SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Arthur Finkelstein is not a household name. Yet, he may be one of the most consequential political figures of the last century - he volunteered with Goldwater, grew up with Ayn Rand, helped Nixon and Reagan into the White House, and then orchestrated the ascendance of Netanyahu, the comeback of Orban, and the vilification of George Soros. He also had a hand in getting Trump over the finish line, albeit indirectly. Brad does a deep dive into the puppet master who may be the decoder ring for understanding the political nihilism of the GOP and the rise of authoritarianism across the globe.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

This week was the end of the first act. The point in the story when all the players, themes, issues, histories, and institutions that will determine the rest of the season come into focus. It's not the end. It's not even close. But it's the time when we see who and what will guide the journey.

Brad and Dan begin by discussing the weight of the Trump hush money trial on Trump's ability to campaign - and project an image of bravado and control. They then go into the abortion case at SCOTUS, focusing on the grotesque nature of the discussion on women's health and bodies, and how this will weigh on voters in November. Brad hones in on the Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan aid package, commenting on how Biden touted it as a bipartisan win, but observing that the student uprisings at Columbia, Yale, USC, and all over the country portend a hard road ahead for Democrats with Gen Z. He finished by analyzing what the TikTok ban means and why it might be a Trojan Horse in the aid package.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

In Dan's second conversation with Michelle Dowd, author of Forager: Fieldnotes for Surviving a Family Cult, they discuss the ways patriarchy and authoritarianism often mix in high-demand religions, how trauma from these experiences lives in the body, and the lifelong practices of healing from the mistrust of self that they teach.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

Buy Forager: https://valsec.barnesandnoble.com/w/forager-michelle-dowd/1141906988?ean=9781643751856

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Sometimes we have to pivot from analysis to organizing. From study to action. In order to do that, Brad speaks with the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance. They discuss ways to organize and mobilize for the 2024 elections in order to build a coalition of non-religious and religious Americans who share a commitment to democracy, inclusiveness, and equality.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Brad and Dan open with a discussion of the J6 cases at SCOTUS - and the fact that Clarence Thomas has not recused himself, despite his wife being involved in J6.

The hosts then move to the details of the Stormy Daniels Hush Money case - going through the actual crimes being charged and explaining why they are indeed related to the election.

In the final segment Dan analyzes an article in the Atlantic on what Americans lost when they stopped participating in organized religion. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/america-religion-decline-non-affiliated/677951/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Brad is joined by his brother, Dr. Brian Onishi, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Penn State Altoona, to breakdown the politics, horror, spectacle, and meanings of "Civil War" - the new film out now.

Weird Wonder by Dr. Brian Onishi: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-48027-0

Eugene Thacker (magic circle): https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/in-the-dust-of-this-planet

Hollywood Reporter (about 50/50 split between conservative and liberal viewership): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/civil-war-red-states-and-blue-states-1235875216/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

In this episode, Dan interviews Michelle Down, author of Forager: Fieldnotes for Surviving a Family Cult, about her experiences and insights growing up in an extreme high-control religious community founded by her grandfather. Michelle helps us understand some of the dynamics of high-control religion, considers the role that coded language plays in such religion, and highlights the extreme focus on unity within such communities.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

Matt Taylor joins Brad to discuss a new breed of chauvinistic, theologically bull-headed Christian nationalists who might be better called “Christian supremacists.” These hard-liners believe that Christianity deserves a privileged space in American society — that Christians, being better than other human beings, should be entitled to a superior form of citizenship. They claim that Christians are even destined by God to rule over society. What is hazy nostalgia to the “God Bless America” crowd is an organized theological and political program for the Christian supremacists.

BONUS CONTENT: AOC outlines why she fears Mike Johnson's plans in 2024 . . .

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Subscribe to Charismatic Revival Fury https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/charismatic-revival-fury-the-new-apostolic-reformation/id1738709631

Buy Charismatic Revival Fury for ad-free listening: https://mysoundwise.com/soundcasts/1708963220821s

Matt Taylor's article: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2024/4/8/the-peril-radicalizing-some-evangelicals-goes-beyond-christian-nationalism

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

We kick things off with a humorous reflection on Dan's eclipse-chasing escapade in Vermont, drawing parallels to the comical misanthropy of Larry David. We then segue into a critical discussion on Donald Trump's latest strategic remarks on abortion and the perplexing enforcement of a Civil War-era law in Arizona, contemplating the broader ramifications these developments hold for political dynamics and individual rights.

We then spotlight a movement to convert Gen Z in through anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and a focus on spiritual warfare. Called, "California Will Be Saved," it represents the powerful undercurrents of Christian nationalism sweeping through movements in California, and the assertive presence of spiritual warfare in Southern California's public spaces. The conversation spotlights the diverse leaders who are redefining conservative Christianity and the challenges they present, from their confrontational worship rallies to the influential Seven Mountains Mandate. We hover on the complexity of this movement's multiethnic and multiracial fabric, and its unsettling reach into the lives of Gen Z and the LGBTQ community.

To cap off thE episode, we analyze the amicus brief on presidential immunity written by American historians and submitted in Trump immunity case at SCOTUS.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

In this episode, Dan continues talking with Beatrice Marovich, author of Sister Death: Political Theologies for Living and Dying. In this episode, she talks with us about the concrete social and political effects of a Christian and cultural fixation on death, particularly as it relates to reproductive rights. She also talks with us about ways of thinking beyond death that move away from the traditional Christian notion of an “afterlife.”

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/

Kaylee Peterson is running for congress in Idaho. She's a thirty-something working-class mom who saw her hometown taken over by extreme right-wing politicians through coordinate funding and marketing campaigns. She explains why big money interests and Christian nationalists are teaming up in her state and creating one of the most radical political climates in the country - ravaging public schools and decimating the health care system, not to mention cultivating a sense of intimidation all over Idaho.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC

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

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