Straight White American Jesus

Latest Episodes:

It's In the Code Ep. 74: "Be Grateful" Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

We’ve all had the experience of sitting around a Thanksgiving table sharing what we’re grateful or thankful for. But why do some people seem to demand that we feel grateful? Why do they demand that we express gratitude? And what role to these demands play in high-control religious contexts? What is harbored within these demands that can make us so uncomfortable? Dan dives into these issues in this week’s episode.

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The Women Who Melted the Lee Statue Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

The massive bronze sculpture of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, in uniform, astride his horse Traveller, stood in a downtown Charlottesville park for nearly a century. It was at the center of a deadly white nationalist rally in 2017, when Neo-Nazis and white supremacists tried to stop the city's plans to remove the statue. It came down to cheers in July of 2021.

Dr. Jalane Schmidt has been part of the group of activists, scholars, and historians fighting not only to have the statue removed, but to doing something transformative and radical with it - melt it down. In this interview, she discusses the long legal battles to arrive at this moment, the ways armed Neo-Conferederates terrorized the public space surrounding the monument for years, and why melting it down was a moral risk worth taking.

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Swords Into Plowshares: https://sipcville.com/

Gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/27/opinion/robert-e-lee-confederate-statues.html?unlocked_article_code=1.50w.uLKA.JKzWJ5zpFwGI&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Gift link Washington Post article which includes exclusive video footage of the Lee statue meltdown, as well as an interview with me in which I discuss “moral risk” of iconoclasm: https://wapo.st/3QGfJVp

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/26/1208603609/confederate-general-robert-e-lee-monument-melted-down-charlottesville-virginia

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene denounced Swords Into Plowshares from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives: https://x.com/chelliepingree/status/1720233516435120373?s=46&t=DFpnhdJ2ioBJpzPu9Ngbxw

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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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Weekly Roundup: Covenant Eyes Johnson Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the porn-accountability app that Speaker Mike Johnson uses with his son. They explain how apps like these are a feature in evangelical circles and how they are a part of the purity culture landscape. Dan then zooms out to explain why he doesn't buy the idea that contemporary Christian nationalism, as it embodied in Johnson, is not a divergence from American history. Neither host agrees that this is just a matter of normal patriotic Americans being corrupted, but is instead an outgrowth of a long history.

In the final half of the episode the hosts go through the good news in this week's elections on the issues of abortion, school boards, and the election of one of the nation's first trans state senators. The question: What does this mean for 2024 and beyond?

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/

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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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It's In the Code Ep. 73: "Lot of Great People in That Church" Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

“Evangelicalism isn’t just Christian nationalism. There are also a lot of great individuals who are evangelicals but not Christian nationalists.” We hear that a lot. But is it as plausible a concern as it sounds? And why do people say this? Are they really just concerned about “great individuals” who are portrayed badly? What is there to decode in this sentiment? How might we respond to it? In this episode, Dan takes a closer look at this response and the issues it raises.

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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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A History of Fascism in America Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Has fascism arrived in America? In this pioneering book, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward have gathered experts to survey the history of fascism in the United States. Although the US established a staunch anti-fascist reputation by defeating the Axis powers in World War II, the unsettling truth is that fascist ideas have long been present within American society. Since the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016, scholars have debated whether Trumpism should be seen as an outgrowth of American conservatism or of a darker – and potentially fascist – tradition. Fascism in America contributes to this debate by examining the activities of interwar right-wing groups like the Silver Shirts, the KKK, and the America First movement, as well as the post-war rise of Black antifascism and white vigilantism, the representation of American Nazis in popular culture, and policy options for combating right-wing extremism.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Buy Fascism in America here: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-october-2023

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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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Weekly Roundup: Melting Monuments and Myths Nov 04, 2023

Show notes

Dan and Brad begin by recounting the melting of the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville - and the right-wing reactions to it. This leads to a lengthy discussion of the efforts to keep Trump off the ballot in CO and MN via the 14th amendment. In the conclusion, the hosts discuss how the Lost Cause and MAGA Myths have real-world effects on our public square - and the potential dangers ahead.

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/

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To Donate: venmo - @straightwhitejc
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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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Surviving IHOP-KC Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Brad speaks to two survivors of IHOP-KC about the abuse they endured there, the dynamics of the community, and healing with others.

This week allegations emerged about Mike Bickle, founder of IHOP-KC, a central hub in charismatic Christianity located in Kansas City. Bob Smietana at RNS describes Bickle this way:

"Bickle is one of the most influential charismatic Christians in the United States and a leading figure in the so-called New Apostolic Reformation, which seeks to make prophecy and the leadership of apostles a major part of modern evangelical practice.

A former pastor in the Vineyard church movement, Bickle led his Kansas City-based congregation to break away from that denomination in the 1990s after conflicts with other leaders."

Jo and Gracia tell their stories and give insight about IHOP-KC then and now.

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/

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To Donate: venmo - @straightwhitejc
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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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It's In the Code Ep. 72: "Rebellion is the Sin of Witchcraft" Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

“Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” So reads the King James Bible. What does this verse mean? And why does this translation of the verse still circulate within Christian culture, despite being an archaic translation? And most importantly, what are some of the social effects of this verse? Dan explores these topics in this week’s episode.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

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To Donate: venmo - @straightwhitejc
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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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Mike Johnson and the New Apostolic Reformation Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Brad speak with Dr. Matt Taylor, a foremost scholar on the New Apostolic Reformation. Matt takes Brad through all of the connections new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has to the New Apostolic Reformation - an independent charismatic movement that is growing rapidly in the United States. One of the key points Matt makes is that the NAR teachers/pastors that Mike Johnson is connected to advocate for a colonizer theology - they want to colonize the United States as Christians bent on dominating government, media, education, and every other sector of society.

Dr. Taylor's writing on the subject: https://plus.thebulwark.com/p/mike-johnson-polite-extremist

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/

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To Donate: venmo - @straightwhitejc
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SWAJ Book Recommendations - September 2023: https://bookshop.org/lists/swaj-recommends-september-2023/edit

Order Brad's new book: https://www.amazon.com/Preparing-War-Extremist-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1506482163

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Weekly Roundup: A Johnson for Speaker Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Brad and Dan use the bulk of this episode to introduce listeners to the Christian nationalism of new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. They go over his right-wing record on abortion (near abolitionist), on LBGTQ rights (as homophobic as they come), on separation of church and state (doesn't believe in it), and his understanding of where your rights come from (his God).

They also discuss updates on SCOTUS and Clarence Thomas, as well as Trump's week in court - and the lawyers and allies who have flipped on him.

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