The Orange Wave, Ep. 4: It’s Not Democracy. It’s War
In the wake of the 1964 Goldwater campaign, three young men decided to start the Council for National Policy in order to take back the country for God–and themselves. They joined forces with an army of clergy, big donors, and media moguls in order to take back America. This “shadow network,” as the journalist Anne Nelson calls it is the secretive, but pervasive force that has overtaken the GOP and infiltrated every level and every corner of this country’s politics. Interview: Anne Nelson, author of Shadow Network, and faculty at Columbia University.— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
The Orange Wave Ep. 9: This is How it Ends
Some just want to watch the world burn. But for others, the end of the world is an opportunity to rebuild it in their image. On this penultimate episode, Brad explores how global kleptocrats, Donald Trump, and Christian Reconstructionists all view the end of the world as a chance for power and control. It is […]
The Orange Wave, Ep. 2: Every End is a Beginning
On this installment of the Orange Wave: A History of the Religious Right Since 1960, Brad traces two intertwined histories. First, the Sun Belt Migration, which led to a massive westward population shift in the 1950s and 1960s. The Sunbelt Migration turned Orange County into the nation’s hub of defense production. This led in turn […]
The Orange Wave, Ep. 1: Oranges and Peanuts
The Religious Right has not always existed. White evangelicals have not always been the guardians of far-right immigration policies and patriarchal models of the family. In the 19th century, they were often progressive activists fighting for labor rights, abolition, and women’s suffrage. How did they transform into the scions of Christian nationalism? Brad digs in to the history with Professor Randall Balmer of Dartmouth College on the initial episode of The Orange Wave: A History of the Religious Right Since 1960.— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
The Orange Wave, Ep. 8: Old School
If you want to take the country back for God, if you want to have dominion over every level of society, if you want to ensure a white Christian patriarchy rules over the land–you have to start with the children. Christian school movements are part of the fabric of the Religious Right. On this episode, Brad examines why the Christian schooling movement–including homeschooling–took off in the 60s, how it has shed government oversight, and what effects its having on our public education system and our public square. This episode features interviews with Dr. Chrissy Stroop and Scott Okamoto.— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
The Orange Wave Ep. 3: From the Goldrush to the Tea Party
In the early 1960s, Orange County became the hub for both white evangelical Christianity and libertarian politics. It was the epicenter of the John Birch Society and the Goldwater campaign. This history is crucial for understanding the rise of the Religious Right throughout the 80s and beyond. It was from this soil that Reagan and […]
The Orange Wave, Ep. 7: Sexless Ed
You might be surprised to learn that the history of sex ed in the USA is a religious history. Christians were not always the enemies of science-based sex education programs. But during the 1960s, the Religious Right began a war against comprehensive sex education. Since then, it has been able to implement abstinence-only sex ed […]
The Orange Wave, Ep. 5: Putin’s Russia: City on a Hill
Brad explores the alliance between the alt-right and the Religious Right in and through Trump’s presidency. In tracing this story, he uncovers how and why the Religious Right now looks to Putin’s Russia, Orban’s Hungary, and other autocratic regimes as the City Upon a Hill that the USA used to be. This episode features an […]
The Orange Wave, Ep 10: The Orange Curtain
On the series finale, Brad reflects on his departure from Orange County and evangelicalism. This provides a jumping off point for reflecting on what we’ve learned through the series, and, perhaps most importantly, how Orange County’s politics and culture provides a window into the contemporary moment.
— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support
Abortion, the War on Women, and the Crusade to Save the “Unborn” (re-release)
Evangelical “Cultures of Life” and Abortion