Episode 27: Bradley Onishi on What Really Motivates White Evangelical Politics (and Why?)
b'On today\\u2019s episode, Tim speaks with Bradley Onishi, an Assistant Professor of Religion at Skidmore College and author of the forthcoming book, The Sacrality of the Secular, from Columbia University Press.
Onishi\\u2019s recent writings, in which he discusses his past as an evangelical Christian, frame the conversation as he and Wise explore the way that white evangelism in particular filters virtually all issues of political morality through the lens of abortion. They\\u2019ll discuss why this is, how it explains fundamentalist support for Donald Trump despite his repeated violation of Christian norms of behavior, and how it connects to the religious right\\u2019s racial vision for America as well.
Onishi also discusses the privilege of white nostalgia for a fictive religious, racial and national past, as well as the meaning of Billy Graham and his elevation to the role of \\u201cAmerica\\u2019s Pastor,\\u201d following his recent death.
This episode also features Tim\\u2019s weekly commentary, in which he discusses recent bombings in Austin, TX as well as the arrest of two white men who were hoarding weapons and bomb-making materials in NY and FL, and what the lack of news coverage \\u2014 and the president\\u2019s silence about these events \\u2014 says about the way we view terrorism, violence, and danger in America.'