Podcast appearances and mentions of ruth braunstein

Did you see the stat from last week that the U.S. could've fully funded universal daycare for two million children... using the money spent on the War on Iran (only leading up to the ceasefire)? Do you look at the billions spent on ICE enforcement and think: my federal taxes are funding this? Are you super annoyed that only the rich get praised for "tax loopholes" — while the poor get told they're freeloaders? And what about billionaires bragging about not paying taxes? So many of you have asked for a sharp conversation about the morality and civic duty of taxes and money, and I'm thrilled to have sociologist Ruth Braunstein — whose new book is about these very questions — on the show to answer all of your deep and difficult questions. This one's a just trust me: you might not think you're that interested in the morality of taxes, but this conversation will stick with you for days. Thanks to the sponsors of today's episode! Wake up with clearer skin, smoother hair, and cooler sleep. Use code CULTUREPOD for an extra 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD For a limited time, try OneSkin with 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.co/CULTURE. That's 15% off oneskin.co with code CULTURE Get 40% off select Lola Blankets products at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout. Experience the world's #1 blanket with Lola Blankets Show Notes: Learn more about Ruth's work: https://www.ruthbraunstein.com/ Subscribe to Ruth's newsletter: https://ruthbraunstein.substack.com/ Order Ruth's book, My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9780691254999 Also check out Ruth's documentary podcast: https://www.ruthbraunstein.com/podcast Just a very straightforward representation of the history of the marginal tax rate: https://taxpolicycenter.org/statistics/historical-highest-marginal-income-tax-rates I promised links to War Tax Resistance Sites — War Tax Resistors League: https://www.warresisters.org/war-tax-resistance/ National War Tax Committee Resistance Coordinating Committee: https://nwtrcc.org/ We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: BOOK CONCIERGE....BUT FOR IRISH LITERATURE. We're so thrilled to have Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) on the pod to do an Irish version of our book concierge: tell us what books you love, and Maggie and I will suggest Irish books to check out (or ask us Maggie O'Farrell-related questions! Her new book, Land, is set in Ireland before and after 'The Great Hunger') HEARTTHROBS with return guest Adib Khorram! Who are the heartthrobs in 2026, where did they come from, who gets to be one, etc etc WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one. BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it. INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you. HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with? Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it's literally the name of the segment. As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week's discussion: How are you thinking about tax protesting right now? Join the ranks of paid subscribers and get bonus content, access to the discussion threads, ad-free episodes, and the knowledge that you're supporting an indie pod trying to make its way in the world.Got a question to submit, a prompt for Ask Anne Anything, or an idea for a future episode? Tell us here.Catch up on everything else happening in the Culture Study universe here.Transcripts will be available here within 24 hours of publishing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comSociologist Ruth Braunstein joins Faithful Politics to examine how Americans use faith and moral language to interpret citizenship, protest, and public life. Drawing on her research into religious activism across the political spectrum, Braunstein explains why democracy in the United States is often framed as a “sacred project” and how two competing moral narratives — one rooted in prophetic critique and another in patriotic preservation — shape today's political conflicts. The conversation explores Christian nationalism, motivated reasoning, and the internal dynamics of white evangelical communities, while also highlighting progressive faith activism that often goes unseen. Braunstein argues that pluralism is difficult but necessary, and that meaningful democratic engagement starts by moving from partisan abstractions to shared local concerns. This discussion provides a sociological framework for understanding how faith communities influence politics and how citizens can hold strong convictions while navigating deep disagreement. Learn more: https://www.ruthbraunstein.comDemocracy is Hard Substack: https://substack.com/@ruthbraunsteinGuest BioRuth Braunstein is a sociologist who studies religion, politics, and democratic life in the United States. She is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith and Democracy Across the Political Divide and writes the Substack Democracy Is Hard. Her research examines how Americans across ideological lines use faith to interpret public responsibility, citizenship, and protest. She also hosts the documentary podcast When the Wolves Came, which explores internal debates within evangelical communities about extremism and political identity.Support the show

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 800-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad sits down with Dr. Ruth Braunstein, professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of My Tax Dollars. Together, they explore an unexpected question: Can paying taxes be a moral act? Far from being a dry civic obligation, Braunstein argues that taxation can serve as a collective ritual—one that reflects our values, builds solidarity, and fuels moral debate. The conversation traces the historical evolution of tax narratives in the U.S., from patriotic propaganda during World War II to the rise of anti-tax movements tied to abortion, war, and distrust in government. They also unpack the cultural shift from taxes as a civic duty to something to be avoided or even bragged about, as seen in Donald Trump's infamous comment on dodging taxes. Throughout the episode, Braunstein sheds light on how Americans' attitudes toward taxation reveal deeper fault lines around democracy, governance, and belonging. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Check out BetterHelp and use my code SWA for a great deal: www.betterhelp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textIn this episode, Scott and Jeff chat with Ruth Braunstein about her recent book "My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America" wherein we discuss complicated issues related to using tax dollars to fund controversial issues like abortion and war. We discuss taxpayer resistance. We chat about the complexities that arise in government use of taxpayer dollars when the underlying population is extremely diverse.

On today's show, host Sara Gabler speaks with sociologist Dr. Ruth Braunstein about money and morality and how people invest a lot of symbolic value (in addition to material value) in the act of tax paying. The post On the Morality of Taxpaying appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com.

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

In My Tax Dollars: The Morality of Taxpaying in America (Princeton University Press, 2025), Ruth Braunstein maps the contested moral landscape in which Americans experience and make sense of the tax system. Braunstein tells the stories of Americans who view taxpaying as more than a mundane chore: antigovernment tax defiers who challenge the legitimacy of the tax system, antiwar activists who resist the use of their taxes to fund war, antiabortion activists against “taxpayer funded abortions,” and a diverse group of people who promote taxpaying as a moral good. Though taxpaying is often portrayed as dull and technical, exposure to collective rituals, civic education, propaganda, and protest transforms the practice for many Americans into either a sacred rite of citizenship or a profane threat to what they hold dear. These sacred and profane meanings can apply to the act of taxpaying itself or to the specific uses of tax dollars. Despite intense disagreement about these meanings, politically diverse Americans engaged in both taxpaying and tax resistance valorize the individual taxpayer and “my tax dollars.”Braunstein explores the profound implications of this meaning making for tax consent, the legitimacy of the tax system, and citizens' broader understandings of their political relationships. Going beyond the usual focus on tax policy, Braunstein's innovative view of taxation through the lens of cultural sociology shows how citizens in value-diverse societies coalesce around shared visions of the sacred and fears of the profane. Interviewee: Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. Host: Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York, and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple University Press). Visit him online at ZalmanNewfield.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Subscribe for $5.99 a month to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 800-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Brad speaks with Dr. Ruth Braunstein about her new podcast on the evangelicals resisting extremism within their communities. https://www.ruthbraunstein.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with sociologist Ruth Braunstein about her documentary podcast When the Wolves Came. You can also find her writings at her Substack newsletter Democracy Is Hard. Mentioned in the episode is Caleb Campbell, who previously appeared on episode 150 of Dangerous Dogma. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, culture, and politics. And order a copy of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism by Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood. If you buy it directly from Chalice Press, they are offering 33% off the cover price when you use the promo code "BApodcast."

A podcast series about how and why one world-renowned sociologist renewed his faith by leaving Christian nationalism behind.In this limited series, world-renowned sociologists Andrew Whitehead uses his own faith journey to uncover the threats that White Christian nationalism poses both to the United States and to the American church. Through interviews with leaders in the field, including Dr. Sam Perry, Dr. Ruth Braunstein, Dr Robert P. Jones, Dr. Jemar Tisby, and many others, Whithehead reveals White Christian nationalism's anti-democratic underbelly and provides hope for all Americans to resist it.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/americanidols/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on Soul of the Nation, we continue our series on White Christian Nationalism by welcoming cultural sociologist Ruth Braunstein to the podcast. Braunstein is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut, where she is Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Meanings of Democracy Lab, which studies the moral and cultural foundations of American democratic life. Braunstein reveals the types of people who are attracted to White Christian Nationalism, what the phrase "Judeo-Christian" really means, and offers insights on how to persuade people away from Christian nationalist views. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brad and Dan begin this episode with a discussion of the new profile of Jerry Falwell Jr. at Vanity Fair. In their view, Falwell is a type for contemporary Christian nationalism. He describes himself as not particularly religious while subscribing to a vision of the United States wherein White Christian men hold power. He was formed politically by Rush Limbaugh. He lavished praise on Donald Trump. For Dan, it's a perfect example of how Christian nationalism is a religious-political-cultural identity that often time has little to do with persona religious practice. They then segue into analysis of a new piece by sociologist Ruth Braunstein that investigates the backlash against the Religious Right and White Evangelicals. Braunstein examines the rise of the Nones--those unaffiliated with religion--but also looks at how the Religious Left and the "spiritual but not religious" also represent a backlash to conservative American Protestants. In the final segment Brad goes through the history of SCOTUS picks based on identity. Dan argues that identity politics are always at play and that there are no objectively best candidates for SCOTUS. To Donate: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BradleyOnishi For an ad-free experience and to support SWAJ: https://irreverent.supportingcast.fm/straight-white-american-jesus-premium To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/straightwhiteamericanjesus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://swaj.supportingcast.fm

Dr. Todd Nicholas Fuist is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Illinois Wesleyan University. His research interests include religion, politics, identity, and sexuality, with a focus on how culture serves to motivate socio-moral action. His latest work with Dr. Ruth Braunstein and Dr. Rhys H. Williams, titled Religion and Progressive Activism: New Stories about Faith and Politics examines how terms such as "progressive" and "religious" may not seem to go hand-in-hand. This work focuses on the significant intersection of religion and activism, revealing that progressive religious activists are a driving force in American public life. Listen to Rachael and Dr. Fuist's conversation today where they talk common perceptions of religion, and offer a more grounded and nuanced understanding of religion and the American political landscape.

Brad talk to Dr. Ruth Braunstein, Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut, about the nostalgic myths that drive MAGA Nation. Their conversation centers on how recognizing the structure of these myths enables us to better see how Christian nationalism pervades right-wing movements that don't have any explicit religious identity markers or symbols. Think: the Proud Boys and the NRA. These groups structure their identities around a certain Christian nationalist interpretation of American history, even when they don't claim an explicitly Christian mantle. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/straightwhiteamericanjesu/support

Season 2, Ep. 4 with Ruth Braunstein and Devin Singh by Center of Theological Inquiry

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there have almost nothing in common. Civil society organizations pursuing opposite policy aims, however, may share much in common. Braunstein’s book tracks two such organizations which share little in terms of policy agenda, but a lot when it comes to strategy and identity. Both groups believe strongly in democracy, religion, and holding government accountable to the people. This populist streak brings the approach taken to politics together across the two groups. Prophets and Patriots contributes to what we know about how social movement and civil society organizations see the world and the considerable overlap between groups of very different political orientations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there have almost nothing in common. Civil society organizations pursuing opposite policy aims, however, may share much in common. Braunstein’s book tracks two such organizations which share little in terms of policy agenda, but a lot when it comes to strategy and identity. Both groups believe strongly in democracy, religion, and holding government accountable to the people. This populist streak brings the approach taken to politics together across the two groups. Prophets and Patriots contributes to what we know about how social movement and civil society organizations see the world and the considerable overlap between groups of very different political orientations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there have almost nothing in common. Civil society organizations pursuing opposite policy aims, however, may share much in common. Braunstein’s book tracks two such organizations which share little in terms of policy agenda, but a lot when it comes to strategy and identity. Both groups believe strongly in democracy, religion, and holding government accountable to the people. This populist streak brings the approach taken to politics together across the two groups. Prophets and Patriots contributes to what we know about how social movement and civil society organizations see the world and the considerable overlap between groups of very different political orientations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there have almost nothing in common. Civil society organizations pursuing opposite policy aims, however, may share much in common. Braunstein’s book tracks two such organizations which share little in terms of policy agenda, but a lot when it comes to strategy and identity. Both groups believe strongly in democracy, religion, and holding government accountable to the people. This populist streak brings the approach taken to politics together across the two groups. Prophets and Patriots contributes to what we know about how social movement and civil society organizations see the world and the considerable overlap between groups of very different political orientations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ruth Braunstein is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide (University of California Press, 2017). Braunstein is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut. There are many reasons to think of the political Right and Left as so deeply polarized that there have almost nothing in common. Civil society organizations pursuing opposite policy aims, however, may share much in common. Braunstein’s book tracks two such organizations which share little in terms of policy agenda, but a lot when it comes to strategy and identity. Both groups believe strongly in democracy, religion, and holding government accountable to the people. This populist streak brings the approach taken to politics together across the two groups. Prophets and Patriots contributes to what we know about how social movement and civil society organizations see the world and the considerable overlap between groups of very different political orientations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices