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  • Axis Live: Birthright Citizenship Reactions, Texas Bible Reading, NAR Gone Wild

    Axis Live: Birthright Citizenship Reactions, Texas Bible Reading, NAR Gone Wild
    2026/07/01
    The Supreme Court's narrow birthright citizenship ruling has triggered an extraordinary reaction from influential voices on the American right—and the backlash reveals much more than disagreement over immigration policy. In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi, Annika Brockschmidt, and Matthew D. Taylor examine the response from figures including Kevin Roberts, Stephen Miller, Matt Walsh, and Joel Webbon, unpacking what their rhetoric tells us about the future of the 14th Amendment, Christian nationalism, and competing visions of American identity. The conversation explores why this legal battle is far from over and how the movement to redefine citizenship fits into a broader authoritarian political project. The hosts also analyze Texas' decision to mandate Bible readings in public schools, discussing the implications for religious liberty, public education, and Christian nationalism. Finally, they turn to a series of remarkable public appearances by New Apostolic Reformation-linked politicians, including Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith's declaration that Christians should "hate" what God hates and his attacks on Islam. Together, these stories reveal how increasingly radical religious and nationalist ideas are moving from the political fringe into mainstream American public life—and why understanding them is more important than ever. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 10 分
  • The Sunday Interview: Turning Point USA’s “Pink Pill” Pipeline: Inside the Women’s Leadership Summit

    The Sunday Interview: Turning Point USA’s “Pink Pill” Pipeline: Inside the Women’s Leadership Summit
    2026/06/28
    In this Straight White American Jesus Sunday interview, Annika Brockschmidt speaks with journalist and researcher Madeleine Peltz about her years-long reporting on the conservative youth ecosystem and the gendered strategies shaping the modern far right. Peltz, formerly of Media Matters, has spent thousands of hours documenting right-wing media and events like Turning Point USA’s Women’s Leadership Summit—an increasingly influential gathering that blends lifestyle branding, faith language, and political recruitment. Together, they explore how the “pink pill” aesthetic fuses pop culture, wellness, and evangelical-coded messaging to draw in Gen Z women, reframing conservative politics through themes of empowerment, marriage, and “biblical womanhood.” The conversation examines the contradictions at the heart of this movement: conferences that market “women’s leadership” while promoting submission, purity culture, and debates over women’s political participation. Peltz describes the summit as both a recruitment pipeline and a social network, where influencers, field organizers, and Turning Point USA infrastructure work in tandem to shape ideology and identity. From MAHA wellness politics to tradwife influencers and viral culture-war media figures, the episode traces the fracturing and evolution of Gen Z conservatism—and asks what it means when aesthetics, faith, and political strategy become indistinguishable. Good Girls and Alpha Males by Madeline Peltz: https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-girls-and-alpha-males-how-conservative-media-is-targeting-gen-z-madeline-peltz/fe9f4d811b430430 https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 10 分
  • Weekly Roundup: How Protest Became Terrorism in Trump's America

    Weekly Roundup: How Protest Became Terrorism in Trump's America
    2026/06/26
    This week, Brad Onishi argues that a series of seemingly separate headlines point to a single political project: the construction of a white Christian homeland. He examines the unprecedented sentencing of the Prairie Land protesters under domestic terrorism charges, the Trump administration's growing use of "Antifa" as a catch-all label for political dissent, Supreme Court decisions affecting Temporary Protected Status, and the continued targeting of Haitian immigrants. Together, Brad argues, these developments reflect an effort to criminalize protest, narrow who belongs in America, and reshape citizenship around the ideals of white Christian nationalism. Brad also breaks down new efforts to restrict voting through the SAVE Act, analyzes the rhetoric of figures like Stephen Miller, Megyn Kelly, and Rep. Tom Emmer, and reflects on what Zohran Mamdani's growing political influence reveals about the future of the Democratic Party. Wrapping up the week, he shares reasons for hope, updates listeners on the launch of Access Daily, and explains why independent, expert journalism on religion and politics is more essential than ever. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 分
  • It's In the Code 196: "Why Isn't God More Forgiving?"

    It's In the Code 196: "Why Isn't God More Forgiving?"
    2026/06/24
    Why does God forgive only as much as we forgive? In this episode, Dan Miller explores a listener’s challenging question about the nature of divine forgiveness, justice, and fairness in Christian theology. He examines how high-control religion responds to tough questions and why these core issues matter. How different interpretive frameworks alter understanding of divine forgiveness The relationship between human imperfection and divine perfection The threats and control tactics embedded in religious teachings about justice Why questions of fairness reveal core theological and doctrinal conflicts The broader implications of questioning authority and dogma in faith communities How high-control religion often reacts defensively to challenging questions https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠ Donate today: ⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 分
  • Axis Live: Christendom Over Christ, Political Violence, and the Myth of Religious Revival

    Axis Live: Christendom Over Christ, Political Violence, and the Myth of Religious Revival
    2026/06/24
    In this episode of Axis Live, Brad Onishi and Matt Taylor are joined by PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman to unpack Vice President JD Vance’s new book Communion and the theological vision animating it. The conversation focuses on Vance’s turn toward a form of Christianity oriented less around the person and teachings of Christ than toward a broader project of Christendom and civilizational restoration. Rather than centering the lived realities of individuals or communities, Vance’s framework is read as prioritizing the preservation and defense of “Western civilization,” raising questions about how political theology can displace core Christian ethical commitments in favor of cultural and national projects. The episode then turns to the underexplored Christian dimensions of the terror plot targeting the White House UFC event, situating it within broader patterns of religiously inflected political violence. The discussion concludes with Melissa Deckman presenting new PRRI data on American religion, emphasizing that claims of a widespread religious revival in the United States are not supported by current evidence. Instead, the data points to continued complexity, fragmentation, and stability in national religious trends rather than a clear resurgence. https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠⁠⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠⁠⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠ Donate today: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 4 分
  • The Sunday Interview: America Was Never One Nation Under One God

    The Sunday Interview: America Was Never One Nation Under One God
    2026/06/21
    What does American religious history actually tell us about the present moment? In this episode, Brad sits down with historian and author Brook Wilensky-Lanford to discuss her sweeping new book, A God-Shaped Nation: 500 Years of Religion in America. Rather than focusing on famous founders and powerful institutions, Wilensky-Lanford tells the story of America through ordinary people—religious dissenters, immigrants, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and others whose struggles shaped the nation's understanding of freedom, belonging, and identity. Together, Brad and Brooke explore how figures like Anne Hutchinson, Mary Dyer, Roger Williams, and members of the Native American Church challenged religious domination and expanded the meaning of religious liberty. The conversation also examines the darker side of America's religious history, from the persecution of Japanese American Buddhists during World War II to Supreme Court battles over patriotism, conscience, and the limits of state power. As Christian nationalism continues to reshape American politics, Wilensky-Lanford argues that understanding the country's religious past is essential for making sense of the present. This wide-ranging discussion offers a powerful reminder that the struggle over whose religion counts—and who counts as a real American—has been at the center of the American experiment from the beginning. Subscribe to Axis Mundi on Substack:⁠Axis Mundi Media⁠ Brook Wilenksy-Lanford: A God Shaped Nation? https://groveatlantic.com/book/a-god-shaped-nation/ Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss⁠ Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:⁠https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/⁠ Donate today: ⁠https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 分
  • Weekly Roundup: Trump's Iran Disaster, JD Vance's Problem, and the Collapse of the Strongman Myth

    Weekly Roundup: Trump's Iran Disaster, JD Vance's Problem, and the Collapse of the Strongman Myth
    2026/06/19
    In this week's Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller unpack the fallout from the Trump administration's Iran deal, the growing fractures within the MAGA coalition, and why Vice President JD Vance appears to be carrying the political burden for a foreign policy debacle. They examine the deal's similarities to the Obama-era agreement Republicans once condemned, the tensions between America First isolationists and pro-Israel conservatives, and what Vance's comments reveal about the future of the Republican Party. Along the way, they explore how ideas about masculinity, leadership, power, and political performance shape Trump's approach to governing—and why those approaches are increasingly running into reality. Brad and Dan also discuss the symbolism of Trump's algae-filled Reflecting Pool, the contrast between spectacle and civic leadership, the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, and Zohran Mamdani's appearance at the Knicks championship celebration. What do these competing public rituals tell us about the kind of country Americans want to build? Plus: updates on the launch of Axis Mundi's new daily analysis platform, the Axis Daily Brief, and how you can support independent journalism and public scholarship at the intersection of religion and politics. Subscribe to Axis Mundi on Substack:Axis Mundi Media Listen to the Axis Daily Brief: Axis Daily Brief on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/axis-daily-brief/id1896931494⁠ Axis Daily Brief on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/033zp4MbwXJvxp6MoDkmtj?si=a758e87169e74ede⁠ Axis Daily Brief RSS Feed: ⁠https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/1145852/s/400220.rss Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Support independent religion and politics journalism:https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/ Donate today: https://www.axismundi.us/fundraise?hsCtaAttrib=215444059319 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 時間 3 分
  • It's in the Code ep 195: "Intelligent' Design?"

    It's in the Code ep 195: "Intelligent' Design?"
    2026/06/17
    What are the questions you aren’t supposed to ask in church—the ones that earn you a sit-down with the pastor, worry your parents, and might even make you leave your faith entirely? In this episode, Dan kicks off a brand-new series, "Questions I Wasn't Supposed to Ask in Church," by revisiting a question that got him into trouble during his own time as a pastor: does it really look like human beings were "intelligently designed" by a maximally perfect, omnipotent Creator? While a hypothesis of superhuman design made sense for most of human history, Dan calls bullshit on modern creationist claims by looking at the glaring engineering flaws of the human body—from the staggering statistical inefficiency of human reproduction and dangerous choking hazards to the evolutionary mismatch of our metabolic health in modern society. Why does asking whether a supreme designer could have done a better job elicit such vitriolic pushback from theological traditionalists, and how does confronting the sheer implausibility of intelligent design expose the limits of high-control religion? Join Dan to find out. Direct support: ⁠⁠https://axismundi.supercast.com/donations/new⁠⁠ Tax-deductible donations through our partnering 501c3: ⁠⁠https://www.irmce.org/donate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 分