Straight White American Jesus

Axis Mundi Media
Axis Mundi Media
  • 4.7 (1.9K)
  • Politics
  • Updated Daily

An in-depth examination of the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism and Evangelicalism by two ex-evangelical ministers-turned-religion professors. If you have ever wondered what social and historical forces led white evangelicals to usher Donald Trump into the White House this is the show for you. As former insiders and critical scholars of religion, Dan Miller and Bradley Onishi have a unique perspective on the Religious Right. Guests have included Chrissy Stroop, R. Marie Griffith, Janelle Wong, Randall Balmer, Katherine Stewart, and many others.

  1. 6h ago

    It's In the Code Episode 199: "Is God a Liar?"

    In this episode of It's In the Code, host Dan Miller tackles one of the most provocative questions a believer can ask: Did God lie in the Garden of Eden? Beginning with a listener's question about Genesis and God's warning that Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Dan takes a close look at the biblical text itself rather than the assumptions many Christians bring to it. Along the way, he explores how later theological traditions—including original sin, spiritual death, and the identification of the serpent with Satan—have shaped the way this familiar story is understood, often in ways that go beyond what the text actually says. Drawing connections to his previous episode on Job, Dan argues that some of the Bible's most challenging passages become even more unsettling when read carefully and without inherited interpretations. He examines the role of the serpent, the meaning of knowledge, and why difficult questions about scripture are so often discouraged in high-control religious communities. Rather than seeing these questions as signs of weak faith, Dan suggests they emerge from taking the Bible seriously enough to wrestle honestly with its complexities. If you've ever been told there are questions you're not supposed to ask in church, this episode invites you to ask them anyway. If you value independent analysis at the intersection of religion and politics, subscribe to the Axis Mundi Network on Substack at ⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ for daily briefings, exclusive podcasts, and live events. You can also support our work by becoming a member or making a tax-deductible donation through the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement (IRMCE) at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠... Make a tax-deductible donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    It's In the Code Episode 199: "Is God a Liar?"

  2. 1d ago

    Axis Live: From Lindsey Graham to Charlie Kirk: The Theology of MAGA

    In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor examine the political and religious legacy of Lindsey Graham following his death, asking how a senator once known for challenging Donald Trump ultimately became one of Trump's most loyal defenders. They explore Graham's transformation through the lens of white evangelical politics, Christian nationalism, and the pursuit of political power, while also discussing the contradictions between the Religious Right's "pro-life" identity and its support for war, immigration crackdowns, and other policies that raise difficult moral questions. The conversation also considers what Graham's passing signals about the future of the Republican Party, particularly as younger America First leaders challenge the foreign policy and evangelical consensus that Graham represented for decades. The second half of the show turns to the ongoing pretrial hearings in the Charlie Kirk murder case, where questions about religion, politics, and Christian identity are already shaping legal arguments. Brad and Matt unpack how prosecutors and defense attorneys are framing Kirk's beliefs, the growing effort to portray him as a Christian martyr, and the broader implications for Christian nationalism in American public life. They are joined by Arizona journalist Haley Orion of Left Coast Right Watch, who offers on-the-ground reporting from the Utah courthouse and explains why the trial has become a flashpoint for MAGA factions, conspiracy theories, and the future of Turning Point USA. Together, they separate fact from speculation while exploring how religion continues to shape America's political conflicts. If you value independent analysis at the intersection of religion and politics, subscribe to the Axis Mundi Network on Substack at ⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠ for daily briefings, exclusive podcasts, and live events. You can also support our work by becoming a member or making a tax-deductible donation through the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement (IRMCE) at ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org⁠⁠. Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠... Make a tax-deductible donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Axis Live: From Lindsey Graham to Charlie Kirk: The Theology of MAGA

  3. 3d ago

    The Sunday Interview: The Missionary Myth: How Evangelicalism Exported Christian Nationalism

    In this Sunday Interview, Brad Onishi sits down with historian and former CIA Africa analyst Holly Berkley Fletcher, author of The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Drawing on her experience growing up as a Southern Baptist missionary kid in Kenya, Fletcher explores how the evangelical missionary movement became intertwined with American exceptionalism, racial hierarchy, patriarchy, and Christian nationalism. Together, they examine why missionary culture often functions as a form of spiritual bypassing—allowing white evangelicals to see themselves as heroes abroad while avoiding difficult conversations about racism, power, and injustice at home. The conversation also explores the hidden costs of missionary life, including abuse, isolation, authoritarianism, and the impossible expectations placed on missionary families. Fletcher explains how the same dynamics that have fueled the Southern Baptist abuse crisis and evangelical support for Donald Trump emerge from a culture rooted in fear, certainty, and hierarchy. It's a wide-ranging discussion about faith, identity, and the future of American evangelicalism—and why understanding the missionary movement helps explain some of the most pressing religious and political conflicts in the United States today. The Missionary Kids: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889832034/The-Missionary-Kids If you value independent analysis at the intersection of religion and politics, subscribe to the Axis Mundi Network on Substack at ⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠ for daily briefings, exclusive podcasts, and live events. You can also support our work by becoming a member or making a tax-deductible donation through the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement (IRMCE) at ⁠https://www.irmce.org⁠. Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: ⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠⁠... Make a tax-deductible donation: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Sunday Interview: The Missionary Myth: How Evangelicalism Exported Christian Nationalism

  4. 5d ago

    Weekly Roundup: Birthright Citizenship, Doug Wilson, and Bryan Johnson

    Doug Wilson's recent NPR interview offers a revealing look at how Christian nationalism has moved from the political fringe into the mainstream. In this episode, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack Wilson's arguments about household voting, patriarchy, and the Constitution, showing why his vision represents a fundamental challenge to liberal democracy. They also discuss Ken Paxton's latest controversy, the GOP's continued push to restrict birthright citizenship, and why these stories reveal a broader strategy to reshape American politics around power rather than pluralism. The conversation closes with a surprising discussion of tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson's quest to defeat aging and what Silicon Valley's obsession with optimizing human life says about the limits of technology, the meaning of community, and what it means to be human. If you value independent analysis at the intersection of religion and politics, subscribe to the Axis Mundi Network on Substack at https://axismundinetwork.substack.com for daily briefings, exclusive podcasts, and live events. You can also support our work by becoming a member or making a tax-deductible donation through the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement (IRMCE) at https://www.irmce.org. Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: ⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠ Support our work: ⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠⁠... Make a tax-deductible donation: ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Weekly Roundup: Birthright Citizenship, Doug Wilson, and Bryan Johnson

  5. Jul 8

    It's In the Code 198: The Suffering of Job

    Why did God allow Satan to punish the biblical character Job, if he was a faithful and righteous man? This is a question that has been asked by Bible readers for centuries. But it’s a question that biblicists and high-control religionists get defensive about. Why? And why does the biblical Book of Job make this question even harder to answer? What does it show us about the shortcomings of high-control religion? Join Dan for this week’s episode to find out! Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: ⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠ Support our work: ⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com⁠... Make a tax-deductible donation: ⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M...⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast...⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    It's In the Code 198: The Suffering of Job

  6. Jul 7

    Axis Live: Congressman Exposes Trump's America250 Corruption + Patriot Front's March

    Patriot Front's July 4 march on the National Mall wasn't an isolated stunt—it was part of a long American tradition of extremist groups using patriotic symbolism to claim ownership of the nation's identity. In this episode of Access Live, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor trace the historical parallels between Patriot Front and the Ku Klux Klan's massive 1925 march in Washington, D.C., explaining how white Christian nationalism has repeatedly cloaked itself in the language of patriotism, religion, and national renewal. They also unpack the critical distinction between theocracy and theonomy and why those concepts matter for understanding today's Christian nationalist movement. The episode also features Congressman Jared Huffman, who discusses his investigation into how the Trump administration reshaped America's 250th anniversary celebration through the creation of Freedom 250, the sidelining of the bipartisan America250 commission, and the promotion of PragerU as part of a broader campaign of historical revisionism and Christian nationalist messaging. Together, the conversation explores the intersection of extremism, religion, corruption, and democracy—and why recognizing these patterns is essential to defending a pluralistic America. Subscribe to Axis Mundi Media: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com Support our work: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com... Make a tax-deductible donation: https://www.irmce.org/donate Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M... Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast... Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Axis Live: Congressman Exposes Trump's America250 Corruption + Patriot Front's March

  7. Jul 6

    Axis Daily Brief: Is There a "Christian Genocide" in Nigeria?

    Here's a concise, two-paragraph set of podcast show notes in the style you've been using for Axis Mundi Daily Brief. Violence in Nigeria is escalating, and Christians are undeniably among its victims. But does that mean Nigeria is experiencing a "Christian genocide"? In this episode of the Axis Mundi Daily Brief, host Holly Berkley Fletcher examines the growing political narrative surrounding the crisis and asks whether it reflects the realities on the ground. Looking beyond headlines, Holly explores the complex interplay of resource competition, climate change, weak governance, criminal violence, and religious extremism that has fueled years of bloodshed across the country. The episode also explores why the "Christian genocide" narrative has become so influential in American politics, particularly among Christian nationalist leaders and the Trump administration. Holly explains how the stories we tell about persecution shape U.S. foreign policy, humanitarian priorities, and public understanding of global conflicts. By separating evidence from ideology, this conversation offers a deeper look at one of the world's most misunderstood humanitarian crises—and why getting the story right matters. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com... Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hs... Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M... Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast... Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Axis Daily Brief: Is There a "Christian Genocide" in Nigeria?

  8. Jul 6

    The Sunday Interview: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Story of America

    In this Sunday interview, Brad Onishi is joined by historian and author Warren Throckmorton to discuss his new book, The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. Together they examine some of the most persistent myths at the heart of Christian nationalism: that America was founded as a covenant nation, that the colonies' state churches prove the United States is inherently Christian, and that the Founders intended to establish a Christian government. Warren explains why these claims collapse under historical scrutiny while revealing how Christian nationalists flatten centuries of history into a single political narrative designed to justify power today. The conversation also explores the outsized influence of pseudo-historian David Barton, whose revisionist accounts of the American founding continue to shape churches, political leaders, and organizations despite repeated factual debunking. Brad and Warren unpack why these myths persist, how they fuel white Christian nationalism and Christian supremacy, and what is at stake as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary. This is an essential conversation for anyone seeking to understand the historical foundations of today's Christian nationalist movement—and why telling the truth about America's past matters for the country's future. https://www.christianpast.com The Christian Past That Wasn't: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798889835820/The-Christian-Past-That-Wasn-t Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com... Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hs... Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M... Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast... Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    The Sunday Interview: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Story of America
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
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About

An in-depth examination of the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism and Evangelicalism by two ex-evangelical ministers-turned-religion professors. If you have ever wondered what social and historical forces led white evangelicals to usher Donald Trump into the White House this is the show for you. As former insiders and critical scholars of religion, Dan Miller and Bradley Onishi have a unique perspective on the Religious Right. Guests have included Chrissy Stroop, R. Marie Griffith, Janelle Wong, Randall Balmer, Katherine Stewart, and many others.

Information

  • Channel
    Axis Mundi Media
  • Creator
    Bradley Onishi + Daniel Miller
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.1K
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Bradley Onishi + Daniel Miller

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