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
Weekly Roundup: Trump's America250 Spectacle, the SSPX Schism, and the Rise of Democratic Socialists
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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, includi
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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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
Weekly Roundup: No Catholics at the Pentagon, Trump as Jesus + the Conversion Therapy Court Case
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, hosts Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack a chaotic and revealing week at the intersection of politics, religion, and power. As Donald Trump once again compares himself to Jesus during the lead-up to Easter, the hosts explore what they see as a deepening pattern of religious distortion within MAGA Christianity—where theological consistency gives way
One Million Neighbors Ep 2: War
Episode two of One Million Neighbors brings us to the chaotic final days of Saigon in April 1975, as ten-year-old Simon Hoa-Phan watches his world unravel. From the terror of nighttime bombings to the desperate crush of families fleeing toward evacuation helicopters, Simon’s story captures the fear, uncertainty, and life-altering decisions faced by thousands as South Vietnam fell. His family’s esc
It's in the Code ep 186: “Blue Collar or Bust”
Josh Hawley says that men are called by God to work. In fact, he says that working is the source of God’s image within men. But what counts as “work” for Hawley? And what dogmas about work and the value of men drive his account? And how do issues like economic change and the climate crisis inform his thinking? Check out Dan’s discussion this week to find out!
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Immigration, Christianity, and Refugees: The Story of One Million Neighbors
Brad Onishi introduces One Million Neighbors, a new limited series hosted by Melissa Borja. The episode opens in the Twin Cities—Minneapolis and St. Paul—where a sweeping federal immigration crackdown has transformed daily life. In early 2026, thousands of ICE agents flooded the region as part of a massive enforcement operation, conducting raids, stops, and detentions that left communities on edge
The Sunday Interview: Desire, Shame & Masculinity with Jay Stringer
Brad Onishi sits down with therapist and author Jay Stringer to explore his new book Desire, a deep dive into how we form identity, intimacy, and meaning in a world shaped by shame and disconnection. Jay reflects on his upbringing as a pastor’s kid immersed in evangelical purity culture, including harmful messaging around sexuality reinforced by spaces like Liberty University. Together, they unpac
Weekly Roundup: Pete Hegseth’s Military Vision, Violent Prayer & GOP Tax Dogma
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack a series of troubling developments surrounding Pete Hegseth’s vision for the military chaplaincy, where chaplains may soon wear only religious insignia instead of rank and operate within a drastically reduced set of approved faith codes. The hosts explore how Hegseth’s language—framing the role as a mission to “preach the truth,” “shepherd the flock,” and fulfill
It's in the Code ep 185: “Who Are the Elites?”
Josh Hawley says that the crisis of masculinity in America is due to the fact that men won’t work. And the reason they won’t work, he assures us, is because liberal elites have convinced them not to. But what does Hawley overlook to tell this story? How does he ignore his own status as a cultural elite, and his political party’s support of economic policies that favor the elites? What is Hawley hi
No Kings: The Dangerous Lie That America’s President Was Meant to Be a Monarch
This episode of Straight White American Jesus features Brad Onishi unpacking a central claim gaining traction on the political and religious right: that the American presidency was always meant to function like a monarchy. In light of the nationwide “No Kings” protests, Onishi challenges arguments from figures like Michael Knowles and Adrian Vermeule, who suggest that the founders embedded a “king
The Sunday Interview: Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State with Caleb Gayle
In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with award-winning journalist and historian Caleb Gayle about his acclaimed book Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State.
Caleb Gayle is an award-winning journalist and professor at Northeastern University. He is the author of We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, Ame
Weekly Roundup: “Kill the Enemy”: Iran War Lies, "Killing" Talarico, + Calls For Political Violence
Welcome back to Straight White American Jesus. In this episode, Brad Onishi and co-host Dan Miller dig into the resignation of Joe Kent and the unraveling narrative around Iran. Kent’s claim—that Iran posed no imminent nuclear threat—directly contradicts statements from figures like Mike Johnson and exposes what the hosts see as a familiar pattern: shifting justifications, vague timelines, and a
It's in the Code ep 184: “A Crappy Sermon?”
In the end of his chapter on men as “warriors,” we finally get to his full vision of what a “warrior” is. What does Hawley have to tell us? Is there anything specifically “war-like” about his warriors? Or anything specifically Christian? Or even anything particularly masculine. Not so much, as it turns out. As Dan argues in this episode, Hawley’s really just in it for the culture war. Take a liste
Is James Talarico a "Liberal" Christian Nationalist?
In this episode, Brad Onishi takes on a provocative question: is James Talarico really a “liberal Christian nationalist,” as critics on both the right and left have claimed following his primary victory over Jasmine Crockett? Drawing on the widely cited definition from sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, the episode breaks down what Christian nationalism actually is: a fusion of Christ
The Sunday Interview: How Christianity Shaped America: Matthew Avery Sutton on Power, Evangelicals, and the “Chosen Land”
In this Sunday Interview, Bradley Onishi sits down with historian Matthew Avery Sutton to discuss his sweeping new book Chosen Land. Sutton argues that from the colonial era onward, Americans have pursued a centuries-long project to transform North America into a “holy land” that could usher in God’s millennial kingdom. Paradoxically, the founders’ decision to create a secular Constitution and pr
Weekly Roundup: MAGA Masculinity, the Iran War, and the DOGE Files: What Happens When Power Rejects Expertise
On this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller dive headfirst into the Trump administration’s approach to Iran—and the deeper worldview shaping it. They examine the escalating conflict, the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, and the administration’s apparent failure to anticipate Iran’s most obvious leverage point. But beyond the geopolitics, Brad and Dan
It's in the Code ep 183: “Genocide Joshua”
The third role Josh Hawley tells us that men are called to play is that of “warrior”? But what does that mean? Where might we look for an exemplar? One of Josh Hawley’s answers is another Joshua, the figure from the Hebrew Bible, tasks with reclaiming the “Promised Land” for the Israelites. But the biblical book of Joshua commands the “utter destruction” of the inhabitants of the land, raising pro
The Sunday Interview: The New MAGA History: How Trump, JD Vance, and the Right Are Redefining What It Means to Be American
Host Annika Brockschmidt sits down with historian Thomas Zimmer for a wide-ranging conversation about the politics of history in the age of Trumpism—and why Zimmer ultimately decided to leave the United States after years teaching at Georgetown and return to Germany with his family. Reflecting on the increasingly hostile climate for scholars and public commentators, Zimmer discusses how harassment
Weekly Roundup: Trump’s Iran War? MAGA Divisions, Epstein Distraction & End Times Politics
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the Trump administration’s military action against Iran and the political and religious rhetoric surrounding the conflict. They examine the contradictions in Republican messaging, with some officials describing the action as a war while others insist it is not. Brad and Dan also discuss the lack of a clear publ
Reign of Error 007: Birth Control, Bathrooms & Biblical Patriarchy: The War on Gender and Reproduction
Sarah Posner sits down with New York Magazine senior writer Sarah Jones to unpack the accelerating assault on transgender rights in Kansas and beyond. They trace how a new Kansas law retroactively invalidating updated gender markers on driver’s licenses fits into a broader, decades-long Christian right strategy—one that cloaks theological convictions in the language of “common sense” and “biology.
It's in the Code ep 182: “So, That’s a Warrior?”
Josh Hawley informs us that one of the distinctive roles men are called to play is that of “warrior.” But what, exactly, makes a warrior? What are the distinctively masculine “warrior virtues” men are called to live out? It turns out that Hawley’s answers to these questions are not what we might expect. In fact, it’s not clear what, precisely, makes a “warrior” at all. Listen to this week’s episod
MAGA Christians Are Split Over Iran
MAGA Christians are splitting over Donald Trump’s strike on Iran, with high-profile voices like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene arguing the move betrays “America First” principles. For them, foreign intervention—especially on behalf of Israel—undermines the nationalist, anti-entanglement ethos that fueled Trump’s rise. Some Catholic and post-liberal thinkers, including Edwa
The Sunday Interview: Survivors Speak: Christian Nationalism, Patriarchy & Doug Wilson (Pamela Brown of CNN)
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus: The Sunday Interview, Brad Onishi speaks with CNN Chief Investigative Correspondent Pamela Brown about her new documentary examining Christian nationalism, the rise of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), and the growing influence of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson. Brown discusses her viral interview with Wilson, her reporting from Mos
Weekly Roundup: State of the Union Fallout: ICE Expansion, Christian Nationalism & Retribution Politics
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the spectacle and subtext of the recent State of the Union. While the speech itself felt predictable—long on grievance, short on substance—the real story lies in what surrounded it: questions about presidential mental acuity, the resurfacing of Epstein-related controversies, renewed attacks on Hillary Clinton,
It's in the Code ep 181: “It’s Not About Sacrifice”
Josh Hawley argues that men are called to be fathers, and that fatherhood is defined by sacrificing oneself. But is it? Should it be? Why does high-control religion demand “sacrifice,” and how does Hawley’s account of masculinity reinforce these demands? How does he use this demand for sacrifice to demonize those who don’t share his social vision? And how do appeals to sacrifice mask the interests
Tucker Carlson vs. Mike Huckabee: The MAGA Rift Over Israel, Antisemitism, and Christian Zionism
In this brief episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi dissects a revealing interview between Tucker Carlson and Mike Huckabee, using it as a window into the growing rift inside the MAGA coalition. At the center of the clash is a theological and political divide: Christian Zionism versus a rising strain of Christian anti-semitism - nationalist, isolationist populism that increasingly
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 the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and political scientist specializing in gender, religion, and public opinion, joins host Leah Payne, author of God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024) and host of Spirit & Power: Charismatics & Politics in American Life.
In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne ta
Weekly Roundup: Pentagon Pulpit, Silenced Christians: Doug Wilson, James Talarico & the Battle for the American Soul
Doug Wilson’s appearance at a Pentagon prayer service hosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is more than a symbolic moment—it’s a window into the kind of Christianity being elevated at the highest levels of American power. Wilson, a self-identified Christian nationalist and longtime pastor in Moscow, Idaho, has built an influential religious and media network rooted in a theology that centers
It's in the Code ep 180: “Freedom and Constraint”
Josh Hawley argues that “modern-day Epicureans” abandon all notions of “history, family, home, and tradition.” He argues that without these, humans have no identity, and that these “Epicureans” have no real sense of who they are. But is this true? Does everyone who disagrees with Hawley’s understanding of the human person lack any identity? And do “history, family, home, and tradition” really defi
Faith in the Streets: A Pastor's Firsthand Account of ICE's Terror and the Neighbors Resisting It
When the history of this moment is written, Minneapolis may take its place alongside Selma, Stonewall, and Harper’s Ferry—a name synonymous with resistance. In this episode, Matthew Taylor and Susie Hayward return to American Unexceptionalism to reflect on what has unfolded in the Twin Cities over the past two months: mass ICE deployments, escalating authoritarian tactics, and a powerful, communit
The Sunday Interview: Ableism, WCN, and MAHA
Dr. Andrew Whitehead joins Brad Onishi to discuss his groundbreaking research revealing a disturbing connection: Christian nationalism is one of the strongest predictors of discrimination against Americans with disabilities. As the Trump administration slashes protections, funding, and civil rights for disabled people, from dismantling DEIA efforts to appointing RFK Jr. to HHS, this conversation e
Weekly Roundup: Epstein, ICE & the Super Bowl Culture War: What MAGA Prioritizes
In this episode of Straight White American, Jesus, we unpack the unraveling of Pam Bondi’s moral rhetoric under the weight of the Epstein files. Bondi once ran campaign ads promising to protect children from trafficking “monsters,” yet when Epstein survivors stood behind her in a hearing room, she refused to turn around and acknowledge them. Pressed about Donald Trump’s and Howard Lutnick’s ties
It's in the Code ep 179: “A Father’s Virtues?”
Josh Hawley identifies the defining roles men are called to play in order to exercise their “masculine virtues.” The second of these is that of father. What are the virtues Hawley thinks fathers embody? And are they really virtues that only fathers can embody? And exactly what kind of a man can even be a father? Finally, how do Hawley’s answers to these questions reveal the ideology at work in his
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