Axis Live: Netanyahu Meets with the NAR + Dems do God Talk + Andrew Whitehead

With Dan on vacation, we bring you one of the most popular episodes of It's In the Code: "Strong Handshakes" In this episode, Dan continues decoding a card from a church bulletin that outlines the features of a particular church. The focus this time is the promise of “strong handshakes.” There’s a lot to decode with this idea: What does it express about gender? About sexuality? About the family? About this church’s view of proper social order? Check it out to find the answers to these (and other!) questions. Church Bulletin Photo ⁠HERE Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: ⁠⁠⁠https://annieblooms.com/⁠⁠⁠ Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch! 🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right. ⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠ Go to ⁠⁠groundnews.com/SWAJ⁠⁠ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/e...⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's Axis Live Brad Onishi begins by breaking down a video posted by the US Department of State that showcases Marco Rubio's Christian nationalism and Western civilizationalism. Brad digs below the surface to decode the ways Rubio outlines a common good conservatism that seeks to impose order and virtue through family, church, and state. Brad then welcomes Rev. Adam Hamilton to the show. Hamilton is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Kansas who is attempting to end a 90-year drought of Democratic Senators from Kansas. Rev. Hamilton talks about how he will be a public servant for all Kansans not despite his faith, but because the Jesus he serves is a public servant for all people. Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: ⁠⁠https://annieblooms.com/⁠⁠ Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch! 🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ Go to ⁠⁠groundnews.com/SWAJ⁠⁠ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/e... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the emerging religious left look like—and is it becoming a force in Democratic politics? In this Sunday interview, Leah Payne speaks with Associated Press religion and culture reporter Kyrsta Fauria about her reporting on progressive candidates and activists drawing on religious traditions to confront economic inequality, defend workers’ rights, and advocate for policies like universal health care. They discuss Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, the interfaith coalition supporting his campaign, and the ways his Muslim faith has been both weaponized against him and intentionally foregrounded in his political identity. Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: ⁠https://annieblooms.com/⁠ Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch! 🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right. 💬 Join the conversation on Substack and Discord — links below. Go to ⁠groundnews.com/SWAJ⁠ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M..⁠. Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..⁠. 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠⁠https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125..⁠. ⁠#AbdulElSayed⁠ ⁠#MichiganSenate⁠ ⁠#MichiganPolitics⁠ ⁠#DemocraticPrimary⁠ ⁠#ProgressivePolitics⁠ ⁠#ChristianNationalism⁠ ⁠#Trump⁠ ⁠#MAGA⁠ ⁠#TedCruz⁠ ⁠#MikeJohnson⁠ ⁠#Democrats⁠ ⁠#GOP⁠ ⁠#AmericanPolitics⁠ ⁠#IsraelPalestine⁠ ⁠#MedicareForAll⁠ ⁠#CitizensUnited⁠ ⁠#ProjectEsther⁠ ⁠#PoliticalDissent⁠ ⁠#2026Election⁠ ⁠#christiannationalism⁠ ⁠#religion⁠ ⁠#christianity⁠ ⁠#USA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi examines how the American Right and MAGA are reacting to Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan by calling him anti-American, communist, socialist, and more. As Brad explains, these rhetorical choices are strategies that correspond to a larger effort by the Trump administration to criminalize dissent. Brad traces the code words used by the American Right against Sayed, Mamdani, and others to NSPM7 and Project Esther. This is about more than one Senate race in Michigan. It’s about who gets to define what counts as “American,” what kinds of political disagreement are considered legitimate, and what happens when the language of political opposition becomes the language of political persecution. Get signed copies of American Caesar at Annie Bloom's: https://annieblooms.com/ Join us September 16 at Annie Bloom's for the American Caesar book launch! 🔔 Subscribe for daily analysis on religion, politics, and the Christian right. 💬 Join the conversation on Substack and Discord — links below. Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125... #AbdulElSayed #MichiganSenate #MichiganPolitics #DemocraticPrimary #ProgressivePolitics #ChristianNationalism #Trump #MAGA #TedCruz #MikeJohnson #Democrats #GOP #AmericanPolitics #IsraelPalestine #MedicareForAll #CitizensUnited #ProjectEsther #PoliticalDissent #2026Election #christiannationalism #religion #christianity #USA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of It’s In the Code, Dan Miller tackles a question from a Jewish listener that cuts to the heart of Christian theology: if Jesus established a new covenant that fulfilled the Old Testament law, why do so many conservative Christians continue to rely on Old Testament verses to make moral arguments? Dan explores the New Testament's teaching on grace, the Apostle Paul’s insistence that Christians are no longer bound by the Jewish law, and the complicated relationship Christians have with the Hebrew Bible. Along the way, he explains why many conservative Christians selectively appeal to Old Testament commandments—especially on issues like sexuality—while disregarding countless other laws they believe no longer apply. ⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠ 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠ Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..⁠. 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ ⁠ Go to ⁠groundnews.com/SWAJ⁠ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. The Axis Mundi Network A growing independent media institution that combines the expertise of public scholarship with the rapid-response daily drops and live video podcasts. By Brad Onishi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this livestream of Straight White American Jesus (Axis Live), Matthew Taylor and Brad Onishi analyze three stories: 1. The meeting between Bibi Netanyahu and New Apostolic Reformation Leaders like Lance Wallnau 2. The emerging crop of Democratic candidates who are pastors and/or religious leaders 3. With Andrew Whitehead, the new evidence of how Christian nationalism is a predictor for opposition to income equality and a social safety net. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M..⁠. Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..⁠. 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/ ⁠#Warnock #Talarico ⁠#ChristianNationalism⁠ ⁠#Authoritarianism⁠ ⁠#FarRight⁠ ⁠#WesternCivilization⁠ ⁠#Immigration⁠ ⁠#TheEconomist⁠ ⁠#Politics⁠ ⁠#Religion⁠ ⁠#Democracy⁠ ⁠#Trump⁠ ⁠#JDVance⁠ ⁠#PeterThiel⁠ ⁠#AxisMundi⁠ ⁠#BradOnishi⁠ ⁠#PoliticalAnalysis⁠ ⁠#CurrentEvents⁠ ⁠#Geopolitics⁠ ⁠#Civilizationalism⁠ ⁠#AmericanCaesar⁠ Go to groundnews.com/SWAJ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on the stories shaping our world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Onishi interviews TJ Poortinga, author of Electric Orange, a darkly comic novel about memory, media, and the danger of being taken seriously. Part psychological mystery, part alternate history, it’s a portrait of a person—and a nation—that can’t distinguish madness from insight. When Pieter Verboom has a nervous breakdown on national television, the last thing he expects is to become a populist icon. But when his ironic rant is taken literally by America’s fringe, he’s hailed as the architect of a movement he wants nothing to do with. Desperate to disappear, he’s hounded by an unhinged publicist, Ella Walker, who sees disaster as branding gold. Told through the eyes of his loyal student, Santo Vera, Electric Orange is a surreal odyssey through a nation that mistakes sarcasm for a blueprint. https://bookshop.org/p/books/electric-orange-tj-poortinga/1f28115396e32649?ean=9798999882400 For subscribers, a journey into the archives with Brad's interview of Carolyn Chen, author of Work, Pray, Code. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4M... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/e... #ElonMusk #ChristianNationalism #Authoritarianism #FarRight #WesternCivilization #Immigration #TheEconomist #Politics #Religion #Democracy #Trump #JDVance #PeterThiel #AxisMundi #BradOnishi #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents #Geopolitics #Civilizationalism #AmericanCaesar www.groundnews.com/swaj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller breakdown three stories: 1. The GOP pursuit of Anthony Fauci over COVID era decisions and funding. 2. A new poll that shows 66% of MAGA supporters would continue to push for a candidate accused of sexual assault + Elon Musk's lawsuit against a law that bans nudifying AI. 3. The State Department's humiliating mistake in using an error-filled AI-generated map of Africa. The thesis: You can't have democracy without shared facts, shared reality, and universal accountability. (00:00) – Introduction and technological mishaps (01:03) – The significance of shared facts and democracy (04:12) – Democracy, truth, and trust: Maria Ressa’s insights (08:39) – McCarthyism and the obsession with prosecuting Fauci (12:14) – GOP's distraction tactics: From Fauci to election interference (14:47) – The decline of literacy and its societal consequences (19:23) – The post-literate society and the rise of influencers over facts (22:46) – The crisis of accountability and the patriarchal narrative (27:00) – Support for scandal-ridden politicians among GOP voters (35:52) – The monstrous support for domestic abusers in politics (44:42) – The suppression of free inquiry and Western civilization myths (50:04) – AI, geography errors, and neglect of global health issues (52:47) – Musk, deepfakes, and the devaluation of human life (56:38) – Hope amid chaos: Reflections on political resilience and potential for change https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ 💙 Support our work: ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a99b3f1b08e74f55⁠⁠ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠ 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠⁠ #ElonMusk #ChristianNationalism #Authoritarianism #FarRight #WesternCivilization #Immigration #TheEconomist #Politics #Religion #Democracy #Trump #JDVance #PeterThiel #AxisMundi #BradOnishi #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents #Geopolitics #Civilizationalism #AmericanCaesar www.groundnews.com/swaj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Miller continues his "Questions You Weren't Supposed to Ask in Church" series with a reflection on why only some biblical commands are to be taken literally, but others are not. The episode is based on an email from a listener named Matt, who writes: “If we as Christians are to love as Jesus loved (e.g., John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend”), then why don’t conservative, 'Bible-believing' Christians, people who say they take the Bible “literally,” that we’re commanded to do everything it directs us to do, etc., not abide by the social demands that seem to be presented in the Bible?" He offers us a few examples:  Mark 12:31: “Love your neighbor as yourself”  James 1:27: “take care of the infants and the widows”  Hebrews 13:3: “remember those who are in prison”  Matt 25: 40: “just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” If we say we believe the Bible, follow Jesus’ commands, etc., shouldn’t this mean that should support and participate in a robust range of ministries intended to meet social needs? 💙 Support our work: ⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate⁠ ⁠⁠ 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a99b3f1b08e74f55⁠ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠ 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: ⁠https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/⁠ #ElonMusk #ChristianNationalism #Authoritarianism #FarRight #WesternCivilization #Immigration #TheEconomist #Politics #Religion #Democracy #Trump #JDVance #PeterThiel #AxisMundi #BradOnishi #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents #Geopolitics #Civilizationalism #AmericanCaesar www.groundnews.com/swaj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk says he just wants “secure borders.” But is that really what his politics are about? In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi breaks down Musk’s explosive interview with The Economist, where he accused its editor of being a “traitor to the West.” Brad explains why this language signals something much larger than immigration policy: the rise of Western civilizationalism, a political movement uniting Christian nationalists, authoritarian populists, tech elites, and the global far right around a shared vision of who belongs—and who doesn’t. The conversation explores Musk’s support for Europe’s far-right parties, the ideology of “remigration,” the growing alliance between Silicon Valley and Christian nationalism, and why protecting “Western civilization” has become the new rallying cry for anti-democratic movements. Brad also connects these trends to his forthcoming book, American Caesar, showing how religion, technology, and authoritarian politics are converging in the United States and around the world. 💙 Support our work: https://www.irmce.org/donate 🎧 Listen to the Axis Daily Brief:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a99b3f1b08e74f55 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494 📚 Preorder Brad Onishi’s new book, American Caesar: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/ #ElonMusk #ChristianNationalism #Authoritarianism #FarRight #WesternCivilization #Immigration #TheEconomist #Politics #Religion #Democracy #Trump #JDVance #PeterThiel #AxisMundi #BradOnishi #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents #Geopolitics #Civilizationalism #AmericanCaesar www.groundnews.com/swaj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices