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 Orange Wave, Ep. 6: Non-Biblical Christian Manhood
Since the mid-twentieth century, evangelicals and others on the Religious Right have looked to Hollywood, rather than the Bible, to construct their visions of…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave Ep. 9: This is How it Ends
Some just want to watch the world burn. But for others, the end of the world is an opportunity to rebuild it in their image. On this penultimate episode, Brad…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep. 1: Oranges and Peanuts
The Religious Right has not always existed. White evangelicals have not always been the guardians of far-right immigration policies and patriarchal models of…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep. 2: Every End is a Beginning
On this installment of the Orange Wave: A History of the Religious Right Since 1960, Brad traces two intertwined histories. First, the Sun Belt Migration…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave Ep. 3: From the Goldrush to the Tea Party
In the early 1960s, Orange County became the hub for both white evangelical Christianity and libertarian politics. It was the epicenter of the John Birch…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep. 7: Sexless Ed
You might be surprised to learn that the history of sex ed in the USA is a religious history. Christians were not always the enemies of science-based sex…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep. 8: Old School
If you want to take the country back for God, if you want to have dominion over every level of society, if you want to ensure a white Christian patriarchy…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep. 5: Putin's Russia: City on a Hill
Brad explores the alliance between the alt-right and the Religious Right in and through Trump's presidency. In tracing this story, he uncovers how and why the…
Straight White American JesusThe Orange Wave, Ep 10: The Orange Curtain
On the series finale, Brad reflects on his departure from Orange County and evangelicalism. This provides a jumping off point for reflecting on what we've…
Straight White American JesusAbortion, the War on Women, and the Crusade to Save the "Unborn" (re-release)
Many evangelicals are single-issue voters when it comes to abortion. Brad and Dan discuss the historical development of this trend, and why it represents more…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Religion, Roe, and What's Next
In the wake of news that Roe v. Wade will likely be overturned, Brad and Dan begin this episode with a history of how evangelicals have transformed on the…
Straight White American JesusIt's in the Code, Ep. 2: Bible Church
The American Christian landscape is littered with “Bible churches.” It is full of churches that use the word “Bible” in their name, or that claim to be “Bible…
Straight White American JesusThe Gospel of Climate Skepticism (re-release)
Why are white evangelicals the most skeptical major religious group in America regarding climate change? Previous scholarship has pointed to cognitive factors…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: J6 Pence None the Wiser
Brad and Dan begin this episode with a prolonged discussion of the newly released audio of Kevin McCarthy calling for Trump's resignation and the revelations…
Straight White American JesusIt's in the Code, Ep. 1: "Planting Flags"
New Series: It’s in the Code American Christians speak in a bewildering array of different “codes” that mark their identities, signaling to others who is…
Straight White American JesusThe Psychological Stages of Deconstruction
What are the psychological stages of leaving religion? How can mourning religion lead to new forms of faith, meaning, and community? David Morris, PhD, is a…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Masculine Grooming for God and Country
Brad is joined by special guest co-host Dr. Sara Moslener. They begin by discussing the hilarious trailer for Tucker Carlson's new original show, "The End of…
Straight White American JesusWe are the Dones. Not the Never Were's (Re-Release)
Return episode following a great thread by @CaitlinJStout, Brad discusses why the people who leave evangelicalism are often the ones who devoted themselves…
Straight White American JesusThe Reverend Moon, the AR 15 Church, and the Republican Party
Back in the early 1990s, the Unification Church demanded an apology from a brash real-estate mogul they accused of using the church as “a scare tactic” in a…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: City on a Hillsong
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the new Hillsong documentary, "Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed," and the various sexual abuse and infidelity scandals that have…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep.15: "But Not All…”
In this final series episode, Dan tries to understand why well-meaning liberals and progressives so often experience identity politics as a threat, and why…
Straight White American JesusAndre Henry on Breaking Up with White Jesus
When the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter” was heard across the world in 2013, Andre Henry was one of the millions for whom the movement caused a political…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Disney World: The Wokest Place on Earth
It's a small world after all. So small we can go from Florida to Alaska to Arizona to California in one episode. A magically tragic journey through American…
Straight White American JesusYou’re Not Welcome Here, Ep. 14: “It Doesn’t Just Happen”
One of the fallacies that often arises when we think about diverse identities, marginalization, and exclusion, is that all those groups who have experience…
Straight White American JesusChristians Against Christian Nationalism
"Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Rise of Donald Crow
Brad and Dan begin by discussing how Madison Cawthorn's claims about cocaine and orgies sounded like youth group scare tactics. They then dig into the…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 13: "But it’s really about politics, right?”
How do we understand a complex social and political phenomenon like Christian nationalism? Does it represent a strategic coalition of different identity groups…
Straight White American JesusWork, Pray, Code: How Big Tech is Replacing Religion
Dr. Carolyn Chen is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies and Co-Director of the Program for the Study of Religion at Berkeley. Her new book, Work, Pray, Code…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Ketanji Brown Jackson Under the White Christian Nationalist Gaze
Brad and Dan are joined by special guest host Dr. Sara Moslener, the professor for our May 2022 seminar: Purity Culture, Race, and Embodiment. The three of…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 12: “Why Don’t They Ever Change?”
If individual identity and group identity are deeply intertwined, why does it seem that group identity shapes individual identity, but not the other way…
Straight White American JesusThe Flag and the Cross Part II with Sam Perry and Phil Gorski
In Part 2 of a two-part interview, Brad speaks with Philip Gorski (Yale) and Sam Perry (Oklahoma University) about their new book, the Flag and the Cross…
Straight White American JesusThe Flag and the Cross with Sam Perry and Phil Gorski
In Part 1 of a two-part interview, Brad speaks with Philip Gorski (Yale) and Sam Perry (Oklahoma University) about their new book, the Flag and the Cross…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep 11: “You’re Not a Real Fan”
We often think of individual and groups identities as separate, or as incompatible in some way. But in this episode, we consider the ways in which our group…
Straight White American JesusWhat Don't Say Gay Means in the Classroom
While the bill in Florida has received more attention, South Carolina has its own Don't Say Gay bill on the docket. The bill would prevent instruction…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: “Woke Corrupt Democratic Thugs”
Brad and Dan discuss a wide range of topics— from GOP voter fraud to Madison Cawthorn calling Zelenskyy a thug, to Don’t Say Gay Bills—through the lens of the…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep 10: "My Identity Has Nothing to Do With It"
Why can it be so apparent to us that people’s political behavior or social views are a reflection of their group identity, but they will insist that they’re…
Straight White American JesusBetween Heaven and Russia
Why are American Christians rooting for Putin? How did the Russian autocrat become the ideal leader in their eyes? Brad speaks to Dr. Sara Riccard Swartz, an…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Putin, Neo-Nazis, and the American Right
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the recent AFPAC conference, where the far-right figure Nick Fuentes compared Putin to Hitler in a positive way, while giving…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 9: "Don't Tell Me Who I Am."
What do we mean when we talk about “recognition”? What is it to recognize someone in their identity? What is it to recognize ourselves in a particular way?…
Straight White American JesusDanté Stewart on Leaving the White Church to Follow Jesus
Brad speaks with the Danté Stewart about his journey into, and then out of, the White Church. Stewart grew up a Black Pentecostal until he reached university…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Putin's Christian Values
Brad and Dan discuss Putin's war on Ukraine and the Christian nationalist/GOP responses at home. They focus the first segment on how the only people on the…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 8:“They’re Acting Against Their Interests”
This episode explores the concern that people act against their own social or political interests because of their identity. Because they privilege their…
Straight White American JesusSpecial Episode: Undercover at Greg Locke's Book Burning
*Correction*: "Jeff" says that Locke's church is in McMinnville, TN. It is in fact in Mt. Juliet TN. Brad didn't catch it in the conversation. Both he and Jeff…
Straight White American JesusSteve Bannon's War on Democracy, Christianity, and You
Steve Bannon is a familiar figure by now. One of the super villains from the Trump administration, he is still a force in right-wing politics in the USA and…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: All Aboard the Sexual Anarchy Freedom Convoy
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the Jericho Marches connected to the "Freedom Convoy" protests in Ottawa. Drawing on work by the writer Chrissy Stroop and…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 7: "What About Class?"
What is the relation to class and identity? Does a focus on identity and identity politics overlook, trivialize, or eliminate the significance of class or…
Straight White American JesusThe Far-Right Microtargeting Platform Radicalizing Churches + QAnon Yoga Moms
Brad speaks to filmmaker Kat Gellein Viken who is the co-creator of two recent documentaries on churches, conspiracy, and the war on democracy. In 2020's…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Legitimate Fascist Discourse
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the RNC calling J6 "legitimate political discourse." While it may seem like a blip in a busy news cycle, Dan relates it to the…
Straight White American Jesus"You’re Not Welcome Here", Ep. 6- "You’re Not Who You Think You Are”
This episode revisits the idea that identity is about recognition and explores the significance of this. Because identity is not only about how I recognize…
Straight White American JesusJ6 ONE YEAR LATER, Ep. 6: This Was a Dress Rehearsal - with Anne Nelson
What if J6 and the Anti-CRT movements trace back to the same secretive organization? What if J6 was the result of years of planning and organizing? And what if…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Patriarchal Safe Spaces Aren't Safe
Brad and Dan begin with a discussion about the new bill in Florida that would outlaw referencing gender and sexual identity. This new "Don't Say Gay Bill" is…
Straight White American JesusYou’re Not Welcome Here Ep. 5: “It’s Not Like Social Media”
Contemporary critics on both the right and the left essentially accuse those who politically mobilize around social identities of being fundamentally selfish…
Straight White American JesusJ6 ONE YEAR LATER, Ep. 5: The Violence of Playing Indian
Dr. Dana Lloyd is an expert on Native American religious traditions and faculty at Villanova University. She speaks to Brad about how the QAnon Shaman's…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Falwell's Fall and America's Backlash
Brad and Dan begin this episode with a discussion of the new profile of Jerry Falwell Jr. at Vanity Fair. In their view, Falwell is a type for contemporary…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 4: “Why Now?”
If all of politics involves “identity,” and if we all possess identities, why do so many feel like contemporary “identity politics” is something new and…
Straight White American JesusJ6 ONE YEAR LATER, Ep. 4: Shofars, Flags, and a Declaration of War
Dr. Leah Payne is a historian of Pentecostalism and other Christian traditions in the United States. She speaks with Brad about the overwhelming presence of…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Round Up: Party of Lincoln and Election Fraud
Brad and Dan lay out the timeline and details of the fake electors the Trump campaign organized in order to overthrow the election. If you thought the details…
Straight White American JesusYou're Not Welcome Here, Ep. 3: "Identities are like elbows and a**holes."
What is identity? It isn’t something limited to particular social groups claiming equal rights or something that only applies to minority groups of different…
Straight White American JesusIdentities are like elbows and a***holes.
What is identity? It isn’t something limited to particular social groups claiming equal rights or something that only applies to minority groups of different…
Straight White American JesusJ6 One Year Later, Ep 3: It’s Us Against Them
Brad interviews Phil Gorski, Professor of Sociology at Yale, and the author of the new co-authored book with Sam Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…