Brad and Dan begin with a thorough breakdown of why the Texas bill to post the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms is unconstitutional and un-American. They discuss parental rights, hypocrisy, and the dangerous escalation of religious supremacists - and where we are headed next. Rep. Talarico: https://youtu.be/we0b04Qbbvc In the second segment, Dan discusses all things Florida - from the fight with Disney, to the 1st Amendment implications of banning books, to the way DeSantis is flamin...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Today we are launching a new limited series called One Nation, All Beliefs. produced in partnership with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. This is the series intro. You can subscribe by going here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0HIjnVZjUwY8H1PD0M7F04?si=2653997c43cf442f Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Produced by Brad Onishi, with help ...
May 04, 2023•10 min
What does it mean when someone assure you that you are “right where God wants you to be”? Is it intended as a word of encouragement? As an affirmation that God is control? As a message of empowerment? Or is the aim manipulative, or controlling? And regardless of the intent, what are the possible effects of this assurance, positive or negative? Dan tackles these questions in this week’s episode. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode...
May 03, 2023•21 min
Brad speaks with Jeff Sharlet about his NYT bestseller The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. Jeff talks about everything from his long conversations about MLK Jr. with Harry Belafonte, to the lustful feeling of the first Trump rallies in 2015, to the desire for vengeance felt among MAGA nation in the wake of 2020, to following the ghost of Ashli Babbitt all over the country. In all, he paints a picture of a cracked nation filled with fear - and a longing for hope. Subscribe for $5.99 a mon...
May 01, 2023•46 min
Ten Commandments in Schools = religious freedom? In this economy? Brad and Dan discuss Tucker Carlson's ouster at Fox News - and what it means in the short and long terms. Dan takes us through the situation in Montana, where Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the only trans legislator in the state, has been locked out of the legislative session for no reason. The battle to repeal no-fault divorce - and how it relates to trans rights, reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, and so many other issues around the co...
Apr 28, 2023•58 min
On the day that the Pornography Wars is released, we re-release Brad's interview with the author Dr. Kelsy Burke, a sociologist from the University of Nebraska. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/pornography-wars-9781635577365/ Burke spent the last five years researching and interviewing internet pornography's opponents and its sympathizers. She does a deep dive into the long history of pornography in America and then turns her gaze on our present society to examine the ways this industry touches on ...
Apr 27, 2023•41 min
What is “public confession,” and what is its relation to the practice of sharing one’s testimony? When and how does sharing a testimony verge into public confession? Why does public confession have to be “public,” and what concerns does this raise? In this second of a two-part pair of episodes, Dan explores these and other questions. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercas...
Apr 26, 2023•26 min
Many are wondering how and why religious minorities in the USA adopt conservative - and even fascist - political identities when it seems that the American Right is anti-immigrant and in many cases explicitly racist. Scholars Dr. Jane Hong (Occidental) and Dr. Adrian de Leon (USC/NYU) argue that Asian American (religious) conservatism should be understood not just as an imported phenomenon from outside these communities, but as something structural within the formation of Asian America itself, w...
Apr 25, 2023•41 min
Dan and guest co-host Annika Brockschmidt discuss "Stand Your Ground Laws" in the wake of more shootings in the USA. They outline the catch 22 of perpetual fear that people live in as "wrong place, wrong time" murders rise in the country. They then turn their attention to the onslaught of authoritarian legislative violence in Florida, including a law that would take children away from parents for giving them gender-affirming care. And then, finally, to SCOTUS and the abortion pill case - as well...
Apr 22, 2023•1 hr
What do Christians mean when they refer to their “personal testimonies”? What do they mean when they refer to “witnessing” to others? Why do some Christians emphasize “testifying”? This language can be confusing to religious outsiders. For “insiders” to this way of speaking, it provokes a wide range of emotional responses, ranging from hope and encouragement to feelings of guilt and anger. In this first of two linked episodes, Dan explores these issues and others, exploring the basic idea of “gi...
Apr 19, 2023•28 min
Brad speaks to Dr. Miguel de la Torre about his new book, Resisting American Apartheid. They talk about how "Euro-Christianity" distorts faith. They talk about how becoming "un-American" might be the best way to save democracy. With unflinching analysis, De La Torre takes on authors revered in Christian theology, including Paul, Augustine, and heroes of the Reformation, aiming to uproot the ideological foundations of racism in Christianity. Following these through lines of oppression, he warns o...
Apr 17, 2023•39 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the utterly confusing rulings from several judges on legality and availability of mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill. Dan takes us through the complicated web of rulings and Brad analyzes how creating this mess was an intentional strategy by Christian nationalists to get the case kicked up to the Supreme Court. In the second segment the hosts discuss a case from Texas where Greg Abbott has promised to pardon a man recently convicted of murdering a ...
Apr 14, 2023•56 min
G.R.A.C.E.: “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” B.I.B.L.E.: “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” Acronyms like these are a common feature within the preaching and practice of a certain kind of popular American Christianity. What do they reveal about that distinctly American expression of religion? How do they relate to the influence of corporate and consumer culture within popular American Christianity? What does it mean for a church to be “on-brand,” and what does it mean that some Christ...
Apr 13, 2023•28 min
Brad speaks with writer, director, and comedian Holly Laurent, creator of the hit podcast MEGA about a satirical megachurch. They talk about her childhood in Haiti as a missionary, her path of deconstruction, and the winding pathways that healing takes us on. It's a raw interview about caring for family who have fallen into MAGA traps, hoping for change, and finding ourselves even when it feels like we are most lost. Oh, and they a laugh. ALOT. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the explusion of two members of the Tennessee legislature - Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson - after they led gun violence protests in the state Capitol. It's a case of systemic racism, a desire to keep young Black leaders in line, and an attempt to squash the voices of peaceful protesters. In the second segment they break down the bombshell story that Clarence Thomas has been accepting lavish gifts from a GOP megadonor for years. In the final segment, they ...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Almost all of us are likely familiar with calls on the political and religious right to oppose “wokeness” or to be “anti-woke.” We all have a sense that this is a dog whistle. But what, exactly, does it represent? Where has this way of thinking about society, religion, and politics come from? In this episode, Dan explores these issues, decoding appeals to “anti-wokeness” to highlight the Christian nationalist vision of society embodied within them. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episod...
Apr 05, 2023•22 min
Brad speaks to Dr. Matthew Boedy, Associate Professor at the University of North Georgia. Dr. Boedy is the go-to source on all things Charlie Kirk and TPUSA. He explains the rhetoric Kirk has used with his various audiences since the Trump indictment: talk of civil war, comparing Trump to Jesus, and calling for protests/rallies outside of SDNY when Trump is arraigned. He and Brad talk about how this rhetoric filters into thousands of churches across the country via TPUSA's vast network of media ...
Apr 03, 2023•36 min
Brad and Dan begin with first reactions to the late breaking news that Donald Trump will be indicted next week. They discuss the details of the case, the reactions from the GOP, and what the future might hold. They then turn their attention to Nashville, where the community continues to mourn the victims of the mass shooting at a private school. Dan discusses the numbness that lawmakers and everyday Americans feel in the context of ubiquituous gun violence. Brad links the unwillingness to addres...
Mar 31, 2023•55 min
What do Christians mean when they refer to “the Word of God,” or even just “the word”? What do they mean when they someone has offered a “good word”? This way of speaking is incredibly common within particular Christian communities, but may be mystifying to people who aren’t familiar with those communities or didn’t grow up in them. In this episode, Dan discusses the layers of meaning behind these seemingly simple phrases and decodes some of the ways they work within these Christian communities....
Mar 29, 2023•24 min
On a day when the USA suffers another mass shooting at a school, Brad talks about the symbolism of the AR 15, the sickness of wanting to provide absolute access to handheld killing machines, and the ways America's children are groomed into a cult of death. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ BUY OUR NEW ELECTION AFFIRMER MERCH! https://straight-white-american-jes...
Mar 28, 2023•32 min
On the Weekly Roundup Brad and Dan begin by going through the litany of Trump's attempts to thwart NY DA Alvin Bragg's case against him and his call for supporters to protest if/when he is arrested. This, in their mind, portends the kind of violence we saw at January 6th. They also note the complicity of GOP leadership in Trump's attacks on the DA and the ways the GOP has tied itself to Trumpism regardless of who is running for office. In the second segment the hosts check in on a number of case...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 6 min
“I have a word on my heart for you,” or “the Lord has laid a word on my heart for you,” is a phrase that is common within conservative American Christian circles. Many people who are familiar with this phrase find that it gets under their skin, that it rubs them the wrong way, while those who are unfamiliar with it find it mystifying. What does it mean when Christians say this? Why does it provoke the (typically negative) reactions it does? In this episode, Dan explores this stock phrase within ...
Mar 22, 2023•25 min
Brad speaks to Dr. Andrew Whitehead (IUPUI) and Dr. Sam Perry (U. of Oklahoma) who discuss their written testimony to the J6 Select Committee on how Christian nationalism was a motivating force behind the J6 insurrection. They discuss the elements that tie J6 and Christian nationalism together - from the Big Lie to authoritarian violence to conspiracies like QAnon. They also discuss the long lasting ramifications leaving Christian nationalism out of the J6 report may have on the present and futu...
Mar 20, 2023•48 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing Mike Pence's homophobic joke about Pete Buttigieg and his openly blaming of Donald Trump for the J6 insurrection. They then break down the GOP's reversal on mail-in voting and debate what effect it will have at the polls. Compromising Positions: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/compromising-positions-9780190924072?cc=us&lang=en& Finally, they check in on cases from San Diego to Texas to Florida to Missouri - highlighting how Christian misogyny and ...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
What does it mean when a Christian warns us against being “unequally yoked” with someone else? Where does this language come from? And how has been used to marginalize and exclude others? What are the dangers of this language, which is so common among some Christians? Dan tackles these topics in this week’s episode. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: h...
Mar 15, 2023•23 min
On this re-released episode from 2019 Brad shares his former apocalypse extremism. Dan draws on his expertise in apocalyptic literature to unpack how evangelicals envision the end of the world and what it means for their relationship with Israel. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book: https://www.ama...
Mar 13, 2023•43 min
Dan and guest co-host Annika Brockschmidt begin by discussing this Tucker Carlson's handling of 40,000 hours of video from the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Carlson showed clips that he said demonstrated that JS six was peaceful and that the death of Capitol police officer Brian Sickney, uh, was not related to J six. In the second segment they discuss the supposed rift in the GOP in the wake of this year's lackluster CPAC conference. In the final segment, they breakdown how Republicans who h...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 6 min
People in our lives often tell us they are “praying for” us, that they are “keeping us in their prayers,” etc. Sometimes these assurances on the part of others bring us comfort, but other times they stir up complex emotions such as anger, or sadness, or confusion. What is going on when people offer to pray for us? And why do these offers stir up such a wide range of emotions and provoke such strong responses? Dan explores these questions in this week’s episode. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get...
Mar 08, 2023•24 min
Brad speaks with Dr. Lerone Martin, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University and Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute at Stanford. They discuss his new book - The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover. "Lerone Martin draws on thousands of newly declassified FBI documents and memos to describe how, under Hoover’s leadership, FBI agents attended spiritual retreats and worship services, creating an FBI religious culture that fashioned G-men into soldiers and ministers of Chri...
Mar 06, 2023•42 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing an excerpt from Joshua Butler's new book, which appeared at the Gospel Coalition this week. The excerpt lays out a theology of sex that imagines Christ as the male partner in a heterosexual erotic relationship with the Christian church. This metaphor is extended to the sexual relationships men and women in Christian marriage. Dan analyzes the patriarchal aspects of this approach, showing how it creates a context where submission is required from women and consent...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr
