Straight White American Jesus:
Making Sense of the Religious Right
Decode white Christian nationalism and authoritarian politics–and their threat to our democracy.
Myths of Violence: How Guns Became Sacred in America
We’re the only podcast where you get both “I used to preach this stuff” insider knowledge and PhD-level analysis. A Top 50 politics podcast on Apple.
About the Podcast:
If you’re worried about extremist politics and vexed by the Religious Right, Straight White American Jesus (SWAJ) gives you insider insight from ex–evangelical ministers–turned–religion professors. We help you decode white Christian nationalism and authoritarian politics so you can understand the social and historical forces threatening our democracy.
With academic expertise, Dr. Bradley Onishi and Dr. Daniel Miller break down the religious forces behind every headline. We’re proudly independent—delivering the religious context and theological history missing from deep-pocketed mainstream news outlets. Subscribe
Hosted By:
Bradley Onishi
Daniel Miller
From Fringe Theology to Political Power
We’ve been studying the Religious Right for a long time. Chances are, we’ve already covered your question.
Seven years. 1,000+ episodes later. The most comprehensive audio archive on American evangelical politics, now fully searchable and organized for discovery.
Whether you're tracking Christian nationalism's evolution, trying to understand the New Apostolic Reformation, interfacing with rad-trad Catholics, or researching Supreme Court religious liberty cases, our archive contains in-depth analysis from experts who lived inside these movements before studying them academically.
From J6 to tech fascism, from the history of family values propaganda to postliberal Catholicism, we've built the definitive resource for understanding the Religious Right’s ongoing attack on democracy.
Explore Topic Playlists
Your Perfect Entry Point
Four episodes each week, all focused on keeping you informed on religion, politics, and the American Right.
Sunday
The Longform Interview
We sit down with experts, authors, and scholars for sophisticated analysis of religious movements, policy implications, and cultural issues.
Monday
Brad Onishi Unfiltered
Brad breaks down the week’s biggest headlines at the intersection of religion and politics in America, offering sharp analysis on how faith shapes power, policy, and public life. Each episode connects the dots behind the news to help listeners understand the deeper forces driving today’s culture wars.
Wednesday
Academic Deconstruction
“It’s in the Code” is a systematic breakdown of right-wing Christian concepts using multi-dimensional analysis—clinical, biblical, and social justice perspectives. Dan's series informs and heals through systematic deconstruction of religion for ex-evangelicals and religious trauma survivors.
FRIDAY
Religion + Politics News
Without the limitations or both-sides-isms of the mainstream media, Brad and Dan tackle the week's religion + politics developments with theological context and historical perspective. Ideal for staying informed about the crossover between religion and politics nationwide.
Every format serves the same goal
Sophisticated religious literacy to safeguard our democracy.
Proudly Member Supported
Mainstream media is beholden to corporate boards. SWAJ is accountable only to our listeners.
Axis Mundi Flagship
Get access to the full SWAJ archive, a bonus episode each month, our Discord community, and exclusive merch. And enjoy ad-free listening.
Trusted by Experts and Community Leaders
We’re former ministers who became religious scholars—so we know these extremist movements inside and out.
Dr. Bradley Onishi (former megachurch pastor with graduate degrees from UCSB, Oxford University, and L’institut catholique de Paris) and Dr. Dan Miller (a Southern Baptist minister before attending graduate school at Oxford University and Syracuse University) bridge lived-evangelical experience with academic expertise.
We preached these beliefs before studying and deconstructing them, creating unmatched insight into the Religious Right.
Millions of downloads. Thousands of premium subscribers. Used in academic classrooms worldwide. Government consultations. The definitive source for understanding white Christian nationalism and the growing threat of authoritarian religion.
Straight White American Jesus is what happens when insider knowledge meets scholarly rigor.
Go Deeper With the Axis Mundi Network
Connecting the ivory tower to the grassroots.
Short news clips and condensed breakdowns are great—but we believe going deeper into the historical roots of today’s challenges is the best way to be informed and protect our democracy.
Axis Mundi Premium expands your understanding beyond SWAJ with 30+ hours of exclusive documentary-style content from world-renowned scholars. While SWAJ focuses on Christian nationalist politics, Axis Mundi's research-based network covers the full spectrum of religious nationalism, constitutional law, and authoritarian threats to democracy.
Resources and study guides. Limited documentary series. Academic rigor and public scholarship that refuses to gatekeep.
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Join the thousands of pastors, elected officials, educators, engaged citizens, and leaders becoming more informed about the rise of authoritarianism on the Religious Right–and what they can do to shine a light on it.
