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 JesusWeekly Roundup: God's Empire
Brad and Dan discuss the dangerous rhetoric coming from the right that frames the COVID outbreaks as the result of "infestations" of undocumented immigrants…
Straight White American JesusEx-Evangelical Apologetics: Christianity and Capitalism
Brad discusses the idea that capitalism and Christianity go together from two angles. First, he outlines how in the mid-twentieth century big business actors…
Straight White American JesusRace, Xenophobia, and the History of White Evangelicalism with Randall Balmer
Dartmouth professor and pre-eminent scholar of Evangelicalism Dr. Randall Balmer returns to talk about his new book, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Bombing for God and Country
Brad and Dan discuss the vehement support for the Iraq War and the invasion of Afghanistan during the Bush years and comment briefly on the ills of American…
Straight White American JesusEx-Evangelical Apologetics: "There Are Only Two Genders" + "Pronouns?"
Brad continues the Exvie Apologetics series with a retort to those who would say that there are only two genders and that the idea of pronouns is a leftist…
Straight White American JesusOn "Pray Away" -the New Documentary on "Conversion Therapy"
Luke Wilson is a survivor of "conversion therapy." He has written about his experiences at Liberty University for Religion Dispatches, Queerty, and other…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Make America Great Again Migration
Brad begins this solo roundup by discussing how provocateur worship leader Sean Feucht provoked conflict in Portland Sunday. His security team was made up of…
Straight White American JesusReligious Trauma and Purity Culture: Part II
Brad speaks with Emily Torres, who is behind the Life She Wrote blog and podcast. Emily tells her story of growing up--and eventually leaving--Evangelicalism…
Straight White American JesusSexual Purity and Religious Trauma: Part I
Brad speaks with Dr. Laura Anderson, founder of the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery and co-founder of the Religious Trauma Institute. They discuss…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Patriarchal Nationalism is a Helluva Drug
Brad and Dan discuss Tucker Carlson's trip to Hungary and interview with Orban as part of a decades-long pattern of White nationalists and White Christian…
Straight White American JesusEx-Evangelical Apologetics: "Racism is a Heart Issue" + "Not of This World"
Brad addresses two common refrains about racism and social issues--the "racism is a heart issue" response and the "not of this world" response. He shows how…
Straight White American JesusThere's Less of Them, But They're More Violent
Brad speaks with Matthew Sheffield, the editor and publisher of the new media outlet Flux. They discuss his article, "Republicans are banking on a fusion of…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: This is America
Brad and Dan begin with extended analysis of the testimony of the Capitol Police officers before the 1/6 committee. Their words are shocking and harrowing…
Straight White American JesusEx-Evangelical Apologetics: Are Leavers Broken and/or Just Giving Up?
Brad revisits the idea that exvangelicals are just broke and giving up on faith. He responds to an interview at the Remnant Radio with Skillet's John Cooper…
Straight White American JesusNew Age Spirituality, MAGA Nation, and Conspirituality
Brad speaks once again with Dr. Susannah Crockford. They discuss her new book, Ripples of the Universe, which provides an ethnographic account of New Age…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: COVID, Conspiracies, and Anti-Vaxxers
Brad and Dan begin by discussing what's behind the anti-vax attitudes of many Americans, especially White Christians. After reviewing the staggering and…
Straight White American JesusBiblical Commas? On Controlling Textual, National, and Physical Bodies
Last weekend theologian and former head of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood Owen Strachan tweeted that taking away even one comma from the Bible…
Straight White American JesusWhite Feminine Innocence, the Body Politic, and Contraceptive Nationalism
Dr. Megan Goodwin is the author of Abusing Religion, which explores how White Christians and their influence in our "secular" institutions have constructed…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Country is at Stake
Brad and Dan begin with a discussion of the revelations from the new book, "I Alone Can Fix It," including General Mark Milley's preparing for Trump's…
Straight White American JesusWhy Non-Denominational Churches Scare Me
Brad discusses a new article at WaPo on the Trumpism and Christian nationalism of non-denominational churches. He points out that this is not a new phenomenon…
Straight White American JesusThe Maliciousness of Christian Xenophobia
Brad speaks with Dr. Lucas Kwong of CUNY about the far-reaching implications of Christian xenophobia. They discuss the explicit White nationalism of AZ…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Genocide is Not Good Actually
"Whatever natural good was present in the piety and community of the pagan past is an infinitesimal fraction of the grace rendered unto those pagans’…
Straight White American JesusThe Bible, the Constitution, and the Confederacy: A Response to Josh Mandel and Matt Walsh
Brad begins by responding to Pennsylvania Senate candidate Josh Mandel who claimed last week that the Bible and the Constitution were "not supposed to be…
Straight White American JesusMormon MAGA Nation
Dr. Benjamin E. Park is a historian who has become a national voice on issues related to religion and politics, particularly as they relate to the Church of…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Cold Civil War Heats Up
Brad and Dan begin this 4th of July weekend episode with thoughts from James Baldwin, who discussed his love for America as a "lover's quarrel." They then lay…
Straight White American JesusModest is Hottest is Rape Culture
Brad speaks with author and pastor Ruth Everhart about her new book, "The #MeToo Reckoning: Facing the Church's Complicity in Sexual Abuse and Misconduct."…
Straight White American JesusThe Catholic Bishops vs. Joe Biden
The Catholic Church is officially against abortion. But there are millions of Catholics around the world--including President Joe Biden--who are pro-choice…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Witch Hunt Begins
Brad and Dan do close readings of statements made by Insurrectionist Senator Josh Hawley and Representative Matt Gaetz in order to deconstruct the logic of…
Straight White American JesusOut of the Closet . . . and Into the Pews
We are thrilled to announce Straight White American Jesus's first affiliate podcast: Out of the Closet and Into the Pews, a show by Rachael Borthwick that asks…
Straight White American JesusTrying to Save a Sinking Ship: Race, Power, and White American Christianity
Brad speaks with Kyle J. Howard, a theologian and counselor trained at a Southern Baptist Seminary. He discusses his conversion at 18 at a Black Church in…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: White Panic is Destroying the Country
Brad asks Dan to explain how the Southern Baptist Convention is a barometer for White American Christianity and what it means moving forward. They then discuss…
Straight White American JesusA House Divided: Dispatches From SBC 2021
Brad speaks again with journalist Jonathan Krohn who is covering the Southern Baptist Convention for the New Republic. Krohn takes Brad through all the major…
Straight White American JesusThe Opportunistic Radicalism of Charlie Kirk
Brad talks with Dr. Matthew Boedy, Associate Professor of English at the University of North Georgia, about the rising young star of Christian nationalist…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: On the Road to Minority Rule
Brad and Dan begin with insight from Prof. Jason Stanley: “History shows that propaganda can make a dominant group mad with panic and fear about the threat of…
Straight White American JesusPatriarchy, Critical Race Theory, and Christian Nationalism
Brad speaks with Jonathan Krohn ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. Jonathan is an investigative journalist and essayist whose work has…
Straight White American JesusRadicalized at Home
Brad speak with R.L. Stollar, a writer and advocate for homeschooled children. As someone homescholed from Kindergarten to high school graduation, Stollar…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: A New Jim Crow or Reconstruction 3.0?
Brad makes a big announcement regarding the show and a new direction in his professional life . . . with Dan on vacation he then discusses the long list of…
Straight White American JesusComparing the 1/6 Coup to George Floyd Protests
Brad is joined on a special Wednesday episode by co-host Dan Miller to discuss a question that many will be hearing at BBQs and on social media: Why is the…
Straight White American JesusUnmaking Biblical Womanhood
Brad speaks with Dr. Jill Hicks Keeton about her critical review of Beth Allison Barr's popular new book "The Making of Biblical Womanhood." Here is an excerpt…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Why Are We Not Allowed to Remember?
Brad and Dan begin this Memorial Day episode by discussing the theme of memory and erasure. They point out that there are some things we can't stop…
Straight White American JesusChristian Nationalist Nostalgia, Violence, and Resistance to Change (Re-release)
In a re-release from 2019, Dan and Brad discuss how evangelicalism is a fundamentalist worldview. They draw on scholarship on global fundamentalisms in order…
Straight White American JesusThe Bad Faith War on Critical Race Theory
Brad speaks with Dr. Charles McKinney, a historian of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Church in the South. Dr. McKinney puts the conservative war on…
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Weekly Roundup: Don't Believe Your Eyes
Brad and Dan discuss the GOP's opposition to 1/6 commission and how the GOP is doing myth making in real time to change the perception and memory of the…
Straight White American JesusRe-Release: A Historical View of Evangelical Views on Abortion
In light of the Supreme Court agreeing to hear a case that could lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we are re-releasing Dan's interview with Professor R…
Straight White American JesusThe Eugenicist Origins of Evangelical Family Values
Dr. Audrey Clare Farley stops by to discuss her article, "The Eugenics Roots of Evangelical Family Values," which outlines how the family values discourse so…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: Their Only Truth is the Big Lie
Brad and Dan demonstrate how the only standard of Republican orthodoxy left is whether or not one supports Trump's Big Lie. Through examples from Liz Cheney…
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Check Your Worldview, Bro.
Brad discusses something that has been bothering him since his Twitter spat with Timothy Keller: Why are all the Reformed Theo-Bros always talking about…
- Straight White American Jesus
The Long History of a National Menace
Brad speaks with Dr. Philip Gorski, Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Yale University. They preview his new co-authored book (with Sam Perry) on…
- Straight White American Jesus
Weekly Roundup: Extremism is the Virtue
Brad and Dan examine the competing ideals often put forth by the GOP: 1) Be an individualist who thinks for herself vs. 2) work to unite the country behind a…
Straight White American JesusThe Rise of the Illiberals
Where is the GOP headed four months after an attempted coup? Even further down the rabbit hole of authoritarianism. In the wake of his jarring interview with…
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"I'm a Fascist"
Brad speaks with Dr. Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Recovering Truth Project (Arizona State University) about her recent article, "The…
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Weekly Roundup: This is Not Not a Racist Country
Brad and Dan discuss how racism and patriarchy stem from a desire for power and control. They relate this to comments by Rick Santorum on Native American…
Straight White American JesusThe Museum of the Bible
Brad speaks with Dr. Jill Hicks-Keeton, Associate Professor of Religion at Oklahoma University and co-editor of The Museum of the Bible: A Critical…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Civil War Never Ended
Brad and Dan connect the threads of the Chauvin murder conviction, the proposed America First caucus, and racialized violence across the country. They use…
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Police Brutality, Family Values, and White Supremacist Christianity
In the wake of the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, Brad argues that family values have been used for…
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Teaching Creationism = Gateway for LGBTQ+ Bigotry
Brad speaks with Andrew Seidel, constitutional lawyer at the Freedom From Religion Foundation and author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is…
- Straight White American Jesus
Weekly Roundup: Tragically Back to Normal
Brad and Dan discuss how returning to normal after the pandemic is tragic in contemporary America: from the murder of Daunte Wright during the Derek Chauvin…
- Straight White American Jesus
Satisfying Yourself: Response #2 to Timothy Keller
Brad's second (and hopefully final) response to Timothy Keller. Brad discusses Keller's reductionist view of modern conceptions of selfhood; the problematic…
- Straight White American Jesus
Satisfying Yourself
Brad's second (and hopefully final) response to Timothy Keller. Brad discusses Keller's reductionist view of modern conceptions of selfhood; the problematic…
Straight White American JesusWeekly Roundup: The Problem with the Focus on the Family
Brad and Dan draw on Sophie Bjork-James' new book, the Divine Institution, to demonstrate how Evangelicals use the nuclear family in order to both attack…