Shows / Straight White American Jesus
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…
Episodes
Straight White American JesusThe Sunday Interview: Damned If She Does - Why Women Are Leaving the Church
Brad sits down with journalist Sarah Stankorb to discuss her new book, Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Talarico is "Al-Qaeda" and Kanter's WNBA Stunt
This week on the SWAJ Weekly Roundup, Brad and Dan dig into Lance Wallnau's baseless claim that Texas gubernatorial candidate James Talarico is secretly linked…
Straight White American JesusIt's In the Code Ep 204: "What About Noah's Ark?"
The story of Noah’s ark is one of the most well-known in the Bible, even among those who are not Christian and have never read the Bible. But what questions…
Straight White American JesusAxis Live: Trump's Strategy to Rig the Midterms + Jake Lang's Christian Nationalist Spectacle
On this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor examine growing efforts to undermine confidence in the 2026 elections, including claims about…
Straight White American JesusThe Sunday Interview: The Bachelor, Christian Nationalism, and the Politics of Purity w/ Claire Fallon
What can reality TV tell us about Christian nationalism, purity culture, and the politics of gender? Annika Brockschmidt talks with journalist and podcaster…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusICE 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusSWAJ 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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
- Straight White American Jesus
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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusAmerican 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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?…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusAxis 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…
Straight White American JesusAxis Daily Brief: The White House UFC Fight That Revealed Christian Trumpism
Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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…
Straight White American JesusThe 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…
Straight White American JesusWeekly 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…
Straight White American JesusIt'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.”…
Straight White American JesusThis 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…