Ep. 8: The Myths and Martyrs of White Christian Nationalism
In this final episode of Pure White analyses how myths of white women’s innocence are deployed to demonstrate national innocence. The events of January 6, 2020 included several white women who willfully disobeyed the law. When arrested, many claimed innocence despite evidence of their illegal behavior. Ashli Babbitt became well-known as a martyr to the […]
Weekly Roundup: God’s Chosen Is Above the Law
On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Brad and Dan first take stock of two wild but related claims by Trump: He is immune from the law and chosen by God to enact it. Sounds more like a medieval monarch than a democratically elected president . . . In the second segment, the two hosts […]
It’s In the Code Ep. 81: The Inerrant Bible
“The Bible is without error.” This claim, the claim that the Bible is “inerrant,” is what lies behind most Christians’ claims when they insist they are “preaching the Bible,” that they attend a “Bible church,” that “the Bible is true,” and so on. When most conservative Christians claim to be “literalists,” what they mean is […]
Evangelical Trumpism: Then and Now Part I. w/ Tim Alberta
Part I of Brad’s interview with journalist Tim Alberta, author of the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Evangelicalism in an Age of Extremism. In his intro, Brad goes through what he learned from the book – and hints at his criticisms of it (those are coming next week). In the interview, Brad asks Tim […]
Episode 7: Purity Culture and Welfare Reform
Season 1: Episode 7
Weekly Roundup: J6 3 years Later + 14th Amendment Originalism
More Americans think J6 was not big deal than ever. Why? Because the myth of the Big Lie has festered in the three years since the Insurrection, creating an alternate reality in which Donald Trump is not responsible for what happened – and the event wasn’t that violent. Brad and Dan break down the statistics […]
It’s In the Code Ep. 80: “I’m a Biblical Literalist”
“I believe the Bible is literally true.” Such is the claim of many self-professed biblical “literalists.” Academics and journalists who study American religion also often describe conservative Christians, in particular, as “literalists.” But in this episode, the first of several related to the understanding of the Bible within popular American Christianity, Dan argues that no […]
2024 Will Shape America for the Rest of Our Lives
On the first episode of the year, Brad looks ahead to various scenarios in 2024 and what they might mean for our country. One thing is certain: This year will shape our country for the rest of our lives. It could mean a second Trump term. It could mean more political violence. It could mean […]
Episode 6: True Love Waits and Sexual Accountability
This episode focuses on the organization True Love Waits and its founding as a highly ambitious campaign to transform the diversity of sexual cultures, expressions, and ethics in the US into a singular ethic based on Christian principles. While doing so, the campaign also contributed to the culture of abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention […]
Weekly Roundup + Festivus (Brad’s Version): Slavery, Stolen Elections, Civil War, In n Out, and Cauliflower “Rice”
Brad begins by discussing the news that Trump is off the ballot in Maine and what that means in the wake of the Colorado decisions. He breaks down why the complexity and tumult of these decisions does not warrant objection to them and why they are necessary in order to safeguard democracy. In the second […]