Ken Kemp on White People Doing the Work
Ken Kemp is not the person you’d expect to be leading small groups and table talks helping White folks understand the histories of racism and strategies to combat it. He’s a White male Boomer. Someone born into evangelical culture. A guy who went through seminary and was almost ordained twice. But late in life he had an awakening through visits to India, South Africa, and via friendships and events that woke him up to the racialized dimensions of White Evangelicalism. He shares his story with Brad and talks about how other White people can do the work to become anti-racist.
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Weekly Roundup: Christian Privilege and Raced Religion
Brad and Dan briefly touch on three stories: MAGA rebellion in Georgia, Obama on “Defund the Police,” and the federal government’s abandonment of the American people in the face of COVID.
We then dig deeper into two stories about religion and politics:
-the attacks on Raphael Warnock as part of a long history of White Evangelical castigation of Black faith and movements.
-the Supreme Court’s ruling that religious gatherings override COVID health measures
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Sophie Bjork-James on the Similarities Between White Nationalists and Christian Nationalists
Dr. Sophie Bjork-James is an anthropologist at Vanderbilt University. She is a specialist in race, gender, and religion with a focus on White nationalism and White evangelicalism. One of her recent projects is a close reading of the Left Behind series and the Turner Diaries, the latter many consider the Bible of the White supremacy movement. Reading these two texts together reveals the stunning similarities in White nationalism and Christian nationalism, including their belief that violence is justified to achieve their political goals, their fear of global organizations such as NATO and WHO, and their willingness to trample democracy if it means they can stay in power.
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Anne Nelson on the Shadow Network Behind Trump’s Coup, ACB’s nomination, and the Coming Cold Civil War
Brad speaks with journalist Anne Nelson whose book Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right outlines in vivid detail the network of organizations, media empires, and churches that sync the Radical Right. She explains how groups such as the NRA, Susan B. Anthony List, and Family Research Council are all interwoven into a nexus that both helped create the presidency of Donald Trump and will continue the takeover of the United States even after he’s gone. For example, they created a website promoting ACB’s nomination to the Supreme Court way back in 2015. They are the people behind Parler. And they are the largest voter mobilization vehicle in the country. If you want to understand how we got to Trump’s soft coup and where we are headed next, this conversation is essential.
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Weekly Roundup: Frederick Douglass on a Divided Nation, Whose Faith Counts as Really American?, and American Exceptionalism in Religious Terms
Brad and Dan begin by drawing on a famous speech by Frederick Douglass in order to put the nail in the coffin on the idea that it is the Democrats’ job to reach across the aisle. They then explain why Republicans think it is okay to attack the faith–including the sermons–of Raphael Warnock, but would not allow one utterance of criticism related to Amy Coney Barrett’s religious belief and practice. They finish by looking at stats that tell the real story of American Exceptionalism–the presence of almost equal numbers of highly religious people (85 million people) and non-religious people (100 million). No other developed country has this kind of religious/non-religious make up. It has important consequences for our politics and culture.
We finish this episode with a new segment, “He’s No James Madison”.
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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