An in-depth examination of the culture and politics of Christian Nationalism and Evangelicalism by two ex-evangelical ministers-turned-religion professors. If you have ever wondered what social and historical forces led white evangelicals to usher Donald Trump into the White House this is the show for you. As former insiders and critical scholars of religion, Dan Miller and Bradley Onishi have a unique perspective on the Religious Right. Guests have included Chrissy Stroop, R. Marie Griffith, Janelle Wong, Randall Balmer, Katherine Stewart, and many others.
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Sunday Interview - The Texas Revolution: A Panel of Texans on Why It Happened and Whatâs Next
Sunday, November 8, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:01:29
Brad Onishi talks with three Texans about what happened in the state on Tuesday, when Democrats won the Senate seat, the governorship, down-ballot statewide races, and a majority on the State Board of Education. Robert Downen of Texas Monthly explains why the results are a generational setback for the national Christian nationalist movement, and why Texas has been its incubator for policy and legal strategy. Journalist Bekah Stolhandske McNeel looks at how progressive clergy and faith-forward candidates changed the conversation, and at what to watch as the religious right recasts itself as the aggrieved party. Mendi Tackett of See It, Name It, Fight It describes how first-time and young voters, worried about schools, cost of living, and ICE, flipped Tarrant County after years of Christian nationalist control of the county commissioners court. The panel also discusses why education is the most likely place for new leaders to begin, how overreaching legislation has fared in court, and why this blue wave is probationary. It ends with a case for connecting on shared values and for giving religious voters a different way to be faithful.
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Weekly Roundup: The Midterms Stopped the End of American Democracy
Friday, November 6, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:07:04
The midterms are over, and the results were bigger than almost anyone expected. Brad Onishi and Dan Miller go through the wins, the firsts, and what the results mean for the religious right and the Republican Party.
In this episode:
Why Texas flipping matters, symbolically and for the electoral map
Georgiaâs statewide results and what they say about decades of organizing in the face of voter suppression
Why the margin was too big for the ârigged electionâ and fraud narratives to work
How Trump has responded since Election Day
The first trans and non-binary lawmakers elected in several states
The Republicans leaving office, and the 2028 hopefuls distancing themselves from the Iran war
Why Republicans are going after Pete Hegseth, and what his exit could mean for Doug Wilsonâs influence
Whether this is the peak of the Christian nationalist movement, or only a setback
Why the work isnât finished, including the anti-trans ballot measures that passed in some blue states
Timestamps
00:00 Intro: the blue wave
02:09 Texas
10:18 Georgia and the Reconstruction comparison
22:27 Mississippi and Republicans in crisis
31:11 Trump after the election
33:06 New trans and non-binary lawmakers
37:01 Whoâs leaving office
42:39 Generational turnover and the Supreme Court
44:22 What Democrats should do first
46:45 Hegseth, Wilson, and the religious right
58:52 Closing hopes and a note of caution
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Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/e...
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/...
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com...
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It's In the Code Ep. 213: Do Christians Even Know What a Christian Is?
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 ⢠Duration 30:19
What does it mean to be a âChristianâ? An overwhelmingly common answer for American Christians would be, âto accept Jesus as your personal lord and savior.â But what does that actually mean? Can they even tell you? How much more complicated is the idea than it first seems? And why does this matter? And what happens if you keep asking questions like this? Check out this weekâs discussion with Dan to find out.
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subscribe.Â
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to our Discord community, and access to the Axis Daily Brief.Â
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đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How
Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â
out September 15: â https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/â
đ Defying Tyrants:
Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out
October 6: â https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrantsâ
Full tour dates: â https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tourâ
đ â axismundi.usâ
â www.quo.com/SWAJâ
-Â Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 monthsÂ
â www.groundnews.com/SWAJâ 40%
off the Vantage Subscription!
Â
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Plan to Call Democrats' Win A "Coup" Is Already in Place + 5 Midterm Stories to Watch
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:08:38
On Election Day, Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor walk through what theyâre watching on voting day and in the weeks after. The focus is religion, politics, and the echoes of January 6th, including how an electoral loss could be framed as illegitimate before results are even certified.
What they cover:
DOJ election monitors. The DOJ has reportedly sent about 1,000 monitors to counties with large Black and Democratic populations, including Shelby County (Memphis) and Prince William, Fairfax, and Charlottesville in Virginia. Taylor says the pro-democracy side has prepared with its own monitors and lawyers on call, and that the tactic is predictable. The bigger risk would be an attempt to seize ballots.
Black turnout surge. They cite a Politico piece reporting that over a quarter of Black Southerners had voted six days before the election, a rate above the overall electorate. In 2022 Black turnout trailed by three points at the same stage, and in 2024 by six. They tie the surge to anger over redistricting efforts in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. Taylor adds that Mike Madrid predicts four or five of Texasâs five redrawn districts could flip Democratic, and says he saw unusually heavy turnout at his own polling place.
Delegitimization campaigns. Taylor describes a shift from ordinary attacks to claims that candidates are illegitimate or ânot real Americans.â He points to Trumpâs rhetoric about Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan), the attacks on Mary Peltola (Alaska) over the two-Dan-Sullivans ballot issue, and the âfake Christianâ attacks on James Talarico. His worry is that propaganda built up over time creates pressure not to certify results or not to seat winning candidates.
Predictions and warnings. Onishi predicts a media push between now and January 3 saying that Peltola, El-Sayed, and others canât be seated.
Onishi predicts a Democratic House majority in the 225 to 245 range and argues Republicans have written it off. He says the Senate is where the real stakes are: impeachment, Supreme Court vacancies, and confirmations. Taylor notes a pending effort, filed by Rep. Thomas Massie, to impeach Pete Hegseth, and that Trump couldnât replace cabinet officials without Senate cooperation.
Texas and Talarico. Both hosts argue a Talarico win would be a major symbolic blow to the religious right, because he speaks Christian language fluently and in a pluralistic way. They also cover why El-Sayed (potentially the first Muslim senator) and Adam Hamilton in Kansas matter. Taylor says they could provide a playbook for faith-forward Democrats.
Tucker Carlson, Iran, and Chris Murphy. They discuss a Carlson post claiming Trump may be days from a nuclear strike on Iranâs âPickax Mountain,â and Sen. Chris Murphyâs warnings about Iran escalation.
The Intercessors for America report. Taylor explains IFAâs ties to the New Apostolic Reformation, including its live prayer call during the January 6th riot. . The hosts argue it seeds a narrative from the ground up, mirroring the top-down lies that preceded January 6th, and note the reportâs own language about a âdemonically inspiredâ coup.
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đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrants
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tour
đ axismundi.us
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www.groundnews.com/SWAJ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
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The Sunday Interview: He Saw Palantirâs AI Pick Targets in Gaza. Now Itâs Coming to the US.
Sunday, November 1, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:08:08
Palantirâs AI is helping decide who gets targeted in Gaza, and the same technology is already in use by US police and ICE. This week, Brad Onishi talks with Jacob Sprang, a humanitarian worker who spent about 18 months in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He also worked in Sudan and Ukraine, and he sat on the executive committee of the INGO Forum and the Humanitarian Country Team.
Chapters (approximate)
00:00 Intro: Palantir, Lavender, and the Israeli military
04:00 Springâs background in humanitarian work
06:00 What AI targeting looks like on the ground
08:50 How a point-based system flags people
12:40 COGATâs three categories of âHamasâ
15:20 Taking the human out of the decision
17:50 âAI slopâ as human slop
19:50 Geo-fenced SMS warnings and Maven
24:40 Data as the price of aid
29:10 The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
38:40 Planned communities and manufactured scarcity
43:20 Why Spring came home
50:00 Palantir, ICE, and surveillance in the US
56:50 NSPM-7, âdomestic enemies,â and the shrinking protected class
1:00:00 Closing thoughts
Guest
Jacob Sprang is a humanitarian worker. He is writing about his experiences on Substack. https://substack.com/@jakesprang
If you enjoy our work, please subscribe.Â
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đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: â https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/â
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: â https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrantsâ
Full tour dates: â https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tourâ
đ â axismundi.usâ
â www.quo.com/SWAJâ -Â Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 monthsÂ
â www.groundnews.com/SWAJâ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Weekly Roundup - Midterm Eve: âNon-Citizenâ Voting Claims, Blocking Muslim Members, and Trumpâs Fixation on Menâs Bodies
Saturday, October 31, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:06:59
The midterms are Tuesday. Brad Onishi and Dan Miller give their read on what could happen, then cover the plans being set up for the weeks after.
In this episode:
1. The midterm outlook. Where Brad and Dan think things stand, why Trumpâs switch to âtele-ralliesâ may signal worry inside the GOP, and why Brad says the only thing that matters now is getting people to vote.
2. The ânon-citizens votedâ campaign. Nearly 600 high-profile right-wing accounts, podcasts, and outlets have published more than 7,000 statements questioning the electionâs integrity this year, with the focus now on non-citizen voting. Brad and Dan look at how big âallegedâ numbers get headlines while the checked numbers, like a claim of about 190,000 in California that shrank to about 28, rarely get repeated. They also discuss why courts may respond faster this time.
3. The plan not to seat Democrats on January 3. Trump, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Rep. Keith Self have each argued that certain Democrats, including Muslim and DSA-aligned candidates, shouldnât be sworn in. Brad ties this to the Center for Renewing America and Russ Vought. Dan explains why a religious test for office conflicts with the Constitution. They also play Sen. Chris Murphyâs answer on CNN and discuss whether centrist Democrats could be pulled into the argument.
4. Hegsethâs spiritual advisor. A CNN report on Ryan Higgins, a senior spiritual advisor to Pete Hegseth, who called LGBTQ people a âsatanic cult,â said there is no separation of church and state, and called abortion âdemonic human sacrifice.â Dan and Brad connect it to Doug Wilson and to how Hegseth has brought religion into the Pentagon.
5. Netanyahuâs claims of election fraud. After a deadlocked election, Likud shared claims of fraud at Arab polling stations with no evidence offered, which Dan describes as exporting Trumpâs election-denial playbook.
6. Trumpâs fixation on menâs bodies. Dan goes through Trumpâs recent comments on Husted, Rick Jackson, and argues that the underlying idea is that for MAGA traditional masculinity qualifies someone for office.
7. Reasons for hope. A Fox News interview clip, and Danâs read on why the Trump campaign may be running out of energy.
If you enjoy our work, please subscribe.Â
Paid subscribers get bonus content, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1k episode archive, an invite to our Discord community, and access to the Axis Daily Brief.Â
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494
đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrants
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tour
đ axismundi.us
www.quo.com/SWAJ -Â Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 monthsÂ
www.groundnews.com/SWAJ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's In the Code Ep. 212: Is God Eternal? (Part 2)
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 ⢠Duration 31:24
The affirmation that God is eternal, that God exists outside of time and is unaffected by it, has been central to orthodox Christian teaching for centuries. But it brings other questions with it. How can God act in the world, as Christians also teach? How can we possibly avoid the logic of determinism that follows from the claim that God knows all future events, decisions, and actions? What answers have Christians offered in response to these questions? Are they convincing? What if they are not? Join Dan for this weekâs episode to find out.
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GOP's Desperate and Dangerous Midterm Closing Message + MAGA Wants A Dictator in Brazil
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:03:56
MAGA influencers are calling for a coup in Brazil after Lula's win. Brad Onishi and Matthew D. Taylor explain why that matters for the U.S. midterms, and for the weeks between Nov. 3 and Jan. 3.
With the midterms days away, we connect Brazil's election to the rhetoric about "illegitimate" Americans, and to what a contested result could look like here.
âą CHAPTERS
0:00 Midterms, Brazil, and why they're connected
1:35 Brazil's runoff and the MAGA meltdown
6:23 Why Brazil and U.S. politics are intertwined
9:53 Bolsonaro in prison and the rule of law
12:01 From "rigged" to "Maduro treatment": the escalation ladder
16:28 What Brazil's accountability shows, and what it doesn't
24:35 Hungary, Serbia, Israel: are far-right wins slipping?
31:28 Trump on a "rigged" Brazil, and Minnesota
35:56 Vance, El-Sayed, and "remigration" rhetoric
43:16 Greg Abbott and the "Sharia law" attack
47:18 Three ways to delegitimize election winners: communist, false religion, foreign
51:41 Clip of the week: Trump, Christianity, and "saving God"
58:35 Matt's book tour and upcoming events
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Paid subscribers get bonus content, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1k episode archive, an invite to our Discord community, and access to the Axis Daily Brief.
đ Subscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrants
đ axismundi.us
www.quo.com/SWAJ - Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months
www.groundnews.com/SWAJ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
#MAGA #Midterms2026 #Brazil
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The Sunday Interview: The War on Empathy, Gen Z, and Americaâs Political Divide with Dr. Melissa Deckman
Sunday, October 25, 2026 ⢠Duration 36:51
In this episode of the Straight White American Jesus Sunday Interview, host Leah Payne speaks with political scientist Melissa Deckman about 2026 PRRIâs American Values Survey and what it reveals about religion, political power, and American identity. With Americans increasingly pessimistic about the economy and concerned about threats to democracy, Deckman examines whether dissatisfaction is fracturing Trumpâs coalitionâand whether it will translate into changes at the ballot box.
Melissa Deckman is CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and a political scientist who studies how gender, religion, and age shape American public opinion and political behavior. She is the author of The Politics of Gen Z and Tea Party Women.
For Subscribers
Payne asks Deckman what religious stories she would advise each party to tell. They discuss the appeal of biblical language rooted in compassion, the rise of pastor-candidates, and the opportunities and constraints facing religious messaging across the political spectrum.
Find Dr. Melissa Deckman at Melissa Deckman.com, or on Bluesky and find Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) at PRRI.org
Find Dr. Leah Payne at drleahpayne.com, subscribe on Substack, follow her on most social media platforms at @drleahpayne, listen along at Spirit & Power: Charismatics & Politics in American Life and Rock that Doesnât Roll: The Story of Christian Rock, and read along: God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music.
If you enjoy our work, please subscribe.Â
Paid subscribers get bonus content, ad-free listening, access to the entire 1k episode archive, an invite to our Discord community, and access to the Axis Daily Brief.Â
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494
đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrants
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tour
đ axismundi.us
www.quo.com/SWAJ -Â Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 monthsÂ
www.groundnews.com/SWAJ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Weekly Roundup: Two Weeks Out and the GOP Is Desperate
Friday, October 23, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:06:37
Two weeks before the midterms, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down the GOP's growing desperation as Cook Political shifts 19 House races toward Democrats and James Talarico polls ahead of Ken Paxton in Texas. They cover the DOJ's push to block certification in Alaska, federal agents visiting California residents flagged as non-citizens from an error-filled list, and Todd Blanche's non-answer on whether the DOJ would step into the election.
The bulk of the episode digs into Vivek Ramaswamy's ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her a liar, despite Acton's childhood abuse case, and JD Vance's defense of the ad, which they read as a window into a politics of ruling rather than governing. They also look at what Franklin Graham's midterm voting guide and Joel Webbon's "I told my wife how to vote" post reveal about the hollowing out of the religious right, using Sarah Palin in 2008 as a benchmark.
If you enjoy our work, please subscribe.
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đSubscribe - Substack: www.axismundi.substack.com
Books mentioned:
đ American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi â out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/e...
đ Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor â out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/...
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com...
đ axismundi.us
www.quo.com/SWAJ - Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months
www.groundnews.com/SWAJ 40% off the Vantage Subscription!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
