racial hierarchy
Weekly Roundup: Birthright Citizenship, Doug Wilson, and Bryan Johnson
Doug Wilson's recent NPR interview offers a revealing look at how Christian nationalism has moved from the political fringe into the mainstream. In this episode, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack Wilson's arguments about household voting, patriarchy, and the Constitution, showing why his vision represents a fundamental challenge to liberal democracy. They also discuss Ken Paxton's latest controver
It's In the Code 198: The Suffering of Job
Why did God allow Satan to punish the biblical character Job, if he was a faithful and righteous man?
This is a question that has been asked by Bible readers for centuries. But it’s a question that biblicists
and high-control religionists get defensive about. Why? And why does the biblical Book of Job make this question even harder to answer? What does it show us about the shortcomings of high-c
Axis Live: Congressman Exposes Trump's America250 Corruption + Patriot Front's March
Patriot Front's July 4 march on the National Mall wasn't an isolated stunt—it was part of a long American tradition of extremist groups using patriotic symbolism to claim ownership of the nation's identity. In this episode of Access Live, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor trace the historical parallels between Patriot Front and the Ku Klux Klan's massive 1925 march in Washington, D.C., explaining
Axis Daily Brief: Is There a "Christian Genocide" in Nigeria?
Violence in Nigeria is escalating, and Christians are undeniably among its victims. But does that mean Nigeria is experiencing a "Christian genocide"? In this episode of the Axis Mundi Daily Brief, host Holly Berkley Fletcher examines the growing political narrative surrounding the crisis and asks whether it reflects the realities on the ground. Looking beyond headlines, Holly explores the complex
The Sunday Interview: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Story of America
In this Sunday interview, Brad Onishi is joined by historian and author Warren Throckmorton to discuss his new book, The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. Together they examine some of the most persistent myths at the heart of Christian nationalism: that America was founded as a covenant nation, that the colonies' state churches prove the Un
Weekly Roundup: Trump's America250 Spectacle, the SSPX Schism, and the Rise of Democratic Socialists
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller examine how Donald Trump has transformed the semiquincentennial celebration into a showcase for political patronage, executive power, and Christian nationalism. They unpack the controversy surrounding the America250 festivities on the National Mall, including allegations of corruption, the role of PragerU and Hillsdale Co
It's In the Code 197: "The Small Miracles"
Dan Miller continues the Questions You Weren't Supposed to Ask in Church series by tackling one of the most common—and most unsettling—questions many Christians eventually ask: Why doesn't God perform big miracles anymore? From the parting of the Red Sea to raising the dead, the Bible is filled with spectacular divine interventions. But if God is unchanging, why don't we see those kinds of miracle
Axis Live: Birthright Citizenship Reactions, Texas Bible Reading, NAR Gone Wild
The Supreme Court's narrow birthright citizenship ruling has triggered an extraordinary reaction from influential voices on the American right—and the backlash reveals much more than disagreement over immigration policy. In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi, Annika Brockschmidt, and Matthew D. Taylor examine the response from figures including Kevin Roberts, Stephen Miller, Matt Walsh, and Jo
The Sunday Interview: Turning Point USA’s “Pink Pill” Pipeline: Inside the Women’s Leadership Summit
In this Straight White American Jesus Sunday interview, Annika Brockschmidt speaks with journalist and researcher Madeleine Peltz about her years-long reporting on the conservative youth ecosystem and the gendered strategies shaping the modern far right. Peltz, formerly of Media Matters, has spent thousands of hours documenting right-wing media and events like Turning Point USA’s Women’s Leadershi
Weekly Roundup: How Protest Became Terrorism in Trump's America
This week, Brad Onishi argues that a series of seemingly separate headlines point to a single political project: the construction of a white Christian homeland. He examines the unprecedented sentencing of the Prairie Land protesters under domestic terrorism charges, the Trump administration's growing use of "Antifa" as a catch-all label for political dissent, Supreme Court decisions affecting Temp
It's In the Code 196: "Why Isn't God More Forgiving?"
Why does God forgive only as much as we forgive? In this episode, Dan Miller explores a listener’s challenging question about the nature of divine forgiveness, justice, and fairness in Christian theology. He examines how high-control religion responds to tough questions and why these core issues matter.
How different interpretive frameworks alter understanding of divine forgiveness
The rela
Axis Live: Christendom Over Christ, Political Violence, and the Myth of Religious Revival
In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi and Matt Taylor are joined by PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman to unpack Vice President JD Vance’s new book Communion and the theological vision animating it. The conversation focuses on Vance’s turn toward a form of Christianity oriented less around the person and teachings of Christ than toward a broader project of Christendom and civilizational restoration. Rat
The Sunday Interview: America Was Never One Nation Under One God
What does American religious history actually tell us about the present moment? In this episode, Brad sits down with historian and author Brook Wilensky-Lanford to discuss her sweeping new book, A God-Shaped Nation: 500 Years of Religion in America. Rather than focusing on famous founders and powerful institutions, Wilensky-Lanford tells the story of America through ordinary people—religious disse
Weekly Roundup: Trump's Iran Disaster, JD Vance's Problem, and the Collapse of the Strongman Myth
In this week's Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack the fallout from the Trump administration's Iran deal, the growing fractures within the MAGA coalition, and why Vice President JD Vance appears to be carrying the political burden for a foreign policy debacle.
They examine the deal's similarities to the Obama-era agreement Republicans once condemned, the tensions between America Fir
It's in the Code ep 195: "Intelligent' Design?"
What are the questions you aren’t supposed to ask in church—the ones that earn you a sit-down with the pastor, worry your parents, and might even make you leave your faith entirely? In this episode, Dan kicks off a brand-new series, "Questions I Wasn't Supposed to Ask in Church," by revisiting a question that got him into trouble during his own time as a pastor: does it really look like human bein
Axis Live: Southern Baptists, Domestic Terrorism, and the Pope's Challenge to Opus Dei
This week, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor break down three major stories shaping the American political and religious landscape:
🔹 The Southern Baptist Convention’s hard-right turn
The SBC elected a new president, Willie Rice, and moved to further restrict women in church leadership. What do these developments reveal about the growing influence of Christian nationalist and reconstructionist mo
Axis Daily Brief: The White House UFC Fight That Revealed Christian Trumpism
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In this episode of the Axis Mun
The Sunday Interview: The Soundtrack of Christian Nationalism
What if one of the most important political symbols in American evangelicalism isn't a campaign slogan, a policy platform, or a charismatic preacher, but a worship song?
In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with Religion News Service journalist Bob Smietana about his reporting on the unexpected political life of Chris Tomlin's worship anthe
Weekly Roundup: The UFC Presidency: Election Lies, Blood Sport Politics, and Hegseth’s D-Day Disgrace
This week on Straight White American Jesus, Brad and Dan unpack the GOP’s latest claims of voter fraud in California and show how conspiracy thinking, Christian nationalist spiritual warfare, and anti-democratic rhetoric continue to undermine public trust in elections. Focusing on comments from Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, they explore how evidence-free allegations of fraud function pol
It's in the Code ep 194: “The Last Word”
What are the broader takeaways from Josh Hawley’s presentation on “manhood?” How does Hawley’s vision of “masculine America” illuminate the dynamics of high-control Christianity, Christian nationalism, and the broader MAGA movement in America today? What lessons can we learn through engaging Hawley’s vision of masculinity? Join Dan to find out, as we conclude our look at Hawley’s vision of manhood
The Sunday Interview: Fighting Spiritual Terrorism
In this episode, Brad Onishi sits down with Rev. Alba Onofrio, the Executive Director of Soulforce and author of Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena That Defile the Faith. Rev. Alba brings nearly two decades of global activism across four continents to a critical conversation about the exact mechanisms religious systems use to inflict deep psychological and physical harm. Moving past vague con
Weekly Roundup: From Neo-Nazi Remigration to Military Christian Nationalism
This week on Straight White American Jesus, Brad and Dan trace the connections between Trump-era immigration policy, rising far-right extremism, and a growing international movement built around the idea of “remigration.” Beginning with unrest at New Jersey’s Delaney Hall detention center, they examine former ICE official Greg Bovino’s appearance at a European far-right conference and discuss how
It's in the Code ep 193: “Christian Nationalism On the DL”
Josh Hawley is a dyed-in-the-wool, self-described Christian nationalist. But he’s careful not to make this too obvious in discussion of Christian masculinity and masculine virtue. But if we look past his smoke and mirrors, if look behind the curtain, his Christian nationalism comes through when he talks about role of men as “kings.” Check out this week’s episode as Dan walks us through Hawley’s Ch
The Sunday Interview: Synthetic Hate: How AI Fuels the Far Right
In this episode, hosts Annika Brockschmidt and Roland Meyer sit down with media scholar Roland Meyer to dissect the unsettling intersection of generative AI, right-wing extremism, and the emerging aesthetics of digital fascism. Meyer, a professor at the University of Zurich, breaks down why AI-generated visual culture is uniquely suited for far-right propaganda. Rather than acting as a neutral mir
Weekly Roundup: Talarico and the Pope vs. MAGA Christianity
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller discuss the Texas Senate race between Trump-backed Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico as a public theological contest between Christian authoritarianism and a Christianity centered on love of neighbor, noting Paxton’s scandals and the right’s misogynistic, transphobic attacks portraying Talarico as weak or deviant. They connect this politics of masculinity and domin
It's in the Code ep 192: “Deep Thoughts…By Josh Hawley”
Josh Hawley claims to present a “biblical” model of masculinity and masculine virtue. But if we look more closely, it turns out that Hawley’s “Bible” is actually really weird. And so is his model of masculine kingship. And what does “kingship” mean for Josh Hawley? Well, pretty much the same thing you could read in any self-help book. Join Dan for this week’s episode as he tells us why.
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The Sunday Interview: Deconstructing Wellness Culture: Yoga, Mindfulness, and Appropriation
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, host Brad Onishi sits down with Dr. Liz Bucar, religious ethicist and professor at Northeastern University, to unpack the hidden costs of the modern wellness industry. Exploring themes from her new book, Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us, Dr. Bucar argues that consumer culture has stripped profoun
Weekly Roundup: Reparations for Traitors and the Slush Fund Presidency
Brad and Dan show up wired, sleep-deprived, and ready to go, breaking down a week where the absurd somehow outpaced the outrageous. They start with a surreal clip of Donald Trump reflecting on his son’s wedding before diving straight into the heart of the episode: a massive DOJ–IRS settlement that includes a $1.8 billion “slush fund” ostensibly for victims of government “weaponization.” The hosts
It's in the Code ep 191: “Does it REALLY Say That?”
Throughout his presentation of manhood and masculine virtue, Josh Hawley assures us that he’s telling us “what the Bible says,” or “what the Bible teaches.” And he’s not alone: biblicist Christians almost always support their claims by assuring us that they’re simply passing along “what the Bible says.” But is it that simple? What else is going on here? How do the claims to merely represent “what
This Is Christian Nationalism: Breaking Down Rededicate 250
Sunday's nine-hour “Rededicate 250” event on the National Mall brought together politicians and religious leaders calling for America to be returned to God. In this episode, Brad Onishi breaks down key statements from figures like Robert Jeffress, Mike Johnson, Pete Hegseth, and Marco Rubio, exposing how their claims rely on selective history, mythmaking, and a deeply misleading vision of the foun
The Sunday Interview: “We Are Not a Monolith”: Latino Evangelicals, Immigration Politics, and the Battle Over Representation
In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with Jonathan Calvillo, sociologist of religion at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and author of The Saints of Santa Ana, about growing tensions within Latino evangelical and Pentecostal communities over immigration, political representation, and the public platforming of prominent evangeli
Weekly Roundup: Under-Babied and Overruled: Trump’s Golden Calf Politics
Brad and Dan dig into another whirlwind week in Trumpworld, beginning with the unveiling of a towering gold-leaf Donald Trump statue at his Doral golf resort and the increasingly explicit fusion of political power, religious symbolism, and personality cult. The hosts unpack Trump’s comments that he does not think about Americans’ financial struggles while simultaneously pushing a pro-natalist age
It's in the Code ep 190: “The Atheists Are Coming!”
Despite claiming to present us with a “Christian” vision of manhood, there is nothing identifiably Christian about Josh Hawley’s account of masculinity and masculine virtue. Instead, he can define masculinity any way he wants, and call it “Christian.” But there’s a flip side to this. He can also dismiss anyone who disagrees with him, anyone who doesn’t accept his account of masculinity, anyone who
The Myth of Religious Freedom w/ Reza Aslan and Peter Manseau
In the premiere episode of season five of Our Seven Neighbors: Religion and Resistance in America, host Reza Aslan joins historian and Smithsonian curator Peter Manseau for a sweeping conversation about the real history of religious freedom in the United States. Together, they dismantle the comforting myth that America was founded as a uniformly Christian nation devoted to liberty for all, reveali
The Sunday Interview: Paul Pressler, the SBC Takeover, and a Culture of Power and Abuse
Brad Onishi interviews Texas Monthly senior writer Robert Downen about his 12,000-word feature on Paul Pressler, a key architect of the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative resurgence alongside Paige Patterson. Downen outlines how the takeover, framed around biblical inerrancy, gender hierarchy, abortion, and weakening church–state separation, helped align the SBC with the GOP and built a b
Weekly Roundup: The Grownups in Charge? SCOTUS, Gerrymandering & White Christian Power
Redistricting Mania and the Christian Nationalist Push for Minority Rule
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller discuss the fallout from a recent Supreme Court decision they say further rolled back the Voting Rights Act, triggering aggressive redistricting across states like Louisiana, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Texas, and Tennessee, including carving up Memphis’s Black-majority district. They highlight Ch
The Manosphere and the Fundamentalism Pipeline
In this special crossover episode, Dan Miller joins Dr. Laura Anderson on Sunday School Dropouts for an in-depth examination of the ideological forces shaping modern Christian masculinity. The conversation centers on the specific theological frameworks used to justify patriarchal hierarchies, including the elevation of Adam as a model for the masculine ideal over the figure of Jesus. By analyzing
The Sunday Interview: Governing Without Accountability: Silicon Valley’s Ideology with Adrian Daub
In this episode, Annika Brockschmidt sits down with Adrian Daub, Professor at Stanford University and author of the upcoming book What Tech Calls Governing. Daub provides a searing intellectual history of the vibe shift in Silicon Valley, dismantling the myth that the tech world has undergone a broad political transformation. Instead, Daub argues that we are witnessing the radicalization of a bill
Weekly Roundup: The Death of Voting Rights: SCOTUS, Alito, and the Colorblind Myth
In this week’s solo roundup, Dan Miller deconstructs a series of aggressive maneuvers by the 47th administration designed to codify Christian nationalism into federal policy. The centerpiece is the newly released report from the Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, an entity Dan argues serves less as a shield for religious freedom and more as a sword against civil rights. By framing standard anti-discr
It's in the Code ep 189: “Jesus Isn’t An Alpha”
Despite his promises, Josh Hawley’s vision of masculinity and masculine virtue is not “Christian” in any definable way. But while this may be surprising, given his Christian nationalist credentials, it actually serves the interests of his ideology not to be distinctly Christian? In what senses? What can be gained by ensuring that claims to “Christian masculinity” aren’t actually Christian? Join Da
Hegseth Repeals Vax Mandate: The Anti-Vax Playbook Comes to the Pentagon
The repeal of the military’s flu vaccine mandate by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth might seem like a minor policy shift, but it opens a window into a much larger movement reshaping American politics, religion, and public health. In this episode, we unpack how vaccine hesitancy—once a fringe concern—has merged with evangelical Christian nationalism, “medical freedom” rhetoric, and the post-COVID ba
The Sunday Interview: Weathering the Backlash: Navigating The Anti-DEI Wave with Dr. Tiffany Townsend
In this compelling installment of the Sunday Interview, host Brad Onishi engages in a deep-dive conversation with Dr. Tiffany Townsend, a distinguished psychologist and former Chief Diversity Officer, to discuss her timely new book, Weathering the Storm: Navigating the Anti-Social Justice Wave. The episode traces the trajectory of American DEI efforts from the "radical hope" sparked by Barack Obam
Weekly Roundup: Project 2025 in Action: The Indictment of the SPLC
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller discuss the Trump DOJ’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging it defrauded donors by paying informants for access to extremist groups, with charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering; they note legal experts’ skepticism, SPLC’s past cooperation with law enforcement, and argue it reflects MAGA hostility and a Project 2025
It's in the Code ep 188: “Where’s Jesus?”
Josh Hawley tells us he’s giving us a vision of Christian “manhood.” But as we near the end of his book on the subject, is he? In this episode, Dan argues that there’s actually nothing specifically Christian about Hawley’s account of manhood at all. In fact, he argues, Hawley goes to length NOT to discuss any specifically Christian themes, even when he comes to the chapter on men as “priests?” So
Trump's Bible Reading is More Than Spectacle - It's Spiritual Terrorism
Trump’s 2 Chronicles Reading and the Politics of Christian Nationalism
Brad Onishi discusses an 84-hour marathon Bible reading at the Museum of the Bible tied to U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations, noting that Donald Trump read from the White House rather than attending. He argues it is dangerous that Trump—whom he calls immoral and unfamiliar with scripture—was assigned 2 Chronicles 7:11–22,
The Sunday Interview: The Rise of the Hype Priest: Judah Smith, Celebrity Faith, and Modern Evangelicalism
In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with journalist Sam Kestenbaum about his reporting on celebrity pastor culture and the rise of the “hype priest.” The conversation centers on Kestenbaum’s widely discussed profile of Judah Smith, a “pastor-to-the-stars” connected to figures like Justin Bieber, and expands into a broader analysis of how mi
Weekly Roundup: Trump, Vance, and Just War Theory + Pete's Pulp Fiction
Religion scholars Brad Onishi and Dan Miller recap a week of conflict in which Pope Leo criticized war and bombing in a statement widely read as aimed at the U.S. approach to Iran, prompting a lengthy Trump Truth Social attack and backlash over an AI image of Trump as Jesus. JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson told the Pope to “stay in his lane” and invoked just war theory, leading Miller to explai
SWAJ Rewind: Culture of Life
What does it mean when cultural and religious conservatives proclaim that they affirm a “culture of life?” We know it means that they oppose abortion and abortion access. But what else does it mean? In this episode, Dan dives in to decode this message to look at the racial, gender, and social positions that are encoded in this seemingly familiar slogan.
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Trump, the Pope, and the Myth of Western Civilization
In this episode, Brad Onishi unpacks the escalating clash between Donald Trump and Pope Leo—from Trump’s public criticism of the Pope to the now-viral AI image depicting himself as Jesus. What might seem like another headline-grabbing controversy reveals deeper tensions between political power and religious authority, especially as figures like JD Vance attempt to downplay the conflict while advan
The Sunday Interview: Did Jesus Invent Western Morality with Dr. Bart Ehrman
In this episode, Brad Onishi is joined by world-renowned New Testament scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman to explore the origins of the Western moral conscience through his latest book, Love Thy Stranger. The conversation challenges the common assumption that altruism is a "natural" human impulse, revealing instead how the ancient Greco-Roman world operated on a logic of social dominance and power. Ehrman tr
Weekly Roundup: Did Donald Trump Threaten the Pope? + MAGA Turns on Trump
In this week's episode, Brad Onishi navigates a high-stakes intersection of nuclear brinkmanship and theological crisis. The discussion centers on the fallout of Operation Epic against Iran, specifically Pete Hegseth’s assertion that God deserves "all the glory" for the military strike. Brad deconstructs this "Fox News theology," forcing a confrontation with the classic problem of evil: if a victo
It's in the Code ep 187: “It’s Important Work—As Long As Someone Else Does It”
Josh Hawley tells us that blue-collar and manual labor are the domains of true masculinity. He tells us that they are the path to freedom, and meaning, and purpose. He tells us that men have no social value if they do not undertake this kind of work. But is any of this true? Does this kind of work bring us the freedom he claims? Is he really the voice of “working men?” Or is he another elitist who
Predators, Algorithms, and Profit: How New Mexico Took Down Meta
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, we sit down with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez for a wide-ranging conversation about his office’s landmark case against Meta and what it reveals about the dangers embedded in today’s social media platforms. At the center of the case is “Issa,” a fictional teenage user created as part of an undercover operation that exposed just how quickl
The Sunday Interview: The Myth of Liberal Media Bias: A History of the Conservative Media Machine
Annika Brockschmidt sits down with historian AJ Bauer to dismantle the long-standing myth that the "liberal media" narrative was a natural reaction to biased reporting. Bauer, drawing from his book Making the Liberal Media, traces a century-long strategic project that began not with an outcry against progressivism, but with conservative efforts in the 1930s and 40s to flip a then-right-leaning pre
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