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 Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who it seems is willing to hold the country hostage by not […]
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 dynamics and effects of this affirmation within the spiritual and religious experience of individuals and particular congregations. […]
The Case Against Christian Nationalism
+ Anti-Semitism Should Worry Us All
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, Schumer, et al trying to get military and law enforcement help as the Capitol was under […]
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 effects? Dan answers these questions in this first of paired episodes on this topic, decoding this language to […]
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 Christian nationalism. For Brad, Christian nationalism is the original purity culture because Christian […]
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 power-at-all-costs worldview of the GOP and the Christian nationalists at the heart of the party. Such events also show […]
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 penetrated deeply into this religious culture. One the surface, these emphases represent a more inviting, less judgmental form of spirituality. But in this episode, […]
Fantasy and Folly at the Museum of the Bible
History, “Good Guys,” and Big Money
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’ve done in the past and are planning for the future, […]