Exclusive to SWAJ - the Freethought Caucus in the House of Representatives held a seminar on Mike Johnson's Christian nationalism. Rep. Jared Huffman chaired the panel and heard comments from Dr. Matthew Taylor, Rachel Laser, President of Americans United, and Darcy Hirsch of the Interfaith Alliance. We are the only media outlet to distribute a recording of the event. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, a...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the ways White evangelicals pushed Trump to victory and Iowa - and then dispel a bunch of myths about why White Christians keep voting for him. They also dig into reactions to a mainstream media source calling out Christian nationalism (hint: White Christian nationalists weren't happy). In the second segment the hosts examine Charlie Kirk's characterization of MLK as "a bad guy" and his claims that the Civil Rights Act was a mistake because it signified a "refoun...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 4 min
The claim that the Bible is inerrant is a claim that it is the sole and absolute authority in matters of religious truth. For millions of American Christians, that also means that it should be the source of social policy and legislation that shape public life for every American. Those are BIG claims. So what is the evidence for inerrancy? Why should we accept these claims for the Bible? As it turns out, inerrantists aren’t able to provide such evidence. The result is that inerrancy is either inc...
Jan 17, 2024•27 min
Part II of Brad's interview with journalist Tim Alberta, author of the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Evangelicalism in an Age of Extremism. In his intro, Brad goes through his criticisms of the book. They come down to three main points: It is a normative project in a journalistic format; it reproduces the theological frame it is trying to fix; it poses a neat separation of the religious and the political in a way that is incoherent. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr
On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Brad and Dan first take stock of two wild but related claims by Trump: He is immune from the law and chosen by God to enact it. Sounds more like a medieval monarch than a democratically elected president . . . In the second segment, the two hosts analyze how Iowa, the center of American politics this weekend, became deeply red while its neighbors - Illinois and Minnesota and Michigan, and to some extent Wisconsin - have trended blue and progressive. It's a matter...
Jan 13, 2024•1 hr 5 min
“The Bible is without error.” This claim, the claim that the Bible is “inerrant,” is what lies behind most Christians’ claims when they insist they are “preaching the Bible,” that they attend a “Bible church,” that “the Bible is true,” and so on. When most conservative Christians claim to be “literalists,” what they mean is that they are “inerrantists.” But what does this claim mean? Why is it so central and widespread among conservative Christians? Dan explores these topics in this week’s episo...
Jan 10, 2024•27 min
Part I of Brad's interview with journalist Tim Alberta, author of the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Evangelicalism in an Age of Extremism. In his intro, Brad goes through what he learned from the book - and hints at his criticisms of it (those are coming next week). In the interview, Brad asks Tim about his experience as a pastor's kid, what changed in evangelical culture during COVID and the Trump years, and why conspiracy and resentment are now the driving forces of this religious traditi...
Jan 08, 2024•38 min
More Americans think J6 was not big deal than ever. Why? Because the myth of the Big Lie has festered in the three years since the Insurrection, creating an alternate reality in which Donald Trump is not responsible for what happened - and the event wasn't that violent. Brad and Dan break down the statistics and take stock of where we are 3 years from the riot and less than a year from the election. In the second segment, Dan provides an in-depth look at the formation of the 14th amendment, poin...
Jan 05, 2024•59 min
“I believe the Bible is literally true.” Such is the claim of many self-professed biblical “literalists.” Academics and journalists who study American religion also often describe conservative Christians, in particular, as “literalists.” But in this episode, the first of several related to the understanding of the Bible within popular American Christianity, Dan argues that no one is actually a literalist. In fact, he argues that the idea of biblical literalism is incoherent. Why? Listen in and f...
Jan 03, 2024•27 min
On the first episode of the year, Brad looks ahead to various scenarios in 2024 and what they might mean for our country. One thing is certain: This year will shape our country for the rest of our lives. It could mean a second Trump term. It could mean more political violence. It could mean an acceleration of the American cold civil war. But, there are reasons to hope. Reasons to keep fighting. To stay vigilant. Not to look away. Brad talks about those too. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bon...
Jan 02, 2024•32 min
Brad begins by discussing the news that Trump is off the ballot in Maine and what that means in the wake of the Colorado decisions. He breaks down why the complexity and tumult of these decisions does not warrant objection to them and why they are necessary in order to safeguard democracy. In the second segment he decodes Nikki Haley's weak answer on the causes of the Civil War (and her follow up remarks), showing how she winked at Neo-Confederates and others in her answer. He references a fight...
Dec 29, 2023•51 min
“Everyone has an ultimate authority.” Last episode considered the intellectual merits of this claim. In this episode, Dan considers the emotional appeal of this claim and the work that claims like this do within high-control religious contexts. How do claims to ultimate authority provide us with a sense of control over, or assurance about, our lives? And how do they serve the interests of those who would claim to speak on behalf of that “authority”? Check out the episode to find out! Subscribe f...
Dec 27, 2023•30 min
Brad speaks to Chris and Mendi Tackett, two Texas activists who are fighting Christian nationalism tooth and nail in their state. They explain how the school voucher scam, the abortion ban, the Ten Commandments bill, school board takeovers, and so much more all trace back to an overarching ideology - Christian nationalism. Mendi talks about how White Christian women uphold Christian patriarchy and support the abortion ban. Chris talks about his experience on the school board and how Texas school...
Dec 26, 2023•49 min
For the end of the year Weekly Roundup, Dan provides his airing of grievances in the great Festivus tradition. Brad's to come soon. 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/ Subscribe now to Pure White: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pure-white/id1718974286 To Donate: venmo - @straightwhitejc Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Linktree: https:...
Dec 22, 2023•25 min
Brad speaks to constitutional lawyer Andrew Seidel about the Colorado Supreme Court decision barring Trump from the ballot. They discuss whether or not this was the right decision, what will happen if it goes to SCOTUS, the arguments for leaving Trump on the ballot, and much more. 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/ Subscribe now to Pure White: https://podcasts.a...
Dec 20, 2023•40 min
Rep. James Talarico is a Christian fighting Christian nationalism in the Texas legislature. He's also an 8th generation Texans; a former middle school teacher; and a seminarian. He calls school voucher schemes "scams," and "welfare for the rich," while labeling Gov. Abbott "Robinhood in reverse." He went viral for opposing the Ten Commandments bill on religious grounds and is now squaring up against the Christian nationalist billionaire pastors trying to take over Texas - and the United States. ...
Dec 18, 2023•40 min
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the abortion ruling in Texas, pointing to the ways that the vague wording in the law and the threats from state officials have made abortion effectively banned in the state. They discuss how the case represents a new chapter in the cruel approach to reproductive non-rights and what it means for the state and the nation. They then pivot to Iowa, where a display by the Satanic Temple in the state's capitol has led to a new Satanic panic. Brad reviews the Christian ...
Dec 16, 2023•1 hr 6 min
“Everyone has an ultimate authority.” You might encounter this claim in a discussion about the authority of the Bible, or in religious debates about LGBTQ+ inclusion, or the respective roles of men and women in church and society, or about evolution, or vaccines, or any number of other topics. But what, exactly, does this mean? Why will people with a particular view of religious authority make this claim? What attitudes or beliefs encoded within it? These issues are the focus of this week’s epis...
Dec 13, 2023•29 min
Axis Mundi Media is proud to introduce Pure White - A history podcast series that traces the relationships among sexual purity, White supremacy, and Christian nationalism from the 19th century to the present. What happens when you link national renewal to the sexual lives of teenagers? This is exactly what evangelical purity culture did in the 1990s. In this first episode, host Dr. Sara Moslener recounts the history and details of purity culture's advent, leaving us with an important question: I...
Dec 12, 2023•18 min
In When Religion Hurts You, Dr. Laura Anderson takes an honest look at a side of religion that few like to talk about. Drawing from her own life and therapy practice, she helps readers understand what religious trauma is and isn't, and how high-control churches can be harmful and abusive, often resulting in trauma. She shows how elements of fundamentalist church life--such as fear of hell, purity culture, corporal punishment, and authoritarian leaders--can cause psychological, relational, physic...
Dec 11, 2023•43 min
Brad begins by laying out the current state of conflict in Israel-Palestine: the ceasefire is over; Israel is threatening to displace millions in southern Gaza; 15,000 Palestinians have died; Netanyahu is talking about ending the Palestinian territory . . . Dan then provides three ways that we are duped into thinking and talking about the conflict in reductive and binary frameworks - from zero sum arguments, to either/or thinking, to blame roulette. Brad provides examples of each of these - the ...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Why don’t conservative Protestants who oppose Christian nationalism, but who choose to remain in MAGA-affirming churches, seem to say anything in opposition to Christian nationalism? Do the theological beliefs underlying their Christian identity prevent them from doing so? Is it an issue of how groups regulate individual identity? Dan explores 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 archive, Di...
Dec 06, 2023•28 min
The Bible is full of ravenous violence, sexually explicit scenes, sexual assault, murder, and more. But somehow it's considered the universal good book. While histories show us that white Christians in the US have frequently appealed to their Bibles in support of issues now judged to be on the wrong side of history, including racism, sexism, and colonialism, contemporary white evangelical figures have in recent years worked steadfastly to defend the Bible against charges of complicity in harm. T...
Dec 04, 2023•43 min
Brad and Dan begin by gauging the right-wing reactions to the death of Henry Kissinger. They then compare these, and the hallmarks of Kissinger's life, to those of Rosalynn Carter, who was buried this week in Plains, Ga. In the second segment, Dan unpacks a knot of issues related to no-fault divorce, abortion, and the ways that the GOP continues to try to control women's bodies. In the final segment, the hosts look to Ga, where local election officials refused to certify results for spurious rea...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min
“Why be so hard on conservative Christianity, to the point of dismissing it entirely? Why not fix it?” This is a real question we receive, and it’s a fair question. Can conservative Christianity be “fixed”? Or are the problems with it too deep for that? In this episode, Dan answers these questions, arguing that because the problematic elements of conservative American Christianity are “in its code,” the code needs to be rewritten entirely. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-fr...
Nov 29, 2023•24 min
Beginning in the 1960s, stakeholders on the American Right began astro-turfing conservative student organizations in order to counter the challenges to their power from the New Left and Black Power student resistance movements. By examining the range of conservative student organizations and coalition building, Dr. Lauren Lassabe Shepherd shows how wealthy donors and conservative intellectuals trained future GOP leaders such as Karl Rove, Bill Barr, Jeff Sessions, Pat Buchanan, and others in con...
Nov 27, 2023•42 min
Brad is joined by Congressperson Jared Huffman, who represents California's 2nd District. Rep. Huffman is the only member of the House who is not affiliated with a religious tradition. He started the Freethought Caucus in 2018 to highlight the concerns and needs of Americans who are humanists, freethinkers, agnostics, and otherwise invested in freethinking in politics and the public square. Perhaps most importantly for SWAJ in March 2022 Rep. Huffman held a hearing on White Christian nationalism...
Nov 25, 2023•35 min
This week Dan talks about the popular praise and worship song, “Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart.” What is the message of this song? Written as a song of solace and hope, how does it also express an attitude that denies the reality of the things about this world and our places in it that should change? And what is the significance of expressing this attitude in the form of a song? Take a listen and find out. Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the ent...
Nov 23, 2023•25 min
After two years in the White House, an aging and increasingly unpopular Ronald Reagan looked like a one-term president, but in 1983 something changed. Reagan spoke of his embattled agenda as a spiritual rather than a political project and cast his vision for limited government and market economics as the natural outworking of religious conviction. The news media broadcast this message with enthusiasm, and white evangelicals rallied to the president’s cause. With their support, Reagan won reelect...
Nov 21, 2023•33 min
Brad begins by discussing the history of Murfreesboro, TN, where a city ordinance banned homosexuality in public. As Brad recounts, this isn't the first time the city has been in the news. A decade ago, citizens tried to prevent the construction of a mosque on the grounds that Islam isn't a religion. Brad draws on scholarship to outline how Christian nationalists employ a framework wherein the USA should be a place of limitless freedom for them, and limited life for everyone else. In the second ...
Nov 18, 2023•57 min
