It’s In the Code Ep. 56: Religious Freedom Part 1
The language of “religious freedom,” “religious freedom restoration” laws, and so forth makes many of us uncomfortable. What does this language mean? Who deploys it? For what reasons? Where did it come from? In this first of a two-part episode, Dan explores these issues, looking at the emergence of the idea of religious freedom and […]
Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation
Jon Ward on “Testimony”
Weekly Roundup: Abortion is a Religious Right
Brad and Dan dedicate this episode to discussing the state of reproductive rights, activism, and law one year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Brad begins by going through the numbers on support for abortion in the country, policy and campaign surprises since Roe’s fall, and the ways Democrats and Republicans have responded. In […]
It’s In the Code Ep. 55: Dedicated Babies
In this week’s episode, Dan explores and explains the practice of infant “dedications,” in contrast with the more familiar practice of infant baptism. Why do some churches reject infant baptism, but practice infant “dedication” instead? And what does this tell us about cultural “duplication” and its role within American evangelical subculture? Check out this week’s […]
Andrew Seidel, Katherine Stewart, Rob Boston on Hope and Fear in 2024 – And Beyond
Brad shares the recording of a roundtable he hosted at Americans United’s Summit for Religious Freedom. He asked Andrew Seidel, Katherine Stewart, and Rob Boston what they are worried about in the year ahead – and what gives them surprising amounts of hope as we careen toward 2024. They expound on SCOTUS, public schools, LGBTQ+ […]
Weekly Roundup: Trump Arraignment, SBC Misogyny, and Resources to be a Trans Ally
Brad and Dan begin by discussing the reactions to Trump’s arraignment in Miami – from congresspeople calling for war, to Kari Lake talking about 75 million Americans with guns, to megachurch pastors exhorting their congregations to emulate religious terrorists. Brad points out that the anger over Trump’s arraignment coincides with the rise of anti-trans rhetoric […]
It’s In the Code Ep. 54: Suffering and Persecution
Why do conservative American Christians and Christian nationalists use the rhetoric of being “attacked” and “persecuted”? Why do they perceive themselves to be “suffering” in the contemporary United States, when they experience pronounced social, cultural, and legal privilege? And how do these ideas link up with the broader valorization of “suffering” within some forms of […]
Dispatches from TPUSA’s Pastor’s Conference
Trans Hate, COVID Denial, and Christian Nationalism
Weekly Roundup: Trump Indicted, Robertson Dead, + Catholic Public Schools?
Brad and Dan being by discussing Trump’s indictment on federal charges. They then break down the life and death of Pat Robertson – an architect of the Religious Right and someone whose influence resounds in American Christian nationalism today, from media, to spiritual warfare, to queerphobia, and more. They finish the episode with a discussion […]
The Religious Exemption Accountability Project
With Dan still on vacation, enjoy this episode from the One Nation All Belief series: Brad speaks with Paul Southwick and Erin Green from the Religious Exemption Accountability Project. They explain REAP’s mission: to help queer students on religious campuses and to get tax dollars out of institutions that discriminate against LGBT people. Through civil […]