Sarah Posner on the Secession of MAGA Nation
Brad speaks with Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump. They discuss how Trump is the result of strategies used by GOP operatives in other countries. The approach is simple: label liberal democracy as an assault on family, faith, and nation; sell a strong, charismatic leader as the only hope to save the country from ruin at the hands of godless socialists; then systematically weaken all democratic guardrails in order to ensure the leader has maximal power over the country. Unfortunately, this strategy has worked by uniting the Religious Right and the Alt-Right into an alliance of aggrieved White Americans-or MAGA Nation. With Trump’s loss to Biden, MAGA Nation is carrying on a cultural secession with Trump at the helm of the alternative United States of America.
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Weekly Roundup: Reviving the Lost Cause – the Real Meaning of Trump’s Refusal to Concede + Biden’s Religious Voters + SCOTUS and Obama Care
Dan begins by explaining why Biden didn’t underperform and why emotionally this should feel like a big win
He and Brad also discuss the White religious voters who fled Trump for Biden and why it is/and is not a big deal
They touch on SCOTUS and the Affordable Care Act, including the surprising comments from Justice Kavanaugh
The bulk of the episode is then spent on discussing the real meaning behind Trump’s refusal to concede. Dan explains why a hard coup is not imminent; Brad sets what he calls Trump’s “Lost Pause” in the context of the “Lost Cause,” the myth and civil religion that emerged from the Confederacy and eventually shaped Southern politics and culture for a century.
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The Brown Church: 500 Years of Resistance and Organizing – with Robert Chao Romero, PhD, JD
In his new book, The Brown Church, Robert Chao Romero speaks from spiritual borderlands. As a Latino pastor and scholar trained in critical race theory, he speaks to those managing what many times feel like mutually exclusive identities. In the process his book has something essential to teach all of us about the history of the Brown Church in North America and how Indigenous and Latina/o peoples have been fighting to decolonize faith, decenter Whiteness, and create more inclusive and equal communities for all. In the course of our conversation, we touch on liberation theology, ways faith communities have been practicing resistance for half a millennium, and the ongoing work to recognize the power and import of the Religious Left. — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
Weekly Roundup: A Historic Election, the Religious Left’s Huge Impact, and the Religious Right Remains the Religious White
As we process the unfolding events related to the election, Brad and Dan discuss:
- why Tuesday night felt so dismaying, despite knowing it would be a long road
- the disappointing turnout for Trumpism and the need to reckon with Whiteness
- the myriad of reasons to be not only relieved, but hopeful
- Madison Cawthorn = future of the Religious Right
- Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock, Cori Bush, and the Squad = Vanguards of the Religious Left
- Why Christian nationalism is far from defeated
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Religion, Roots, and Black National Identity with Richard Newton
In an episode recorded as part of a public lecture at Skidmore College, Brad speak with Dr. Richard Newton about his new book, Identifying Roots: Alex Haley and the Anthropology of Scriptures. They discuss how Haley’s book Roots and the ensuing TV mini-series marked a new chapter in telling the story of Black Americans, how Roots became the “Black family Bible,” and what it means in regard to our current cultural moment. Professor Newton explains how the story has become a sacred narrative about American national identity and how its legacy reverberates in contemporary movements for racial justice. — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
Weekly Roundup: America’s Tense Moment
In the week before the election, Brad and Dan begin with another chapter of Falwell’s Follies. Dan then explains why the polls are similar, but different from 2016 and how Trump’s surrender to COVID has hurt his reelection chances. Brad expands on his explanation of why the Supreme Court should be expanded by providing numbers on how many unfit and inexperienced judges–including ACB–Trump and McConnell have pushed through, explaining how the Senate process has been tainted, and reminding everyone that Trump lost by 3 million votes.
From there, they spend time on a host of Christian nationalism stories–from Patriot churches, to GOP officials riding around with Bibles and guns to protest COVID safety measures, and finally the immoral Trumpism of theologian Wayne Grudem.
The episode finishes with analysis of Paula White’s editorial in Christianity Today and how it symbolizes Evangelicals’ ongoing commitment to Christian nationalism and the Trump presidency.
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After Evangelcalism with David Gushee
Dan speaks with Dr. David Gushee, Professor of Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. The former president of the American Academy of Religion, he is a prolific author who writes often about his journey out of evangelicalism. He and Dan discuss his new book, After Evangelicalism: The Path to a New Christianity. Their discussion delves into issues such as community, race, and sexuality–and how White evangelicals are getting those tragically wrong. Gushee proposes new ways of Christian believing, belonging, and behaving, one that emphasizes being a light the world rather than a vector of exclusion and political power.
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Weekly Roundup: Hunter Biden Explained, Pope and Civil Unions, and the American Values Survey
Opener: Brad and Dan each get 2 minutes uninterrupted on the last debate
Explainer: Hunter Biden non-scandal mularkey
Explainer: Pope announces he is in favor of same-sex couples having civil unions (but not marriages?)
Deep Dive: The American Values Survey from PRRI
- -critical issues for Republicans and Democrats (one thinks COVID is a big deal; the other doesn’t)
- -how White Evangelicals are different from any other religious group in the country
- -attitudes toward race, income inequality, and climate change across party and religious lines.
Audience Question: What do we think of court packing?
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81% WTF (Re-release): The Historical Receipts on Evangelical Leaders Hypocritical Support for Trump
The episode that started it all! On one of our very first shows, we went to the historical record to quote all the evangelical leaders who did everything possible to decry Bill Clinton after his sex scandal/impeachment. They called for integrity, morality, and virtue in the White House. They feared for a country without a godly leader. Those same leaders are remain Trump’s most vocal supporters. Weeks before the election, a great episode to remind us of where we have been and what’s at stake.
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Weekly Roundup: Constitutional Originalism and Biblical Literalism
Dan briefs us on the dueling presidential town halls before he and Brad explain the tenets of Constitutional Originalism, a legal philosophy Amy Coney Barrett claims to hold. They compare it to a separate, but related issue–biblical literalism. In both cases, conservative actors claim to hold the “original” meaning of the text in order to […]
Sarah Levin, Co-Chair of the DNC Interfaith Council and Founder of Secular Strategies
Brad speaks with Sarah Levin, the Co-Chair of the DNC’s Interfaith Committee and the Founder of Secular Strategies, a firm dedicated to mobilizing secular voters. They discuss the values that matter to non-religious voters and how they can be mobilized politically. Perhaps most importantly, they dig into the possibilities for including secular people in interfaith dialogue at the political level. Sarah articulates her commitment to working with, rather than against religious voters who want to cultivate an inclusive, science-based, and democratic ethos in the United States.
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Weekly Roundup: Pretty Fly for a White Guy
Some major announcements! We are now a proud partner of the Capps Center at UCSB! Capps is dedicated to ethics, religion, and public life in a way that matches up seamlessly with our approach on SWAJ. Check out their new series on indigenous religions!
We begin this episode by discussing the VP debate, particularly Mike Pence as a familiar type: The White Evangelical pastor.
We then discuss a cluster of issues surrounding science and COVID–Trump’s use of medicines that made from aborted fetuses (a big deal to the Religious Right, supposedly), the New England Journal of Medicine’s endorsement of Biden, and the general ignoring of scientific counsel on the part of the Trump administration.
We also analyze Senator Mike Lee’s comments that democracy is not necessarily the best form of government–statements in line with Dominionist theology and part of what Brad calls “the dangerous allure of totalitarianism.” The danger of these comments was brought into stark relief when news of a kidnapping plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer emerged. While the major media outlets won’t call it what it is, we will: this was an act of homegrown White terrorism and it is related to Trump’s call to “liberate Michigan!”
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