Straight White American Jesus

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the arrest of the FBI agent who was in charge of the NY bureau in the lead up to the 2016 election. He was arrested for working for Oleg Deripaska, a man who was at the center of the Trump-Russia scandal. In the second segment they transition to the book banning policy in place under Ron DeSantis in Florida. They then compare the respective agendas of the Dems and the GOP by looking at how Red States in the Midwest are about to benefit from a renewed manufacturing sector as a result of the CHIPS Act. In the final segment they discuss Kevin McCarthy's approach in the House and the way Michigan might be a model moving forward. 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: Venmo: @straightwhitejc https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many have had someone tell them, or grew up hearing, that we all have a “God-shaped hole” in our souls or hearts, and that only faith in (or a “personal relationship with”) Jesus can fill it. What do they mean by this? Where does this idea come from? And what are the consequences, intentional or not, of this way of understanding the human person and the Christian faith? 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 archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: Venmo: @straightwhitejc https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As environmental, political, and public health crises multiply on Earth, we are also at the dawn of a new space race in which governments team up with celebrity billionaires to exploit the cosmos for human gain. The best-known of these pioneers are selling different visions of the future: while Elon Musk and SpaceX seek to establish a human presence on Mars, Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin work toward moving millions of earthlings into rotating near-Earth habitats. Despite these distinctions, these two billionaires share a core utopian project: the salvation of humanity through the exploitation of space. In Astrotopia, philosopher of science and religion Mary-Jane Rubenstein pulls back the curtain on the not-so-new myths these space barons are peddling, like growth without limit, energy without guilt, and salvation in a brand-new world. As Rubenstein reveals, we have already seen the destructive effects of this frontier zealotry in the centuries-long history of European colonialism. Much like the imperial project on Earth, this renewed effort to conquer space is presented as a religious calling: in the face of a coming apocalypse, some very wealthy messiahs are offering an other-worldly escape to a chosen few. Mary-Jane Rubenstein is professor of religion and science in society at Wesleyan University. She is coauthor of Image: Three Inquiries in Imagination and Technology, also published by the University of Chicago Press, and the author of Pantheologies: Gods, Worlds, Monsters; Worlds Without End: The Many Lives of the Multiverse; and Strange Wonder: The Closure of Metaphysics and the Opening of Awe. 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/ Astrotopia: https://bookshop.org/p/books/astrotopia-the-dangerous-religion-of-the-corporate-space-race-mary-jane-rubenstein/18335420 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: Venmo: @straightwhitejc https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the recent news that Ron DeSantis and his administration rejected the AP course in African American studies course in Florida high schools, because in their estimation it holds no "educational value" and does not align with the historical record. This leads to a longer examination of the history of MLK Jr.'s holiday and the White Christian nationalists who have always opposed it. In the second segment Dan lays out the newly opened rift between evangelicals and Trump. Both hosts wonder if this could spell a decisive blow to Trump's political viability - and what it means for the GOP moving forward. In the final segment, Brad goes through the gas stove culture war discussion and explains why culture was are often both silly and incredibly important. 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: Venmo: @straightwhitejc https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many conservative Christians describe their “faith” as giving “purpose” or “meaning” to their life. What do they mean by this? And why does it does it feel to many that there’s more than a confession or description about their own spiritual life here? Why does it seem that this testimonial is aimed at others in a way the operates just below the surface? In this episode, Dan looks at these issues to crack the code of the “testimony” that one’s faith gives meaning and purpose to their life. 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: Venmo: @straightwhitejc https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad speaks with journalist Anna Beahm from Reckon South. Anna shares her harrowing stories from living through (and surviving) purity culture. Over the last few years she has become one of the few journalists whose beat is purity culture, abstinence only sex ed programs, and related issues. She shares her perspectives on the negative effects that these phenomena have on physical health, mental health, and public health, not to mention relationships and self-development. Anna Beahm: https://www.reckon.news/author/abeahm/ 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by breaking down how the attempted coup in Brazil is a Christian nationalist copycat of J6, and what this means for how the world views the USA. Annika Brockschmidt at Religion Dispatches: https://religiondispatches.org/coups-of-a-feather-the-striking-similarities-between-brazils-insurrection-and-jan-6-may-be-due-to-authoritarian-learning/ Brian Klass on Substack: https://brianklaas.substack.com/p/bolsonaro-trump-and-authoritarian Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood at Word and Way: https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/christian-nationalism-invades-brazil They then discuss the revelations about classified docs found in President Biden's garage and other locations. What does it mean for him going forward? How does it compare to the Trump case? What is the reaction from Republicans and Democrats? They finish by going over the new committee formed in the House by the GOP majority - a committee to investigate the weaponization of the government to be headed by Jim Jordan. Brad breaks down the significance of the committee and what it portends going forward, while Dan brings in the case of Rep. George Santos and what it means for the short-term. 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christians of all kinds and traditions talk about “grace.” But what is “grace”? And if it’s a message of God’s radical acceptance of human beings, why does it provoke feelings of guilt and condemnation for so many? Finally, how does the message of grace represent an existential threat to the very institutions that proclaim it? These are the issues Dan explores 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: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 6, 2023 we gathered a group of scholars to discuss what we've witnesses since the Insurrection and what lies ahead for our democracy. The panel included: Bradley Onishi, @bradleyonishi Dan Miller, Sara Moslener, @afterpurityproject Matt Taylor (creator of Charismatic Revival Fury), @TaylorMatthewD Lucas Kwong (creator of Monster in the Mirror) @KwongLucas 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan discuss the ongoing GOP debacle in the House, where a Speaker still has not been elected. They then talk hits and misses from the last year - reproductive rights, voting, Biden's agenda, Russia-Ukraine, J6, and 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/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If the notion that “God helps those who help themselves” isn’t in the Bible, why does it still figure so prominently in the experience of American evangelicals? What is the sentiment behind this notion, and where does it come from? In this episode, Dan explores these issues and argues that while the phrase itself may not be in the Bible, the sentiment behind it is pervasive within American evangelical subculture. 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eight days before the Capitol Insurrection, on December 29, 2020, a group of 15 apostles and prophets, including Dutch Sheets and Becca Greenwood, two of the members of Peter Wagner’s Eagles Vision Apostolic Team, toured around Washington, DC doing spiritual warfare at different monuments. That afternoon, they had a more than 2-hour meeting with high-level Trump Administration officials in a conference room in the White House. This meeting has never been reported on before. How did these New Apostolic Reformation leaders get that access? What were they doing there in the leadup to January 6? Who did they meet with? Follow Matthew Taylor: @Taylormatthewd Follow Scott Okamoto: RSokamoto 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NAR Apostles were at the heart of the Christian Trumpism of the J6 Insurrection. If you’ve looked at any images of the crowds surrounding the Capitol that day, one of the overlooked and under-analyzed details is how many of those “Appeal to Heaven” flags there were in the crowd. They’re easy to identify because of the stark white background and the green tree at the center. Once you begin to notice them, you realize they are everywhere. There must be dozens of them, maybe even hundreds. This is a striking signal of how far Dutch Sheets’ prophetic meme has spread and of his mobilizing potential. One of the most visible markers of a connection between the New Apostolic Reformation and the crowds of rioters and riot sympathizers that day is the presence of this legion of Appeal to Heaven flags. And just in case you might think, well maybe people are just referencing the Revolutionary War, there are people who posted on Facebook that day carrying their Appeal to Heaven flag and reading the prophetic decrees from that day’s “Give Him 15” podcast. Follow Matthew Taylor: @Taylormatthewd Follow Scott Okamoto: RSokamoto 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rudyard Kipling is best known for his children's classic The Jungle Book. But the creator of boy-hero Mowgli also created copaganda for his Nineties - the 1890’s. In his recurring character Adam Strickland, Kipling fashioned an officer who elicits scorn for his unconventional methods, but who always gets his man. In the story we’re going to look at today, “The Mark Of The Beast,” Strickland faces a mysterious Hindu priest who curses his friend by turning him into a wolflike beast. As such, “The Mark Of The Beast” isn’t just a cop story. It also features two horror archetypes that would come into their own in the 20th century: the man-beast and the supernaturally powerful devil worshipper. Or, if you like, the Wolf-Man and the Warlock. In this episode, we’re going to talk about how Christocops today similarly see themselves as fighting an uphill battle to keep Wolf-Men and Warlocks at bay . . . by any means necessary. Text of "Mark Of The Beast": https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/134558/TheMarkOfTheBeastRudyardKipling.pdf?sequence=1 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.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron RECOMMENDED READING: Kathryn Belew, Bring The War Home Anthea Butler, White Evangelical Racism Martin Danahay and Deborah Morse, ed. Victorian Animal Dreams: Representations of Animals in Victorian Literature and Culture Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's Tales Of Horror And Fantasy Craig Mann, Phases Of The Moon: A Cultural History Of The Werewolf Film Alex Vitale, The End Of Policing Jeffrey Victor, Satanic Panic: The Creation Of A Contemporary Legend Written, narrated, and produced by Lucas Kwong Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (www.brotherkmusic.com) Voice actors: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all heard the rhetoric about the so-called “war on Christmas.” But why, exactly, do some Christians talk this way? Why do they get so angry? What are they so afraid of? And is there more going on with this rhetoric than might appear on the surface? In this episode, Dan decodes the “war on Christmas” language to uncover the expressions of Christian nationalism that form the basis for it. 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 Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cindy Jacobs is one of the most influential independent charismatic apostles on the planet. And almost no one outside of charismatic circles has any idea who she is or what she does. It was through Cindy Jacobs that C. Peter Wagner came to believe that Christian prayer could be mobilized on a grand scale to affect and open up entire nations to the gospel. That infamous passage in Ephesians doesn’t just talk about little garden-variety evil spirits, but it also refers to “principalities” and “powers” and “spiritual hosts of wickedness.” Wagner and Jacobs and a whole bunch of other Charismatics come to believe that, not only are Christians called to do battle against those demonic “principalities” and “powers,” but that there is a profound interface between the spiritual world and the physical world. Wagner would eventually to call these “principalities” and “powers” “Territorial Spirits,” and he imagined elaborate hierarchies of demons - demon commanders, demon generals - who ruled over actual, physical earthly territories - and Cindy Jacobs is the spiritual warfare general par excellence. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Flynn was raised Catholic. But in recent years his spiritual identity has shifted - or expanded. He talks often about spiritual warfare and the need for any army of God's warriors to do battle. It is one thing to hear pastors or even worship leaders talk about spiritual warfare and “expanding spiritual territory,” but this language of warfare and prayer weapons systems and spiritual adversaries sure has a different resonance coming out of the mouth of a literal general. How did this language and this logic of spiritual warfare enter into and become ingrained in American politics? What role did spiritual warfare paradigms play in the Capitol Riot? And what does it have to do with the New Apostolic Reformation? 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing a litany of stories related to the 45th president - the releasing of his tax returns, the criminal referrals to the DOJ by the J6 Select Committee, and the silence from the GOP. They then get into a column at the New York Times that bemoans how Americans have "updated" and "personalized" Christianity be going "woke" and so on. This leads to an epic dual rant by the co-hosts befitting the Festivus Season. 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/ https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve likely all heard someone tell us to “remember the reason for the season.” But what exactly does that mean? What are Christians doing when they say that? In this episode, we find that there never has been a single “reason for the season” and decode the demand that we nevertheless “remember” the reason for the season. 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/ https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two phenomena that we hear a lot about these days in connection to the NAR: The Seven Mountains Mandate and Sean Feucht. The former is a theology, or ideology, or brand depending on who you ask. It proposes that Christians have a call to dominate every sphere, or mountain, of earthly existence--from the economy to entertainment to politics. It was first popularized by Lance Wallnau, a popular figure in NAR circles and one of C. Peter Wagner's closest followers. But before diving into the Seven Mountains and Wallnau, we need to figure out where another ubiquitous NAR phenomenon came from - the Charismatic Troubdaor Sean Feucht. In Part I of this episode, Matt explains Feucht's origin story, his rise to fame, and why he represents the power of the NAR movement. In Part II, Matt connects Feucht's use of mountain imagery to the Seven Mountains theology popularized by Lance Wallnau. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are two phenomena that we hear a lot about these days in connection to the NAR: The Seven Mountains Mandate and Sean Feucht. The former is a theology, or ideology, or brand depending on who you ask. It proposes that Christians have a call to dominate every sphere, or mountain, of earthly existence--from the economy to entertainment to politics. It was first popularized by Lance Wallnau, a popular figure in NAR circles and one of C. Peter Wagner's closest followers. But before diving into the Seven Mountains and Wallnau, we need to figure out where another ubiquitous NAR phenomenon came from - the Charismatic Troubdaor Sean Feucht. In Part I of this episode, Matt explains Feucht's origin story, his rise to fame, and why he represents the power of the NAR movement. In Part II, Matt connects Feucht's use of mountain imagery to the Seven Mountains theology popularized by Lance Wallnau. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the Young Republicans gala, where the president said: “We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets. This is the only language the left understands. The language of pure and unadulterated power." It was followed up by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green saying if she was in charge of J6 "we would have won" and "been armed." In the second segment, Dan discusses the attempt by Texas state officials to create a list of trans people in the state - and what this means for the future of trans safety, rights, and care federally. In the final segment, Brad and Dan discuss biblical manhood in light of a Project Mancard where a church trained young men to be godly by engaging in hand to hand combat, war games, and military drills. See: https://dominickb.substack.com/p/grace-city-church-celebrates-its?utm_medium=reader2 Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Join Brad in Costa Mesa, CA - January 13: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/473515687167 Join Brad in Los Angeles - January 14: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/466693531917 Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 For access to the full Orange Wave series, click here: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/products/the-orange-wave-a-history-of-the-religious-right-since-1960 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the Young Republicans gala, where the president said: “We want to cross the Rubicon. We want total war. We must be prepared to do battle in every arena. In the media. In the courtroom. At the ballot box. And in the streets. This is the only language the left understands. The language of pure and unadulterated power." It was followed up by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green saying if she was in charge of J6 "we would have won" and "been armed." In the second segment, Dan discusses the attempt by Texas state officials to create a list of trans people in the state - and what this means for the future of trans safety, rights, and care federally. In the final segment, Brad and Dan discuss biblical manhood in light of a Project Mancard where a church trained young men to be godly by engaging in hand to hand combat, war games, and military drills. See: https://dominickb.substack.com/p/grace-city-church-celebrates-its?utm_medium=reader2 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/ Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who “owns” Christmas? When Christians tell non-Christians that they need to “remember the reason for the season,” or accuse them of engaging in a “war on Christmas,” do they have a right to do so? Is Christmas “theirs” just because it originated as a Christian religious holiday? In this episode, Dan argues that American Christians made Christmas a mainstream part of American culture, a dimension of general Americana, and that as a result they no longer have a claim on the holiday or the right to dictate to others how it should be observed (or not). 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/ Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ché Ahn may be C. Peter Wagner's most dedicated student- and his most successful heir. He leads a network of 25,000 churches and an international superstar known to many simply as Pape Ché. A Korean immigrant raised in Maryland, he has operated from Pasadena, Ca for the last three decades. But he's much more than a pastor. He is an apostle. Or so he says. The story of Ché Ahn is, in many ways, emblematic of the whole Independent Charismatic sphere and what has emerged from it in the past 40 years. If we can come to understand who Ché Ahn is – his long and deep relationship to C. Peter Wagner, his theology, how he got to that stage on January 5th, and how he was thinking about himself in that moment – we’ll be a lot closer to understanding what the “New Apostolic Reformation” is all about. The views expressed by Matthew D. Taylor are his own and do not represent the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Venmo: @straightwhitejc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CORRECTION: We said on this episode that TH Warren is Episcopalian. She is not. She is part of the Anglican Church of North America. The former is a progressive LGTB+ denomination. The latter is not. We apologize for this mistake - it was made in the heat of the moment. We will do better in the future. Brad and Dan begin by discussing the results in Georgia and what they mean going forward. Their conversation is tinged by the announcement that Senator Sinema has left the Democratic party and is now an independent. Dan highlights the ways that the small majority (assuming Sinem'as cooperation) gives Dems majorities on Senate committees and will help them get judges through to the bench. Brad notices how close the run-off was and warns that it's a sign of a persistent threat. In the second segment they discuss the recent article by Tish Warren Harrison at the New York Times on the supposed class between the civil rights of gay people and religious freedom. Brad and Dan put on their theological caps to dismantle the argument on biblical, historical, and civic grounds. In the final segment they discuss the SCOTUS case on independent state legislature theory - a case that could spell the end of democracy in the USA as we know it. They also comment on the release of Brittney Griner. 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/ Denver SWAJ Event Recording Available Here: https://buy.stripe.com/dR67ty0te2Qq6Gs5ks Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christian nationalism is a kind of con game. And of all the authors examined in this podcast, the one most likely to appreciate that con would be Richard Marsh, author of the 1897 horror novel The Beetle. A one time con artist himself, Marsh treats the gender fluidity of his shapeshifting monster as a con game, a scam that defrauds God himself. Today, we're going to talk about how The Beetle's view of transgenderism illuminates the complex of hate, fear, and fascination with which Christian nationalists tell some of their most vicious lies: the ones about LGBT+ people. Written, narrated, and produced by Lucas Kwong Theme song "Lair" by The Brother K Melee (www.brotherkmusic.com) Closing song "Expire/Exhale" by Lucas Kwong Voice actors: Christian Young-Valdovinos, Naomi Kwong 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Further Reading: Victoria Margree, British Women's Short Supernatural Fiction, 1860-1930: Our Own Ghostliness Daniel Orrells Minna Vuohelianen, and Victoria Margree, eds., Richard Marsh, Popular Fiction, and Literary Culture, 1890-1915 Joe Vallese, ed. It Came From The Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror. Cynthia Miller, ed. The Silence Of The Lambs: Critical Reflections On A Cannibal If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider making a donation at ko-fi.com/lucaskwong or leaving a review at our Apple Podcasts page: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-in-the-mirror/id1654399705 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first episode in our new series - Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation, written and created by Dr. Matthew Taylor. In this episode, Matthew traces the beginning of the NAR to C. Peter Wagner, a former missionary and seminary professor who spent the last part of his life cultivating what he believed to be a new apostolic age in the life of the church. Wagner wanted to go beyond denominations to a new Reformation - one in which modern day apostles and prophets used their spiritual gifts to guide their congregations. Wagner developed a network of charismatic young leaders who he believed would lead the church into its next era. And twenty years later, these apostles and prophets did just that - by forming the background of Christian Trumpism and leading the charge on J6. 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/ The views expressed by Matthew D. Taylor are his own and do not represent the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies. Pre-Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the Senate's passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which provides federal protections for same-sex marriage. Both hosts see the bill as a net win, but are concerned about the concessions it gives to churches and conservative lawmakers. They then discuss the seditious conspiracy conviction for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes. Again, it's a net win, but it won't prevent right-wing extremism or put out the fire of the Big Lie. For that, we need the conviction of someone else. . . In the final segment they breakdown the refusal of several counties in Arizona to certify the election. Brad traces this back to the Big Lie and notes why it is more than a footnote in the 2022 midterms. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Count it all Joy” Why do Christians sometimes tell people they should feel “joy” when they experience difficult times? What can that possibly mean? Is it intended as a form of encouragement? As a fatalistic acceptance of everything that happens to us? And what are the implications of this? What are the implications of this idea for mental health, for high-control religious environments, or for the range of feelings, emotions, and experiences that are considered legitimate within the faith community? In this episode, Dan tackles these 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.supercast.com/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are kicking off a new series on the history of the New Apostolic Reformation with Dr. Matthew Taylor. "Charismatic Revival Fury: The New Apostolic Reformation" will run from the first Monday in December all the way to the January 6th anniversary. The series will explore the history of the NAR through its key figures - starting with C. Peter Wagner, then moving to Ché Ahn, Lance Wallnau, Cindy Jacobs, and Dutch Sheets. Along the way we will see how people like Sean Feucht, Gen. Michael Flynn, Doug Mastriano, and others fit into the NAR matrix. The NAR is the most influential Christian phenomenon that you either haven't heard of, or don't understand. It is much discussed, but rarely explored in depth with a scholar's insight and patience. This series will break down myths and clearly present the origins of the fastest growing component of Christianity in the USA - and maybe the world. The views expressed by Matthew D. Taylor are his own and do not represent the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a solo Weekly Roundup Brad discusses the significance of anti-Semitic Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes having dinner at Mar A Lago with former president Trump and Ye (formerly Kanye West). Beyond the frightening implications of a former president - who remains the figurehead of his party - inviting two anti-Semitic celebrities to dine with him, the event demonstrates once and for all that despite the better than expected outcome of the 2022 midterms, fascist threats to American democracy are looming all around us. He then transitions to discuss a new book, Moralist International: Russia in the Global Culture Wars, that shows the profound influence that James Dobson and Allan Carlson (founder of the World Congress of Families) had on Russian culture and politics in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Brad traces a lineage from American eugenicists to Putin's Holy War rhetoric, showing how a fear of White replacement lies at the heart of the culture wars. Moralist International: https://www.fordhampress.com/9781531502157/the-moralist-international/ 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second episode from their 2019 series, Brad and Dan continue their discussion of the history of the Christian Religious Left. They try to figure out how Mainline Protestantism won massive cultural victories in the 20th century, only to decline rapidly in terms of membership and political visibility. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first episode in a 2019 series on the Religious Left . Brad and Dan begin by giving a brief history of the Christian Left over the last century. They highlight four main differences with evangelicalism: approaches to the Bible, the relationship between science and religion, the end of the world, and the Social Gospel vs. Individual Piety. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monster in the Mirror Episode 3: The trope of the “Asiatic criminal mastermind” has haunted Asians for over a century, from the notorious Fu Manchu right up to the myths of dastardly Wuhan virologists circulating in the COVID era. But these myths, which have helped fuel a historic spike in anti-Asian racism, didn’t start with Sax Rohmer’s “Devil Doctor.” Before Fu Manchu, there was Dr. Yen How, the villain of M.P. Shiel’s smash hit The Yellow Danger (1898). In this episode, we examine how Asians today live not only in the shadow of the ruthless Yen How, but also in the shadow of the mindless monster that Yen How commands: the “Heathen Chinee.” 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Narrated and Scripted By Lucas Kwong Voice acting: Christian Young Valdovinos, Lucas Kwong Sound Effects courtesy of royalty free sources Played N Faved, The Sound Source, Free Sound Effects Theme Song “Lair” by The Brother K Melee (brotherkmusic.com) End song “Pledge Of Allegiance” by The Brother K Melee (brotherkmusic.com) Various film and news audio clips used under fair/educational use laws. Further Reading: Sascha Auerbach, Race, Law, and the ‘Chinese Puzzle’ in Imperial Britain Harold Billings, M.P. Shiel: A Biography Of His Early Years Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief In Modern American Culture Lou Cannon, President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetime Ross G. Forman, China And The Victorian Imagination: Empires Entwined Christopher Frayling, The Yellow Peril: Dr. Fu Manchu And The Rise Of Chinaphobia Kathryn Gin Lum, Heathen: Religion And Race In American History Mark Jerng, Racial Worldmaking: The Power Of Popular Fiction Kirsten MacLeod, "M.P. Shiel and the Love of Pubescent Girls: The Other 'Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name,'" English Literature in Transition 51.4 (2008): 355–80 Caroline Yang, The Peculiar Afterlife of Slavery: The Chinese Worker And The Minstrel Form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often hear Christians, cultural conservatives, and conservative politicians appeal to the family, and particularly the need for children to have families. Why do they say this? Would anyone disagree with it? When we crack the code of this language, do find more going on that the simple affirmation that children need and deserve adult caregivers who love them, care for them, and want them to thrive? In this episode, Dan argues that when we crack this code, we find that this sentiment is primarily about the family at all. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad is joined by return guest and co-author Annika Brockschmidt to discuss three things: Her recent piece at Religion Dispatches on the fascist elements of the Right's taste for violence and cruelty The 2022 midterms, including J.D. Vance, Blake Masters, and the looming DeSantis/Trump showdown What the f*ck is happening with Twitter? We have thoughts. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan breakdown the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hopeful from the 2022 midterms. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it was first published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula immediately triggered a spate of strong emotional responses. These responses partly stemmed from its action-movie depiction of Christianity, but also partly from the xenophobic fears of European Jews that lurk beneath its titular monster. Dracula also introduced the idea of a holy conspiracy, whose members must conduct their sacred fight against evil in secret. In this episode, we talk about how a century of adaptations has preserved the notion of dueling conspiracies, and thereby provided the narrative that fuels QAnon, the Oath Keepers, and other modern Crusaders consumed with their own secret plot to take America back from the "globalist" monsters they fear and loathe. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Voice acting: Christian Young Valdovinos, Alfred Kwong, Lucas Kwong, Naomi Kwong For Further Reading: Stephen Arata, Fictions Of Loss Barbara Belford, Bram Stoker: A Biography Of The Author Of Dracula Roger Luckhurst, ed. The Cambridge Companion To Dracula Raymond McNally and Radu Florescu, In Search Of Dracula: The History Of Dracula And Vampires David Skal, Something In The Blood: The Untold Story Of Bram Stoker, The Man Who Wrote Dracula Bram Stoker And Valdimar Asmundsson, Powers Of Darkness: The Lost Version Of Dracula. Bram Stoker, Dracula. Audio from various films used under fair/educational use laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the attack on Paul Pelosi. Brad discusses the conspiracy theories that have taken hold surrounding the attack and why the jokes, memes, and laughs coming from the American Right reveal how they think of the country - and themselves. Dan then dives into Kanye West's anti-Semitic remarks and discusses his history of anti-Blackness. The episode finishes with an examination of the open racial fear mongering on GOP midterm ads in the South. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most central commands given by Jesus of Nazareth in the Bible is to “love your enemies.” But if this is true, why does it seem like we seldom see this in practice among Christians, especially those who actively articulate their faith in terms of culture war and Christian nationalism? Dan tackles these issues in this episode, decode Christian understandings of what “love of enemies” does, and doesn’t mean, for the Christians who appeal to it. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monster in the Mirror is a limited audio series produced by Straight White American Jesus, and created and written by Dr. Lucas Kwong. Monster in the Mirror is a series about monsters. It's about how the fantastical beasts who stalk the imagination of contemporary Christian nationalists were birthed in another white God fearing empire. It's about how Christian nationalism's past and the clues to its future line, the pages of some of the most popular novels in English. Christian nationalism isn't just a set of policies or a material network of influencers. It's a story, a story that seduces the imagination, one that's been told over and over, but that is now enjoying a renaissance. And if we wanna trace today's reboot back to its source material, we have to go back further than the Reagan eighties or even the Billy Graham fifties. We have to go back to another time and place where the script that MAGA religion has now revived first entered white Christian consciousness, not as an explicit political ideology, but as entertainment. That time and place is late 19th century Britain. Monster in the Mirror explores how at the height of its powers, the British Empire began to suffer nightmares, visions of an apocalyptic future, of a decline. That in some sense, actually is happening today in our place in time. And we're gonna see how the monsters that today's Christian right blames for that decline originated in the stories that the late Victorians told themselves about Christianity's enemies and protectors. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the brand new survey data from Pew Religion and PRRI about faith, politics, and American values. Dan brings up the numbers on how many people think the USA is a Christian nation and what that means. Brad discusses the high number of Christians who think that patriotism is an important part of faith - and why that feeds Christian nationalism on an everyday level. After the break, Dan brings up the PRRI data that shows how many Americans think the country has been a force for good in the world without exception. Brad talks about how White Christians, according to the data, see newcomers to the country as a threat to it. They finish by discussing the 50 point divide in how Republicans and Democrats feel about the "femininity" of American society. Pew Research PRRI American Values Survey In the final segment, Brad brings up how Trump, Tucker Carlson, and local offiicals are setting the stage to cast doubt on the election results in the state - and fuel the fire for another violent political event. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad speaks with Dr. Lucas Kwong, creator of the SWAJ spinoff podcast series Monster in the Mirror - first episode drops Halloween 2022. They discuss how Christian nationalism is a story - a story about empire, fear of replacement, and anxiety about the other. In this story, White Christian invent monsters that they then blame for "destroying" the nation and the culture they want to protect. So, political enemies become demons. Elections become apocalyptic events. And the stakes are reduced to a battle between the Good Guys and the monsters they have invented. This explains how 19th century Gothic literature such as Dracula and War of the Worlds provides a map for understanding the monsters that contemporary American Christian nationalists have invented. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan discuss three stories from this week that show American conservatism is over - and what is taking its place is a right-wing totalitarianism that should scare us all. They begin by discussing new material on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who it seems is willing to hold the country hostage by not raising the debt limit in order to get what he wants in the form of cutting certain government programs. Brad and Dan use this to delve into the shift from classical conservative ideals to radical burn-it-down-ism over the last two decades. Brad then provides a brief profile of Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. She is the perfect example of how the contemporary American Right operates on the basis of grievance and revenge, rather than conservative principles. She is also a frontrunner to be Trump's VP pick if he runs in 2024. They finish with the most important story of the day - an article from the Federalist that argues the following: Put bluntly, if conservatives want to save the country they are going to have to rebuild and in a sense re-found it, and that means getting used to the idea of wielding power, not despising it. Why? Because accommodation or compromise with the left is impossible. One need only consider the speed with which the discourse shifted on gay marriage, from assuring conservatives ahead of the 2015 Obergefell decision that gay Americans were only asking for toleration, to the never-ending persecution of Jack Phillips. The left will only stop when conservatives stop them, which means conservatives will have to discard outdated and irrelevant notions about “small government.” The government will have to become, in the hands of conservatives, an instrument of renewal in American life — and in some cases, a blunt instrument indeed. This isn't conservative. It's a call to a totalitarian government. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the previous episode, Dan decoded the affirmation that Christians are called not to “live in a spirit of fear,” showing that this affirmation actually masks a pervasive culture of fear. In that episode, he looked at the dynamics and effects of this affirmation within the spiritual and religious experience of individuals and particular congregations. In this episode, he continues that work, looking at how this culture of fear spills out from individuals and congregations, taking form the Christian nationalism and culture wars that currently engulf our society. As with individuals and congregations, and despite all the movement’s protestations to the contrary, we can see that this Christian nationalism is a social embodiment of pervasive fear. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad links last's week's episode on Christianity as the original American purity culture to the argument made in a new book by Stephen Wolfe - "The Case for Christian Nationalism." In the book and in his public comments, Wolfe makes an argument like this: God created humans on earth Those humans were always going to gather in separate communities Christianity therefore assumes nations Christians should institutionalize Christianity in order to rightly order the public sphere You should love those who are like you more than others Nations should defend their people's identity and freedom from others In Brad's mind, this is a stone's throw from ethno-nationalism - and it creates an impulse to see those who are not White, Christian, straight, patriarchal, and native-born as less than - as deserving less love - and as potentially the threats against which real Americans would defend themselves in the name of God and country. Despite the high theological language, it's White ethno-nationalism - at a time when Kanye West and Donald Tr*mp are making anti-Semitic remarks. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the final J6 hearing. Brad focuses on the new information that the Secret Service had tips about potential violence on J6 as early as December. They then discuss the released footage of Pelosi, Schumer, et al trying to get military and law enforcement help as the Capitol was under siege. In the second segment Dan breaks down the verdict in the Alex Jones case. He zeroes in on how the GOP has reacted to the news by playing the victim - as if Alex Jones did nothing wrong and should not be held to account. In the final segment, Brad discusses Kanye West's anti-Semitism and how it reveals a larger issue in this country: the casual acceptance of everyday anti-Semitism - as well as Christian nationalist's infatuation with Israel, but little regard for Jewish people. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the central admonitions within theologically conservative American Christianity is that Christians are not defined by a “spirit of fear.” What does this mean? Where does this way of talking come from? And what are its effects? Dan answers these questions in this first of paired episodes on this topic, decoding this language to reveal what’s really going on with this insistence on not experiencing fear in the Christian life. 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 book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad does a preview from a key chapter in his new book. He argues that we should see purity culture - the movement for sexual purity in every way that swept through evangelical spaces in the 1990s - as an outworking of Christian nationalism. For Brad, Christian nationalism is the original purity culture because Christian nationalism is about creating and sustaining a pure nation - a nation that is ordered the right way with White Christians in power and everyone else knowing their place on the margins. Christian nationalism wants a pure national body. Purity culture is the attempt to create that nation by purifying teenage flesh from not only sexual licentiousness, but also all the elements that might make the national body impure - queerness, mixed races, and foreigners. 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/ Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163 To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices