Straight White American Jesus

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the new Hillsong documentary, "Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed," and the various sexual abuse and infidelity scandals that have rocked the church of the stars. They draw on work by Dr. Leah Payne in order to link Hillsong to a long line of celebrity megachurches that use spectacle, entrepreneurial tactics, and slick marketing to attract young, hot, and rich parishioners. History tells us that eventually scandal will rock the church, due in large part to the authoritarian leadership structures that often characterize this type of ministry.

Leah Payne's op-ed: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/justin-biebers-former-church-hillsong-usa-decline-hypepriests-will-end-rcna23685

They then dig into the news that the Saudi Crown Prince helped funnel 2 billion dollars to Jared Kushner's new firm, despite reservations from pretty much everyone else involved. This leads to a discussion of how propaganda and corruption mark autocratic regimes whose constituents lack trust in their leaders and government. It also provides a helpful rebuttal to Uncle Ron's "whatabout Hunter Biden" line.

“The real concern here is that the public has no way of knowing exactly what favors someone like Kushner may have done for the Saudis.” - Walter Shaub

The episode finishes with substantive discussion on the Georgia Senate runoff and how it illuminates the failed promises of the Democratic party and the incredible war the GOP has made on the state level in just over a year.

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What is “cool kid church?” It’s the gleaming church-that-doesn’t-look-like-a-church in suburbia. It’s the church with the pastor who’s just a “cool guy” talking with the congregation. It’s the church of modern consumer capitalist America. It’s the church of American suburbia and the upper middle class, preaching a Christian message that provides meaning without producing undue comfort. It’s the church that emphasizes a “relevant” Christianity that will speak to you “no matter where you are on your spiritual journey.” But what do we find as we decode cool kid church? That’s the topic of this episode.

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Brad and Dan begin by discussing the proposed federal abortion ban rolled out by Sen. Lyndsey Graham. Brad puts it in the context of the Christian nationalist attempt to return the country to where it was in the 1950s - and to ensure that the rights gained by BIPOC Americans, women, LGBT folks, immigrants, and others are reset. Dan points out the strange timing of the rollout and asks why Graham did it now. They both agree that this is the beginning of a slow roll to banning abortion in almost any case federally.

In the second segment they discuss the MAGA-ification of the GOP by examining primaries in New Hampshire and elsewhere. Where will the moderate Republican go?

Finally, they discuss Ron DeSantis' stunt of flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Both of them ask if this is what a Christian leader does in 2022 and how it can be considered any form of helpful governance. They also discuss how Uncle Ron has infused Florida schools with conservative curricula from Hillsdale College, disproving the notion that the governor wants to rid the state's schools of ideology of any kind.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/07/01/conservative-hillsdale-college-is-helping-desantis-reshape-florida-education/

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Brad and Dan begin by discussing the RNC calling J6 "legitimate political discourse." While it may seem like a blip in a busy news cycle, Dan relates it to the pearl clutching Republicans did about civility and bi-partisanship early in the Biden presidency, while Brad argues that the history books will reveal it as evidence leading to the GOP's development into full-blown fascism. This segment ends with a comparison of this language with the once-upon-a-time concern about Hillary Clinton's emails.

In the second segment Brad takes a semi-deep dive into Putin's assault on Ukraine and how it traces all the way back to the Cold War. There are clues in Putin's worldview as to why so many American Christian nationalists are enamored with him--the binary thinking, the strongman masculinity, and the nostalgia for a lost world.

The final segment is a brief exploration of the trucker convoy protests in Canada and their wider implications for the political moment.

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

SWAJ Apparel is here! https://straight-white-american-jesus.creator-spring.com/listing/not-today-uncle-ron

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Brad is joined by special guest co-host Dr. Sara Moslener. They begin by discussing the hilarious trailer for Tucker Carlson's new original show, "The End of Men," which among other things touts the practice of tanning one's testicles in order to increase testosterone levels. After some jokes about the merits of red and blue balls, they breakdown the model of masculinity Carlson is upholding as ideal and how it connects to patriarchal visions of God and country.

"If God is male, male is God." - Mary Daly

Brad's article on God as Ultimate Masculinity: https://therevealer.org/god-is-ultimate-masculinity-evangelical-visions-of-manhood-in-the-wake-of-the-atlanta-massacre/

In the second segment Brad and Sara discuss the remarkable Right's new buzz word: Grooming. In their view anyone who doesn't oppose CRT and wants children to learn basic facts about history (including slavery and racism) and human health (including comprehensive sex ed) is a groomer who supports pedophilia. Sara traces this all the way back to the 19th century to proslavery theologies. Brad links it to similar rhetoric from the 1960s and 1970s when schools were integrated.

Sophie-Bjork James on the history of the Right's grooming rhetoric: https://religiondispatches.org/the-rights-grooming-rhetoric-didnt-begin-with-qanon-you-have-to-go-back-a-bit-further-to-get-to-the-source/

The final segment examines the fact that all three Republican candidates for attorney general in Michigan are willing to make birth control illegal for any unmarried person. You heard that right.

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