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In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, hosts Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack a chaotic and revealing week at the intersection of politics, religion, and power. As Donald Trump once again compares himself to Jesus during the lead-up to Easter, the hosts explore what they see as a deepening pattern of religious distortion within MAGA Christianity—where theological consistency gives way to political loyalty. The conversation situates Trump’s rhetoric alongside broader trends, including a controversial decision tied to U.S. Supreme Court on conversion therapy laws and mounting concerns over religious favoritism within the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth. Together, these developments paint a picture of a movement increasingly defined by power, hierarchy, and ideological purity rather than coherent moral or theological principles. The episode also dives into the implications of an 8–1 Supreme Court ruling that weakens state-level bans on conversion therapy, raising urgent questions about free speech, medical ethics, and the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ individuals. Onishi and Miller highlight the emotional and political weight of the decision, especially amid rising hostility toward queer and trans communities. They close with a discussion of the scandal surrounding Kristi Noem and her husband, using it as a lens to push hypocrisy, gender norms, and the authoritarian logic of “order” that underpins Christian nationalism. Despite the heaviness of the topics, the hosts end with cautious optimism, pointing to signs of political pushback and everyday acts of resistance as reasons for hope. Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode two of One Million Neighbors brings us to the chaotic final days of Saigon in April 1975, as ten-year-old Simon Hoa-Phan watches his world unravel. From the terror of nighttime bombings to the desperate crush of families fleeing toward evacuation helicopters, Simon’s story captures the fear, uncertainty, and life-altering decisions faced by thousands as South Vietnam fell. His family’s escape—narrow, chaotic, and uncertain—becomes a window into a much larger phenomenon: the mass displacement of millions across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, where war, political upheaval, and U.S. intervention forced entire populations to flee under harrowing conditions. At the same time, across the world in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kathleen Vellenga witnesses these events from a hospital bed and feels a call to act. Her personal turning point reflects a broader movement among American faith communities, who would go on to play a central role in resettling more than a million Southeast Asian refugees. This episode traces the historical roots of that movement—from Cold War politics and moral responsibility to deeply held religious convictions—and introduces the ordinary people who made extraordinary choices to welcome strangers as neighbors. Dr. Melissa Borja is Associate Professor of American Culture and Director of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies at the University of Michigan. Trained at Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Columbia, she is a historian of migration, religion, race, and politics and author of Follow the New Way: American Refugee Resettlement Policy and Hmong Religious Change (Harvard University Press), which won the the Thomas Wilson Memorial Prize, the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize from the American Society of Church History, and the Outstanding Achievement Award in History from the Association for Asian American Studies. Dr. Borja has advised Princeton's Religion and Forced Migration Initiative as well as the Bridging Divides Initiative, which tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. An expert on anti-Asian racism during the Covid-19 pandemic, she leads the Virulent Hate Project and has contributed research to Stop AAPI Hate. In honor of her research and advocacy about Asian Americans, USA Today honored her as one of its 2022 Women of the Year. This podcast is part of AAPI Stories of Faith & Life, an Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI) project funded by Lilly Endowment Incorporated. www.axismundi.us Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Producer: Andrew Gill Original Music, Composition, and Mixing: Scott Okamoto Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley says that men are called by God to work. In fact, he says that working is the source of God’s image within men. But what counts as “work” for Hawley? And what dogmas about work and the value of men drive his account? And how do issues like economic change and the climate crisis inform his thinking? Check out Dan’s discussion this week to find out! Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Onishi introduces One Million Neighbors, a new limited series hosted by Melissa Borja. The episode opens in the Twin Cities—Minneapolis and St. Paul—where a sweeping federal immigration crackdown has transformed daily life. In early 2026, thousands of ICE agents flooded the region as part of a massive enforcement operation, conducting raids, stops, and detentions that left communities on edge and sparked protests, school closures, and economic disruption. At the center of this episode is the story of a U.S. citizen violently detained in his own home—an incident that captures the fear, confusion, and anger rippling through neighborhoods under what local leaders have described as a federal “siege.” But One Million Neighbors is not only about this moment—it’s about another one. The series reaches back to the 1970s, when many of these same communities became an epicenter of refugee resettlement, as ordinary Americans—often motivated by their faith—helped welcome more than a million people from Southeast Asia despite widespread opposition. By placing today’s ICE raids and deportation debates alongside that history, the show asks a deeper question: how did a nation once defined by radical hospitality arrive at a moment of mass enforcement—and what might it look like to choose a different path again? One Million Neighbors: https://redcircle.com/shows/1525ddb6-2be4-4115-b45f-25bbcabf6749https://redcircle.com/shows/1525ddb6-2be4-4115-b45f-25bbcabf6749 Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Onishi sits down with therapist and author Jay Stringer to explore his new book Desire, a deep dive into how we form identity, intimacy, and meaning in a world shaped by shame and disconnection. Jay reflects on his upbringing as a pastor’s kid immersed in evangelical purity culture, including harmful messaging around sexuality reinforced by spaces like Liberty University. Together, they unpack how teachings that equate arousal with sin create lifelong shame cycles, especially for young men, and how cultural artifacts like Every Man's Battle reinforced these patterns. The conversation introduces the concept of differentiation—borrowed from biology—as a key to healthy relationships, using the metaphor of a symphony to illustrate how individuality enables deeper intimacy rather than threatening it. From there, Brad and Jay broaden the lens to examine what it means to live a meaningful life in 2026. Drawing on thinkers like Annie Dillard and Albert Camus, they explore how meaning emerges not in spite of life’s absurdity, but in response to it. They discuss the stories we inherit, the “provisional selves” we construct, and the midlife invitation to interrogate what we’ve been taught to value. The episode also tackles masculinity and vulnerability, arguing that domination and hyper-masculinity often mask unaddressed trauma, and that true connection requires risk and emotional honesty. Ultimately, they frame defiance—not despair—as the path forward: a refusal to believe our lives don’t matter, and a commitment to building lives rooted in connection, purpose, and resistance to dehumanizing cultural forces. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack a series of troubling developments surrounding Pete Hegseth’s vision for the military chaplaincy, where chaplains may soon wear only religious insignia instead of rank and operate within a drastically reduced set of approved faith codes. The hosts explore how Hegseth’s language—framing the role as a mission to “preach the truth,” “shepherd the flock,” and fulfill a “sacred calling”—signals a distinctly Christian nationalist framing of military service, reinforced by his claim that the armed forces have been “infected by political correctness and secular humanism.” They place this in historical context, noting how Japanese American Buddhist soldiers in World War II were denied adequate chaplain support despite serving in one of the most decorated units in U.S. history. The conversation also touches on reporting about Hegseth’s crusader imagery, including tattoos and a Bible stamped with “Deus Vult” and the Jerusalem Cross, raising deeper concerns about the ideological direction of military leadership. The episode then shifts to a controversial Pentagon prayer calling for “overwhelming violence” and the damnation of “wicked souls,” which the hosts connect to a broader pattern of rhetoric that glorifies brutality and frames military action in theological terms. From there, Brad and Dan examine the near-religious devotion to tax cuts within the GOP, highlighting reporting that red states are facing massive budget shortfalls as a result of Trump-backed policies—yet lawmakers continue to support them as a matter of ideological commitment rather than evidence. They close by discussing Trump’s absence from CPAC, the unease among attendees regarding Iran, and the irony of Trump mailing in his ballot despite his long-standing opposition to mail-in voting, underscoring what they describe as a deeply transactional and contradictory approach to politics. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley says that the crisis of masculinity in America is due to the fact that men won’t work. And the reason they won’t work, he assures us, is because liberal elites have convinced them not to. But what does Hawley overlook to tell this story? How does he ignore his own status as a cultural elite, and his political party’s support of economic policies that favor the elites? What is Hawley hiding behind his appeals to masculinity? Listen to this week’s episode and Dan will fill you in! Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Straight White American Jesus features Brad Onishi unpacking a central claim gaining traction on the political and religious right: that the American presidency was always meant to function like a monarchy. In light of the nationwide “No Kings” protests, Onishi challenges arguments from figures like Michael Knowles and Adrian Vermeule, who suggest that the founders embedded a “kingly” executive into the Constitution. He traces how thinkers drawing on Thomas Aquinas use the language of the “common good” to justify stronger, more centralized authority—potentially at the expense of democratic participation and individual rights. The episode ultimately argues that this reframing of American government is not just historical revisionism, but a strategic effort to normalize authoritarian leadership under religious justification. By contrasting these claims with the founders’ explicit rejection of monarchy, Onishi underscores the stakes of the current moment: whether democracy remains a shared project rooted in the will of the people, or gives way to a model where power is consolidated in a single figure claiming moral authority. The call to “No Kings,” then, becomes not just a protest slogan, but a defense of democratic principles against rising theocratic and authoritarian visions of governance. Order American Caesar: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/american-caesar-bradley-b-onishi/1148909845?ean=9781250427922 Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with award-winning journalist and historian Caleb Gayle about his acclaimed book Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State. Caleb Gayle is an award-winning journalist and professor at Northeastern University. He is the author of We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. His work has also appeared in The Atlantic, TIME, The Guardian, Guernica, The New Republic, and The Boston Globe. Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction, named one of The Washington Post’s Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, and selected as a New York Times Editors’ Choice, Black Moses tells the remarkable story of Edward McCabe, a Black political leader who nearly succeeded in founding a Black-governed state in the Oklahoma Territory at the turn of the twentieth century. Together, Payne and Gayle explore McCabe’s ambitious political vision, the racial politics of the American West, and the broader historical context of Reconstruction, westward expansion, and Indigenous displacement. The conversation also reflects on how forgotten stories like McCabe’s challenge familiar narratives about American democracy, race, and political imagination. In this episode: The cinematic structure of Black Moses and how Gayle and his editor shaped the narrative Who Edward McCabe was and why his story has largely disappeared from mainstream American history McCabe’s audacious plan to create a Black state in the Oklahoma Territory The Reconstruction-era search for Black self-determination and how McCabe’s vision differed from projects in Liberia or Haiti The American West as a site of competing dreams—and conflicts—among Black settlers, white settlers, and Indigenous nations McCabe’s political strategy: organizing, coalition building, and attracting Black migration to Oklahoma Why Oklahoma ultimately aligned itself with Jim Crow politics during statehood The unfinished project of American democracy and the importance of political imagination Black Moses: A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State by Caleb Gayle Can the Rodeo Save a Historic Black Town? One woman’s quest to rescue Boley, Oklahoma, The Atlantic, by Caleb Gayle In This EpisodeLinks: We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb GayleFind Professor Gayle at www.calebgayle.com, Instagram: @calebgayle, Twitter: @gaylecalebFind Dr. Leah Payne at drleahpayne.com, subscribe on Substack, follow her on most social media platforms at @drleahpayne, listen along at Spirit & Power: Charismatics & Politics in American Life & Rock that Doesn’t Roll: the Story of Christian Rock, and read along: God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Straight White American Jesus. In this episode, Brad Onishi and co-host Dan Miller dig into the resignation of Joe Kent and the unraveling narrative around Iran. Kent’s claim—that Iran posed no imminent nuclear threat—directly contradicts statements from figures like Mike Johnson and exposes what the hosts see as a familiar pattern: shifting justifications, vague timelines, and a disregard for expertise in favor of political loyalty. The conversation traces how dissent from within MAGA ranks—especially from someone like Kent—signals fractures in the movement, even as those critiques are quickly dismissed by Donald Trump. For Onishi and Miller, the deeper issue is a political culture where intelligence, experience, and even firsthand knowledge of war are subordinated to rhetoric, loyalty, and “feelings” about national security. The episode then widens its lens, connecting foreign policy to a broader “culture of death” that the hosts argue defines the current political moment. From Pete Hegseth’s blunt justification that “it takes money to kill bad guys” to the rhetoric emerging from his religious circle—where his pastor Brooks Potteiger and podcast host Joshua Haymes discussed James Talarico in terms that included prayers for his death and suggestions he should be “stopped by any means necessary”—Onishi and Miller highlight a throughline of violence, dehumanization, and theological justification for harm. They argue that this kind of language—casting opponents as enemies of God or demonic threats—creates a moral framework where violence becomes not just acceptable but righteous. The result is a dangerous fusion of nationalism, militarism, and extremist theology, where political disagreement is reframed as spiritual warfare and the stakes are nothing less than life, death, and the future of American democracy. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the end of his chapter on men as “warriors,” we finally get to his full vision of what a “warrior” is. What does Hawley have to tell us? Is there anything specifically “war-like” about his warriors? Or anything specifically Christian? Or even anything particularly masculine. Not so much, as it turns out. As Dan argues in this episode, Hawley’s really just in it for the culture war. Take a listen and check it out! Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Brad Onishi takes on a provocative question: is James Talarico really a “liberal Christian nationalist,” as critics on both the right and left have claimed following his primary victory over Jasmine Crockett? Drawing on the widely cited definition from sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, the episode breaks down what Christian nationalism actually is: a fusion of Christian and American identity, a belief in divine sanction for political domination, and a moral framework that privileges Christians as uniquely legitimate citizens. Onishi argues that simply being a religious politician—or even using theological language in public debate—does not meet this threshold, pushing back on claims from figures like William Wolfe and C.J. Engel, as well as critiques from scholars like Heath Carter. Through close analysis of Talarico’s own words and political theology, the episode contends that his emphasis on pluralism, the separation of church and state, and universal human dignity stands in direct opposition to Christian nationalist ideology. Rather than advocating for a theocratic state or privileging Christians above others, Talarico frames his faith as a call to inclusive democracy and care for all neighbors. Onishi warns that labeling figures like Talarico as “Christian nationalists” risks flattening important distinctions and obscuring the anti-democratic aims of actual Christian nationalist movements. The result is a deeper exploration of how faith can show up in politics without undermining democracy—and why precision in our language matters now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Sunday Interview, Bradley Onishi sits down with historian Matthew Avery Sutton to discuss his sweeping new book Chosen Land. Sutton argues that from the colonial era onward, Americans have pursued a centuries-long project to transform North America into a “holy land” that could usher in God’s millennial kingdom. Paradoxically, the founders’ decision to create a secular Constitution and protect religious freedom through the First Amendment helped fuel the explosive growth and innovation of American Christianity. Without a state church, religious leaders became entrepreneurs—competing for followers through media, technology, and spectacle—helping make the United States far more publicly religious than many other Western democracies. The conversation explores how a long-standing Protestant cultural dominance shaped American politics and public life, from Abraham Lincoln navigating religious expectations in the 19th century to Barack Obama confronting controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Sutton also explains the decline of mainline Protestantism, the rise of evangelical branding, and why the very term “evangelical” is largely a modern reinvention rather than a continuous tradition stretching back to figures like Jonathan Edwards. The episode closes with a look at today’s Christian nationalism, culture-war politics, and apocalyptic thinking—from debates about Israel to interpretations of global conflict—asking whether the United States is witnessing the last gasp of white Protestant dominance or simply another revival in a long and turbulent religious history. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller dive headfirst into the Trump administration’s approach to Iran—and the deeper worldview shaping it. They examine the escalating conflict, the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, and the administration’s apparent failure to anticipate Iran’s most obvious leverage point. But beyond the geopolitics, Brad and Dan argue that something larger is at play: a model of “MAGA masculinity” that prizes action over thought, rejects expertise, and treats diplomacy and long-term relationships as weakness. From Pete Hegseth’s press conferences to the firing of intelligence experts and counter-terrorism staff, they trace how a culture that glorifies brute force and disdain for knowledge can produce catastrophic decision-making—with real human costs. In the second half of the show, the conversation turns to newly released depositions from former DOGE officials tasked with slashing federal grants. The clips reveal young operatives with little expertise making sweeping cuts based largely on whether projects referenced feminism, LGBTQ people, or racial minorities—raising serious questions about the real meaning behind the administration’s war on “DEI.” Brad and Dan connect these revelations back to their broader theme: a governing philosophy rooted in domination, resentment, and the rejection of intellectual or moral accountability. They close by asking whether the Iran conflict could fracture the MAGA coalition ahead of the midterms—and by reflecting on what healthier forms of masculinity, leadership, and public responsibility might look like in contrast. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third role Josh Hawley tells us that men are called to play is that of “warrior”? But what does that mean? Where might we look for an exemplar? One of Josh Hawley’s answers is another Joshua, the figure from the Hebrew Bible, tasks with reclaiming the “Promised Land” for the Israelites. But the biblical book of Joshua commands the “utter destruction” of the inhabitants of the land, raising profound concerns about genocide and ethnic cleansing. Is this really the model of masculinity Hawley says we should follow? Listen to this week’s episode to hear Dan’s discussion of how Hawley responds, and what this tells us about “manhood” as he imagines it. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Annika Brockschmidt sits down with historian Thomas Zimmer for a wide-ranging conversation about the politics of history in the age of Trumpism—and why Zimmer ultimately decided to leave the United States after years teaching at Georgetown and return to Germany with his family. Reflecting on the increasingly hostile climate for scholars and public commentators, Zimmer discusses how harassment, threats, and the broader erosion of democratic norms shaped that decision. From there, the conversation turns to a deeper historical question: how the Trump administration and its intellectual allies are attempting to reshape the story Americans tell about their past. Brockschmidt and Zimmer analyze recent speeches and rhetoric from figures like Donald Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Senator Eric Schmitt, arguing that the contemporary right is moving away from the traditional language of American ideals toward a vision rooted in ancestry, heritage, and “blood and soil” nationalism. They place this rhetoric in historical context, tracing the long-running conflict between civic and ethnic visions of American identity—from the nation’s founding through the Civil Rights era and into today’s MAGA movement. The result, they argue, is not simply partisan messaging but a broader political project aimed at redefining who counts as a “real” American and rolling back the pluralistic aspirations that emerged from the civil rights revolution. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the Trump administration’s military action against Iran and the political and religious rhetoric surrounding the conflict. They examine the contradictions in Republican messaging, with some officials describing the action as a war while others insist it is not. Brad and Dan also discuss the lack of a clear public justification similar to what preceded previous conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, the internal divisions within the MAGA coalition over foreign intervention, and the growing criticism coming from prominent conservative voices. The conversation also explores how Christian nationalist rhetoric is being used to frame the conflict, with several political and religious leaders describing the situation in explicitly religious terms or invoking biblical responsibility toward Israel. Brad and Dan contrast these narratives with dissenting voices within conservative and Catholic circles who oppose military escalation. The episode also turns to the Texas primary results, including James Talarico winning the Democratic Senate nomination, record Democratic turnout, and the high profile Republican runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton. Together, these developments highlight ongoing fractures within the Republican coalition and shifting political dynamics heading into the next election cycle. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Posner sits down with New York Magazine senior writer Sarah Jones to unpack the accelerating assault on transgender rights in Kansas and beyond. They trace how a new Kansas law retroactively invalidating updated gender markers on driver’s licenses fits into a broader, decades-long Christian right strategy—one that cloaks theological convictions in the language of “common sense” and “biology.” From spiritual warfare rhetoric in statehouses to Supreme Court signals about religious motivation, Posner and Jones explore how anti-trans legislation operates as both a wedge issue and a cornerstone of a hierarchical gender ideology rooted in patriarchy, biblical literalism, and political calculation. They connect these state-level efforts to federal actions under Trump—from executive orders to agency guidance on bathroom bans—and examine how figures like Pete Hegseth and his mentor Doug Wilson frame masculinity, authority, and power. The conversation widens to consider how anti-trans politics intersects with abortion criminalization, punitive theology, and the rise of pronatalism across MAGA and NatCon spaces. They analyze the confirmation hearing of Surgeon General nominee Casey Means, whose blend of anti–birth control rhetoric, “sacred fertility” language, and pseudoscientific wellness ideology has sparked backlash—even from Christian right influencers like Erick Erickson, who denounced her as dabbling in witchcraft. Posner and Jones probe the uneasy coalition between evangelical patriarchy and MAHA-style new age conspiracism, asking whether this radicalized right-wing alignment can outlast Trump—or simply mutate into something more extreme. The episode closes with Posner’s Anti-Doom segment, highlighting federal judges—some Trump-appointed—who are forcefully pushing back against unlawful immigration enforcement, reminding listeners that the constitutional order still has defenders. Sarah Jones is an award-winning senior writer for New York Magazine, where she covers religion and national politics. She serves on the editorial board of Dissent Magazine, and was previously a staff writer for The New Republic. Her first book, Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass, is available now from Avid Reader Press. She is based in Brooklyn. Disposable by Sarah Jones: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Disposable/Sarah-Jones/9781982197438 Creator: Sarah Posner: https://www.sarahposner.com/ Producer and Engineer: Dr. Ger FitzGerald Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Generous funding provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley informs us that one of the distinctive roles men are called to play is that of “warrior.” But what, exactly, makes a warrior? What are the distinctively masculine “warrior virtues” men are called to live out? It turns out that Hawley’s answers to these questions are not what we might expect. In fact, it’s not clear what, precisely, makes a “warrior” at all. Listen to this week’s episode as Dan explains. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MAGA Christians are splitting over Donald Trump’s strike on Iran, with high-profile voices like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene arguing the move betrays “America First” principles. For them, foreign intervention—especially on behalf of Israel—undermines the nationalist, anti-entanglement ethos that fueled Trump’s rise. Some Catholic and post-liberal thinkers, including Edward Feser and Sohrab Ahmari, have also criticized the action as strategically incoherent and politically dangerous. This wing of the coalition views the conflict not as a divine mandate but as another costly overseas engagement that risks American lives without clear national benefit—raising fresh questions about Trump’s alignment with the movement he leads. At the same time, influential charismatic leaders such as Lance Wallnau and Sean Feucht interpret the Iran conflict through an apocalyptic lens, tying it to biblical prophecy, Purim imagery, and end-times theology. Rooted in strands of premillennial evangelicalism, this faction sees Israel as central to God’s unfolding plan and views confrontation with Iran (ancient Persia in biblical narrative) as prophetically significant. The result is a theological and political fracture inside MAGA: one camp prioritizes nationalist restraint and geopolitical realism, while the other embraces a providential vision that frames war as part of a larger divine drama. How Trump navigates this divide could shape not only his coalition’s unity but the future direction of Christian nationalism in American politics. Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus: The Sunday Interview, Brad Onishi speaks with CNN Chief Investigative Correspondent Pamela Brown about her new documentary examining Christian nationalism, the rise of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), and the growing influence of Idaho pastor Doug Wilson. Brown discusses her viral interview with Wilson, her reporting from Moscow, Idaho, and how Christian Reconstructionist theology is gaining mainstream political visibility. The conversation explores Christian nationalism’s connection to classical Christian schools, patriarchal theology, and its alignment with contemporary conservative politics. The documentary also centers the voices of survivors who left CREC-aligned and other Christian nationalist communities. Women share firsthand accounts of spiritual abuse, rigid gender hierarchy, and authoritarian church structures that made leaving extraordinarily difficult. Brown and Onishi examine how movements promising certainty, biblical order, and “traditional values” have expanded in the wake of COVID-19 and cultural polarization. This interview offers critical insight into Christian nationalism, church and state debates, religious extremism, and the future of American democracy. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the spectacle and subtext of the recent State of the Union. While the speech itself felt predictable—long on grievance, short on substance—the real story lies in what surrounded it: questions about presidential mental acuity, the resurfacing of Epstein-related controversies, renewed attacks on Hillary Clinton, and escalating federal retaliation against so-called “blue states” like Minnesota. Brad and Dan explore how retribution politics, culture war theater, and the weaponization of “fraud” narratives are shaping the administration’s strategy—often at the expense of basic governance and public trust. Then the focus sharpens. With ICE planning a $38 billion expansion of detention infrastructure, Brad and Dan confront what they argue is the normalization of a nationwide network of camps—and the Christian leaders defending it. Analyzing figures like William Wolfe and Kevin Roberts, they expose the theological sleight of hand at work: “order” elevated above human dignity, “our people” defined in narrowing ethnic and national terms, and violence reframed as righteousness. This isn’t abstract theology—it’s a moral justification for mass detention and exclusion. The episode names it plainly and challenges listeners to reckon with what kind of Christianity, and what kind of country, is being built in its name. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley argues that men are called to be fathers, and that fatherhood is defined by sacrificing oneself. But is it? Should it be? Why does high-control religion demand “sacrifice,” and how does Hawley’s account of masculinity reinforce these demands? How does he use this demand for sacrifice to demonize those who don’t share his social vision? And how do appeals to sacrifice mask the interests that lie behind his vision of masculinity? So many questions—take a listen to this week’s episode to hear the answers. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this brief episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad Onishi dissects a revealing interview between Tucker Carlson and Mike Huckabee, using it as a window into the growing rift inside the MAGA coalition. At the center of the clash is a theological and political divide: Christian Zionism versus a rising strain of Christian anti-semitism - nationalist, isolationist populism that increasingly traffics in anti-Jewish tropes. Brad unpacks how debates over Genesis 15, biblical land claims, and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel expose deeper fractures—ones that pit older religious right leaders like Huckabee against a younger, more conspiratorial wing associated with figures such as Candace Owens and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The result is a struggle over theology, nationalism, and who truly defines “America First.” Brad also explores how the Epstein files, Gaza, and the language of “protecting children” are being weaponized within this intra-MAGA battle. On one side stands a Christian Zionist framework that collapses biblical covenant, modern nation-state politics, and unconditional U.S. support for Israel. On the other stands an isolationist populism that critiques foreign aid and military alliances but often slips into conspiratorial and antisemitic rhetoric. Neither camp, Brad argues, offers a healthy path forward. Instead, this moment reveals how theology, demographics, generational divides, and media ecosystems are reshaping the American right in real time—and why the consequences extend far beyond Israel policy alone. Subscribe for $3.65:⁠ ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ Donate to SWAJ: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and political scientist specializing in gender, religion, and public opinion, joins host Leah Payne, author of God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024) and host of Spirit & Power: Charismatics & Politics in American Life. In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne talks with Dr. Melissa Deckman about PRRI’s February 2026 release of findings from the 2025 American Values Atlas—a massive nationwide survey (22,000+ adults across all 50 states) that maps the reach of Christian nationalism and its intersections with race, religious practice, party, geography, age, education, media trust, and attitudes toward political violence. Deckman explains what PRRI means by “Christian nationalism,” why PRRI measures it with a five-item scale (instead of asking people whether they identify with the label), and what the data can—and cannot—tell us about religion and politics in the U.S. today. Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States (Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas) Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation (Matthew D. Taylor / Axis Mundi Media) Right Wing Watch on Sean Feucht and federal partnerships tied to America’s 250th anniversary programming Dara Delgado, “Black Pentecostal and charismatic Christians are boosting their visibility in politics — a shift from the past” Melissa Deckman, The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy,(Columbia University Press) Melissa Deckman, School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics, (Georgetown University Press) Ansley Quiros, Ph.D., PRRI Spotlight: Why Black Americans Identify as Christian Nationalists: Religiosity, Theology, and History Matter Michael R. Fischer Jr., PRRI Spotlight, Understanding Differences Between Black and White Christian Nationalism Adherents and Sympathizers Links and resources mentionedFind Dr. Melissa Deckman at PRRI, LinkedIn, Substack and BlueSkyFind Dr. Leah Payne at drleahpayne.com, subscribe on Substack, follow her on most social media platforms at @drleahpayne, and listen along at Spirit & Power: Charismatics & Politics in American Life, and Rock that Doesn’t Roll: the Story of Christian Rock Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Wilson’s appearance at a Pentagon prayer service hosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is more than a symbolic moment—it’s a window into the kind of Christianity being elevated at the highest levels of American power. Wilson, a self-identified Christian nationalist and longtime pastor in Moscow, Idaho, has built an influential religious and media network rooted in a theology that centers male authority, rejects pluralism in the public square, and frames “Christ is King” as a political claim over the nation itself. His record—documented by journalists like Brian Kaylor and Sarah Stankorb—includes defending rigid patriarchal structures, opposing women’s suffrage, limiting public religious freedom to conservative Protestantism, and mishandling abuse cases within his orbit. That this theology is now platformed inside the Pentagon, amid ongoing fallout from the Epstein scandal and broader debates about power, sexuality, and accountability, raises urgent questions about what kind of moral vision is being fused with state authority—and who it protects. At the same time, CBS’s decision not to air Stephen Colbert’s interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico—an outspoken Christian critic of Christian nationalism—reveals the other side of the equation. Talarico, a seminary student and public school teacher, argues that separating church and state protects both democracy and the integrity of Christian faith. His warning that Christian nationalism is “a cancer on my religion” stands in sharp contrast to Wilson’s vision of public Christianity. The juxtaposition is stark: a hardline theocrat welcomed at the Pentagon, and a soft-spoken Christian democrat sidelined from broadcast television. Together, these events underscore a growing dynamic in American public life—where the state appears increasingly willing to privilege one brand of religion while marginalizing dissenting voices, even within Christianity itself. Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley argues that “modern-day Epicureans” abandon all notions of “history, family, home, and tradition.” He argues that without these, humans have no identity, and that these “Epicureans” have no real sense of who they are. But is this true? Does everyone who disagrees with Hawley’s understanding of the human person lack any identity? And do “history, family, home, and tradition” really define us completely? Join Dan for this week’s episode and find out! Subscribe for $3.65: ⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/⁠ Subscribe to our free newsletter: ⁠https://swaj.substack.com/⁠ Order American Caesar by Brad Onishi: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ Donate to SWAJ: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the history of this moment is written, Minneapolis may take its place alongside Selma, Stonewall, and Harper’s Ferry—a name synonymous with resistance. In this episode, Matthew Taylor and Susie Hayward return to American Unexceptionalism to reflect on what has unfolded in the Twin Cities over the past two months: mass ICE deployments, escalating authoritarian tactics, and a powerful, community-rooted response. Drawing from the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, they explore what frontline resistance looks like in real time, how religious leaders have stepped into both pastoral and prophetic roles, and why this moment feels like the full activation of both Trump-era authoritarian impulses and an American resistance movement finding its footing. This conversation serves as a postlude—and a reckoning—with the themes of American Unexceptionalism. Lessons once drawn from Sri Lanka, South Korea, Brazil, and beyond are now being lived out at home, faster and more intensely than expected. Taylor and Hayward unpack why Minneapolis became the flashpoint, how multifaith and multigenerational organizing has changed the terrain, and what these experiences can teach communities across the country preparing for what may come next. The message is urgent and clear: what’s happening in Minneapolis is coming for the rest of America—and the time to learn, organize, and build the relationships needed to defend democracy is now. Dr. Matthew D. Taylor is a visiting scholar at the center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. His book, The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy (Broadleaf, 2024), tracks how a loose network of charismatic Christian leaders called the New Apostolic Reformation was a major instigating force for the January 6th Insurrection and is currently reshaping the culture of the religious right in the U.S. Taylor is also the creator of the audio docuseries Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation. Rev. Susan Hayward: was until recently the lead on the US Institute of Peace’s efforts to understand religious dimensions of conflict and advance efforts engaging religious actors and organizations in peacebuilding. She has conducted political asylum and refugee work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Advocates for Human Rights. Rev. Hayward studied Buddhism in Nepal and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. www.axismundi.us Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Producer: Andrew Gill Original Music and Mixing: Scott Okamoto Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices