In this end-of-year episode of Straight White American, Jesus, Brad Onishi steps away from headlines, interviews, and analysis to offer something closer to a sermon—a reflection shaped by grief, exhaustion, and defiance at the close of 2025. Naming this past year as the hardest in the life of the show, Brad traces the weight of watching democratic erosion, state violence, and everyday cruelty unfold alongside ordinary life: birthday parties, school pickups, conversations about weather and sports. Drawing on biblical myth, philosophy, and personal memory, he asks what it means to remain human—self-aware, vulnerable, morally implicated—when it would be easier to numb ourselves, to live like giants who only eat, sleep, and survive.

This episode is an argument for joy as resistance, not escapism. Brad reflects on loss, fear, and doubt, while insisting that the fight for justice is inseparable from the small, ordinary pleasures that make life worth defending: shared meals, family rituals, love, curiosity, creativity, and care. As we look toward 2026, this is a call to hold wonder alongside sorrow—to refuse the theft of our humanity by authoritarians, cynicism, or despair. The work continues, both in the streets and in the quiet moments that remind us why we fight at all.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Miller unpacks how Republican policy and ideology are converging around harm rather than governance. He begins with healthcare, breaking down how congressional action allowed Affordable Care Act subsidies to lapse and what that means for millions of Americans who rely on them. Rather than offering alternatives, the GOP continues to frame healthcare through an ideological lens that treats public support as illegitimate, even when the human cost is clear.

From there, Dan traces the familiar shift from policy failure to moral panic, focusing on the escalating attacks on trans youth. He examines the House passage of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Protect Children’s Innocence Act, the Trump administration’s push to ban gender affirming care for minors, and recent FDA actions targeting breast binders. Dan connects these moves to a broader right wing strategy that defines itself through opposition to marginalized groups, warning that restrictions justified in the name of protecting children and morality often pave the way for wider government overreach. He closes by looking at Pete Hegseth’s influence inside the military and the dangers of folding Christian nationalism into institutions meant to serve a pluralistic society.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley suggests that men are tasked with being “leaders.” But what does that mean for him? In what ways does he mix and match his terms to mask his real understanding of leadership and masculinity? And how does it bring to light the ways he presents a caricature of anyone who would question his vision of masculinity? Check out this week’s episode to find out.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad sits down with Dr. Rachel Wagner, Professor of Religious Studies at Ithaca College and author of Cowboy Apocalypse, for a sobering and necessary conversation about why guns hold such powerful meaning in American life. Prompted by recent mass shootings, the episode explores how firearms have become more than tools or political symbols and instead function as sacred objects tied to religion, masculinity, and apocalyptic imagination. Dr. Wagner introduces the idea of the “cowboy apocalypse,” a myth rooted in frontier nostalgia, the fantasy of the lone hero, and the belief that violence can restore order in a chaotic world. Together, Brad and Rachel unpack how this story continues to shape American responses to fear, danger, and social change.

The discussion traces how Christian theology, end times thinking, and cultural certainty have fused with gun culture, turning weapons into symbols of protection, identity, and belonging for some, while representing terror and exclusion for others. Brad and Rachel examine the evolution of the NRA from a gun safety organization into a political and quasi religious force, the role of masculinity and whiteness in defining who is seen as a “good guy with a gun,” and how moments like January 6 reflect a kind of live action role play driven by these myths. The episode closes with a powerful reflection on democracy itself, emphasizing that dialogue, complexity, and empathy are incompatible with the certainty promised by violence. It is a challenging conversation that invites listeners to confront the stories Americans tell about guns and what those stories cost us.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan return to unpack another week of chaos, contradictions, and creeping authoritarianism in American politics. They open with what seems like a small story but carries outsized symbolic weight: the State Department’s decision to ditch Calibri and return to Times New Roman. It’s a font change driven not by aesthetics but by politics, revealing how the Trump administration is using even bureaucratic details to signal exclusion, target accessibility, and roll back DEI efforts. What looks trivial becomes a window into the deeper logic of authoritarian control.

From there, the conversation widens to the issues shaping the country’s political landscape. Brad and Dan examine ICE’s ever expanding budget, the ongoing manipulation of the election system through voter roll purges and gerrymandering, and a string of contentious congressional hearings, including Kristi Noem’s abrupt walkout and the FBI’s admission that it cannot define Antifa as a coherent organizational threat. They also discuss Trump’s increasingly explicit racist and misogynistic rhetoric and the striking silence from GOP leaders who once claimed to stand for democratic norms.

Despite the bleak headlines, Brad and Dan highlight signs that Trump’s influence may be eroding. They point to GOP resistance emerging in places like Indiana, rumblings of discontent within the Heritage Foundation, and encouraging gains for Democrats in state legislatures and mayoral races. But they also wrestle with the central tension of the moment: does Trump’s declining popularity matter if structural control continues to consolidate beneath him. Can the MAGA movement build enduring institutions, or is it fundamentally a brittle coalition held together by grievance and spectacle.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode of 'Straight White American Jesus,' the host introduces the podcast series 'When We All Get To Heaven,' which chronicles the history of the Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco during the AIDS epidemic. The series, produced by Lynn Gerber and available on Slate, uses an archive of 1200 cassette tape recordings from the church to explore themes of grief, joy, faith, and community amidst the crisis. The episode features reflections from church members, including Reverend Jim Mitulsky, detailing personal and collective struggles and resilience. The series celebrates the church's inclusive theology and its unyielding commitment to supporting its queer congregation through the darkest times.

https://www.heavenpodcast.org/#home-section

Donate: https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley argues that “man’s mission” is to combat evil. Defining men in this way makes evil necessary, and it transforms every political, social, and cultural disagreement into a moral conflict of cosmic significance. In this episode, Dan shows how this leads Hawley to distort the “modern culture” and “liberals” he opposes. He also looks at the ways in which Hawley, and those who share his worldview, accuse their opponents of doing exactly the same things they do in practice, and he discusses why understanding this is so important. Take a listen to hear more!

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad is joined by Alan Elrod, CEO and founder of the Pulaski Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens to democracy when entertainment values replace empathy. They start with the Olivia Nuzzi scandal and what it exposes about journalistic ethics, voyeurism, and the public’s fascination with watching someone fall apart in real time. From there, Brad and Alan zoom out to look at the rise of reality TV and algorithmic social media, tracing how both have shaped a political culture that thrives on humiliation, moral certainty, and the dehumanization of anyone outside one’s tribe.

The discussion turns to the viral hit Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and what its popularity reveals about our appetite for spectacle and dysfunction. Brad and Alan dig into why empathy and curiosity are essential for a functioning democracy and how those virtues are being eroded by the panopticon we now live in—one where everyone is a potential broadcaster and every misstep can become a public referendum. They explore how cancel culture, mob justice, and entertainment-driven politics harm people across the political spectrum, and connect these themes to the “Trump effect” that blurred the line between celebrity culture and governing. The episode closes with a look at a new national security document that frames American identity through Western supremacy, raising questions about how foreign policy, entertainment, and democratic decay are more intertwined than we might think.

A sharp, timely, and at times unsettling exploration of what happens when a nation starts confusing spectacle for civic life.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad and Dan return with a packed Weekly Roundup that cuts through the noise of culture war headlines to get at what is really happening in American politics and religion this week. They start with the bizarre story dominating Congress: alleged Venezuelan narco boats, U.S. military strikes, and the growing scrutiny around Pete Hegseth’s involvement. Brad and Dan unpack the legal and ethical questions raised by the operation, the bipartisan concerns over potential war crimes, and the way Hegseth’s rhetoric is being weaponized in the larger project of authoritarian politics. As blame shifts within the administration, the hosts look at how these events fit into a longer pattern of circumventing democratic norms under the guise of national security.

From there, the episode moves into the latest culture war flashpoint out of Oklahoma. A University of Oklahoma student, Samantha Fulnecky, received a failing grade on a paper centered on conservative Christian claims, and the incident was quickly inflated into a statewide moral panic. Brad and Dan trace how a classroom disagreement became a coordinated spectacle, how politicians and media personalities seized on the moment, and what the uproar reveals about academic freedom and the pressure educators face in a polarized climate. They discuss the difference between expressing a viewpoint and meeting academic standards, and why higher education has become a convenient battleground for Christian nationalist narratives.

The hosts also break down the Supreme Court’s decision to keep Texas’s contested congressional maps in place for 2026. They examine the racial and partisan consequences of the ruling, what political leaders are saying in response, and how the decision fits into a broader assault on voting rights and democratic representation. Despite the heavy topics, Brad and Dan close with reasons for hope. They highlight ongoing pushback against authoritarian politics, communities organizing for justice, and signs that democratic accountability remains possible.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Hawley builds his account on masculinity and manhood on the idea that men are created in God’s image and, as such, are his representatives on earth. But what is Hawley’s God like? What kind of God does Hawley worship? Who is this God that is the pattern for human manhood? In this episode, Dan argues that Hawley’s God’s insecurity drives him to exercise his power to dominate others. Check out the episode to hear why.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 850-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad takes a hard look at the American right’s response to the recent shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, and shows how the rhetoric around the tragedy signals a shift from overt Christian nationalism to something even broader and more dangerous: Western supremacy. He traces how this worldview draws from older ideas about civilizational conflict and cultural hierarchy and how it is now being revived by politicians, pundits, and tech billionaires who frame immigration and diversity as threats to the survival of the West.

Using statements from Donald Trump, Fox News, Elon Musk, and leaders of conservative think tanks, Brad breaks down how the language has moved from “protecting Christian America” to “defending Western civilization” and how that shift expands the target while narrowing the circle of belonging. He explains why Western supremacy is an exclusionary, anti democratic ideology and how it lays the groundwork for policies that declare entire groups incompatible with society. It is a sobering, sharp analysis of a growing political narrative that insists not everyone deserves a place at the table.

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1000+ episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163

Subscribe to Teología Sin Vergüenza

Subscribe to American Exceptionalism

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices