Brad speaks with Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump. They discuss how Trump is the result of strategies used by GOP operatives in other countries. The approach is simple: label liberal democracy as an assault on family, faith, and nation; sell a strong, charismatic leader as the only hope to save the country from ruin at the hands of godless socialists; then systematically weaken all democratic guardrails in order to ensure the leader has ...
Nov 17, 2020•9 min
Dan begins by explaining why Biden didn't underperform and why emotionally this should feel like a big win He and Brad also discuss the White religious voters who fled Trump for Biden and why it is/and is not a big deal They touch on SCOTUS and the Affordable Care Act, including the surprising comments from Justice Kavanaugh The bulk of the episode is then spent on discussing the real meaning behind Trump's refusal to concede. Dan explains why a hard coup is not imminent; Brad sets what he calls...
Nov 13, 2020•7 min
In his new book, The Brown Church, Robert Chao Romero speaks from spiritual borderlands. As a Latino pastor and scholar trained in critical race theory, he speaks to those managing what many times feel like mutually exclusive identities. In the process his book has something essential to teach all of us about the history of the Brown Church in North America and how Indigenous and Latina/o peoples have been fighting to decolonize faith, decenter Whiteness, and create more inclusive and equal comm...
Nov 10, 2020•8 min
As we process the unfolding events related to the election, Brad and Dan discuss: why Tuesday night felt so dismaying, despite knowing it would be a long road the disappointing turnout for Trumpism and the need to reckon with Whiteness the myriad of reasons to be not only relieved, but hopeful Madison Cawthorn = future of the Religious Right Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock, Cori Bush, and the Squad = Vanguards of the Religious Left Why Christian nationalism is far from defeated Subscribe for $5.9...
Nov 06, 2020•10 min
In an episode recorded as part of a public lecture at Skidmore College, Brad speak with Dr. Richard Newton about his new book, Identifying Roots: Alex Haley and the Anthropology of Scriptures. They discuss how Haley's book Roots and the ensuing TV mini-series marked a new chapter in telling the story of Black Americans, how Roots became the "Black family Bible," and what it means in regard to our current cultural moment. Professor Newton explains how the story has become a sacred narrative about...
Nov 02, 2020•9 min
In the week before the election, Brad and Dan begin with another chapter of Falwell's Follies. Dan then explains why the polls are similar, but different from 2016 and how Trump's surrender to COVID has hurt his reelection chances. Brad expands on his explanation of why the Supreme Court should be expanded by providing numbers on how many unfit and inexperienced judges--including ACB--Trump and McConnell have pushed through, explaining how the Senate process has been tainted, and reminding every...
Oct 30, 2020•9 min
Dan speaks with Dr. David Gushee, Professor of Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. The former president of the American Academy of Religion, he is a prolific author who writes often about his journey out of evangelicalism. He and Dan discuss his new book, After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity. Their discussion delves into issues such as community, race, and sexuality--and how White evangelicals are getting those tragically wrong. Gu...
Oct 27, 2020•9 min
Opener: Brad and Dan each get 2 minutes uninterrupted on the last debate Explainer: Hunter Biden non-scandal mularkey Explainer: Pope announces he is in favor of same-sex couples having civil unions (but not marriages?) Deep Dive: The American Values Survey from PRRI -critical issues for Republicans and Democrats (one thinks COVID is a big deal; the other doesn't) -how White Evangelicals are different from any other religious group in the country -attitudes toward race, income inequality, and cl...
Oct 23, 2020•9 min
The episode that started it all! On one of our very first shows, we went to the historical record to quote all the evangelical leaders who did everything possible to decry Bill Clinton after his sex scandal/impeachment. They called for integrity, morality, and virtue in the White House. They feared for a country without a godly leader. Those same leaders are remain Trump's most vocal supporters. Weeks before the election, a great episode to remind us of where we have been and what's at stake. Su...
Oct 20, 2020•10 min
Dan briefs us on the dueling presidential town halls before he and Brad explain the tenets of Constitutional Originalism, a legal philosophy Amy Coney Barrett claims to hold. They compare it to a separate, but related issue--biblical literalism. In both cases, conservative actors claim to hold the "original" meaning of the text in order to combat social and cultural progress. But, as Dan and Brad explain, a century of philosophy and hermeneutics has shown both to be untenable. From there they di...
Oct 16, 2020•9 min
Brad speaks with Sarah Levin, the Co-Chair of the DNC's Interfaith Committee and the Founder of Secular Strategies, a firm dedicated to mobilizing secular voters. They discuss the values that matter to non-religious voters and how they can be mobilized politically. Perhaps most importantly, they dig into the possibilities for including secular people in interfaith dialogue at the political level. Sarah articulates her commitment to working with, rather than against religious voters who want to c...
Oct 13, 2020•7 min
Some major announcements! We are now a proud partner of the Capps Center at UCSB! Capps is dedicated to ethics, religion, and public life in a way that matches up seamlessly with our approach on SWAJ. Check out their new series on indigenous religions! We begin this episode by discussing the VP debate, particularly Mike Pence as a familiar type: The White Evangelical pastor. We then discuss a cluster of issues surrounding science and COVID--Trump's use of medicines that made from aborted fetuses...
Oct 09, 2020•7 min
Brad speaks to Professor Anthea Butler, a captain in the Biden campaign's "Catholics for Biden" initiative, and chair of the Religious Studies department at the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss the details of Trump's COVID diagnosis and how his recklessness is fueled by four things: Prosperity Gospel positive thinking, racism, capitalism, hypermasculinity. These themes ground a conversation that ranges from Trump's lack of empathy for Americans, especially BIPOC, who have contracted the ...
Oct 05, 2020•10 min
On an abbreviated Weekly Roundup Brad discusses the first presidential debate, the media's inability to call out Trump's threats of violence and election delegitimization, the ways White Catholics and young Evangelicals might be souring on the president, the new documentary that shows how the White House worked with churches to radicalize marginalized people, and how "The Office" warned us about the 2020 hellscape. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to t...
Oct 01, 2020•6 min
Sarah Churchwell is Professor of American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. In her book, Behold, America (Bloomsbury 2018) she explores the entangled history of America First and the American Dream. 'The American dream is dead,' Donald Trump said when announcing his candidacy for president in 2015. How would he revive it? By putting 'America First'. The 'American Dream' and 'America First' are two of the most loa...
Sep 29, 2020•7 min
Brad and Dan discuss four main stories on this week's roundup: 1. The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has led to Amy Coney Barrett as the frontrunner to replace her. Brad outlines the history and contours of the charismatic Catholic community to which she swore an oath and asks how it affects her nomination. 2. Through a discussion of Locke and American history, Dan helps us understand why protecting public property is always such a priority in cases involving the destruction of human life. Why w...
Sep 25, 2020•8 min
Brad speaks with historian Ricard Steigmann-Gall, author of the Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity 1919-1945. They discuss how the Nazi party used a Christian social identity as a way to signal who the true and good citizens were, how the melding of religious and national identities was the first step for racism and anti-semitism, and how the USA was an example for Nazi eugenicists. Throughout the conversation both of them make comparisons to the pervasiveness of Christian nationalism ...
Sep 22, 2020•11 min
Brad and Dan discuss a coterie of stories at the intersection of race, nation, and religion. First, they dissect the president's announcement of a new commission on "patriotic education" as a thoroughly Christian nationalist move. They then turn to William Barr's comments about how COVID shutdowns are the worst annulation of civil liberties in American history except for slavery. They link both these things to the "1619 Project," clarifying how this is a struggle over who gets to tell the story ...
Sep 18, 2020•7 min
Brad speaks with Dr. Sara Moslener, author of Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence from Oxford University Press. Dr. Moslener outlines the history of purity culture from the 19th century to the present, highlighting the eugenicist and racist ideologies that fueled it. One of the often overlooked tropes is how sexual purity was enforced through appeals to patriotism--as if keeping the borders of the body secure would help keep the nation's borders impenetrable. They also discuss ...
Sep 15, 2020•9 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing how 9/11 is an event marked by acts of civil religion--ceremonies, rituals, and symbols that enable the nation to remember and mourn. Brad asks why we haven't had such things implemented to help grieve the loss of the 200,000 Americans who have died of COVID. Dan breaks down the explosive recordings/material in the new book from Bob Woodward--including Trump's recognition of its deadly airborne transmission in February. They finish with a detailed discussion of h...
Sep 11, 2020•8 min
During the first half of this episode Brad and Dan trace the racist and nationalistic origins of white evangelical politics. On the second half, Brad talks with Dartmouth scholar Randall Balmer, who is perhaps the world's leading scholar of the history of the Religious Right in American politics. He explains that racism in the form of opposition to the integration of schools and segregated churches was the catalyst for the rise of the Religious Right. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus epi...
Sep 08, 2020•8 min
Brad interviews Dr. Leslie Dorrough Smith about her new book, Compromising Positions: Scandals, Politics, and American Christianity. She breaks down an important concept: Sex scandals are not about sex. They are about the stories the nation tells about itself, gender dynamics, masculinity, and above all power. This means certain white, straight, heterosexual politicians survive such scandals unscathed, while others have their political careers ended by even minor mishaps. It also means that in a...
Sep 07, 2020•9 min
Dan confesses that 1st grade on Zoom is more intimidating than translating French philosophy or reading Hebrew. He and Brad then discuss the bombshell report on Trump calling soldiers losers, his defense of white nationalist vigilantism, and his encouraging people to vote twice. They then discuss the latest polls and Biden's chances in the electoral college. They then discuss how our political landscape has been reduced to an infuriating binary--as evidenced by Franklin Graham's approach to this...
Sep 05, 2020•10 min
Brad and Dan discuss the vagaries of the new semester and the apocalyptic challenges posed by Zoom and Outlook. They then dissect the events in Kenosha, WI during the last week--from the shooting of Jacob Blake, the vigilantism of Kyle Rittenhouse, and the various political and social responses. From there they transition to the RNC’s themes of fear, alienation, and Christian nationalism--including a “fascism draped in the flag” final night at the White House. They conclude with an examination o...
Aug 29, 2020•8 min
On this re-released episode, which takes on new significance in light of the Falwell scandal, Brad and Dan discuss how sexuality and gender are viewed in evangelical purity culture, including the notion that men are sexual aggressors and women are passive gatekeepers. They interview Rev. Sarah Buteux about her experiences as an ex-evangelical, a feminist, and a progressive leader. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Disc...
Aug 25, 2020•9 min
Brad and Dan discuss the latest of Falwell's Follies. They then analyze the presence of religion and faith at the Democratic convention, the fallout from the president's affirmation of QAnon, the GOP's problematic future, the arrest of Bannon and the Senate Intelligence Commitee's confirmation of Russian interference and collusion, and the criticism of Kamala Harris as not Black enough from pundits on the Right. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the ...
Aug 21, 2020•8 min
Dan laments the end of our favorite segment, Falwell's Follies. Then he and Brad discuss the interfaith and mixed-race background of Kamal Harris, Birtherism 2.0, the attempt to steal the election at the post office, Kanye West working for the Trump campaign, the illegal appointment of the DHS head, Latinx voters turning Republican, and the unraveling of American democracy. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord acc...
Aug 15, 2020•8 min
Brad talks to Dr. Diana Butler Bass, distinguished scholar of American Christianity, about Jerry Falwell Jr's. demise. Last week, racy pictures posted by Falwell on social media led to him being put on indefinite leave from the university. Dr. Bass provides insight into why this particular scandal led to his downfall, the gendered dynamics of the situation, and the well marked path for Falwell's redemption. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entir...
Aug 11, 2020•8 min
Brad speaks with Marc-André Argentino, a PhD candidate and public scholar at Concordia University in Quebec, and an Associate Fellow with the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET) at King's College London. They discuss the origins of QAnon, its deep connections with evangelical Christianity, the new Q-Church, and the ways QAnon's conspiracies are worsening the public health crisis by spreading disinformation. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, acces...
Aug 04, 2020•10 min
Brad tells a story about a mishap during a colonoscopy. He and Dan then cover the myriad of stories from a crazy news week: -Eric Metaxas thinks Jesus is White -Tom Cotton: slavery was a necessary evil -Herman Cain dies from COVID after Trump rally -Remembering John Lewis -Trump's favorite doctor and her theology of demon insemination -Jared Kushner's failed COVID response -Trump's abysmal poll numbers on COVID, race, and the suburbs -John Ortberg resigns Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus...
Jul 31, 2020•8 min
