Episodes

Nov. 14, 2022

2022 Midterm Debrief + Twitterpocalypse with Annika Brockschmidt

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, includ...
Nov. 11, 2022

Weekly Roundup: The Red Wave Goodbye

Brad and Dan breakdown the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hopeful from the 2022 midterms. Join us at the SWAJ Live Event: https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/ We have in-person tickets at 50% off - use SWAJ50 (limited nu...
Nov. 9, 2022

It's In the Code Ep. 27: Stand for the Flag, Kneel for the Cross

Is the slogan, “stand for the flag, kneel for the cross” a harmless expression of the conviction that good Christians can also be good citizens? Or if we decode it, do we find that a meaning that’s much more pernicious than t...
Nov. 7, 2022

Monster in the Mirror: Ep. 2 - Dracula's Tale of Two Conspiracies

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 ...
Nov. 4, 2022

Weekly Roundup: An Assassination Attempt Gone to the Right

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 the...
Nov. 2, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep 27: Love Your Enemies

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 art...
Oct. 31, 2022

Monster in the Mirror: Ep. 1 - Christian Nationalism's Gothic Genesis

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 wh...
Oct. 28, 2022

Weekly Roundup: A Majority of Americans Think This is a Christian Nation

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 ...
Oct. 26, 2022

Congressperson Jared Huffman on Christian Nationalism and the Threat to Our Democracy

Brad is joined by Congressperson Jared Huffman, who represents California's 2nd District. Rep. Huffman is the only member of the House who is not affiliated with a religious tradition. He started the Freethought Caucus in 201...
Oct. 24, 2022

Dracula, QAnon, and Crumbling Christian Empires

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 replac...
Oct. 21, 2022

Weekly Roundup: American Conservatism is Dead

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...
Oct. 19, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep 25: Not a Spirit of Fear 2.0

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 dy...
Oct. 18, 2022

The Case Against Christian Nationalism

+ Anti-Semitism Should Worry Us All
Oct. 14, 2022

Weekly Roundup: Civil Info Wars

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...
Oct. 12, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep 24: Not a Spirit of Fear

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 ...
Oct. 10, 2022

Christian Nationalism is the Original Purity Culture

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 Christ...
Oct. 7, 2022

Weekly Roundup: I'm Pro Secret Abortion But Anti-Flute, OK?

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the revelations about Herschel Walker, GOP candidate for US Senate in Georgia, paying for an abortion for an ex-girlfriend. What interests them is how this event (like others) reveals the powe...
Oct. 5, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep 23: Christian Health and Safety

Theologically and culturally conservative American Christians actively mock “liberal” or “progressive” or “secular” appeals to “safety” in society. And yet, the rhetoric of safety, and the related idea of “health,” have penet...
Oct. 3, 2022

Fantasy and Folly at the Museum of the Bible

History, "Good Guys," and Big Money
Sept. 30, 2022

Everything You Need to Know About SWAJ

Brad and Dan are in the same room! Recording SWAJ in person! It's the first time since 2019 and so they take the opportunity to do a primer on all things SWAJ: the origin story of the show, the rundown of all the series they'...
Sept. 28, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep. 22: God's Ways Are Not Our Ways

Many have heard Christians claim that “God’s ways are not our ways,” or that “God moves in mysterious ways.” While these words might have been offered as comfort in a trying time, they have had a negative impact on many. In t...
Sept. 26, 2022

Andrew Seidel on How SCTOUS is Weaponizing Religious Liberty

Brad speaks with constitutional lawyer Andrew Seidel about the crusade to weaponize religious freedom for the minority - and against the majority. The Bible speaks of people beating swords into plowshares, but some conservati...
Sept. 24, 2022

Weekly Roundup: A Special Master

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST SWAJ LIVE EVENT! https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/ Brad and Dan begin by going through the details of Trump's awful no good week of legal woes and lawsuits. Dan piles up the hits against him and sho...
Sept. 21, 2022

It's In the Code, Ep. 21: In the World But Not of the World

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST SWAJ LIVE EVENT! https://www.bradonishi.com/nationalism/ You may hear Christians say they are called to be “in the world, but not of the world”? What does that mean? When someone talks in this way, what k...