Every End is a Beginning: The Orange Wave Ep 1
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 into an evangelical wave in Southern California. He interviews Professor Gerardo Marti of Davidson College about this story. Second, Brad examines the decline of the Mainline Protestant denominations during the same time period. The breaking of their cultural and political authority opened a space for the Religious Right to rise. Brad discusses this with Dr. John Compton of Chapman University.

The Orange Wave Ep. 2: 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 his evangelical coalition took over the GOP. The racism, conspiracies, and extremism of 1960s libertarian evangelicals in Southern California has remained part of the GOP and the Religious Right from Goldwater to Reagan to the Tea Party and the presidency of Donald Trump.

It’s Not Democracy. It’s War: The Orange Wave, Ep. 3
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.

Putin’s Russia: City on a Hill – The Orange Wave, Ep. 4
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 interview with the renowned journalist Sarah Posner, author of Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump.

The Orange Wave: Live Q+A Session
Dan and Brad hosted a live meeting with SWAJ listeners. We had a great discussion of important questions. They are listed below: Questions for SWAJ Q+A, June 30, 2020: Randall Balmer’s three-point definition of evangelical does not directly mention a belief in Hell or an afterlife. The evacuation plan seems to be such a focus in many churches and I believe this is foundational to many conversions, ie, the fear of spending eternity in a fiery Hell or the promise of spending eternity in a heavenly mansion. Has there been any research as to how many people are converted out of fear, especially children? Would you consider the Great Commission a form of colonialism for Christian Nationalists?

Non-Biblical Christian Manhood: The Orange Wave, Ep. 5
Since the mid-twentieth century, evangelicals and others on the Religious Right have looked to Hollywood, rather than the Bible, to construct their visions of “cowboy masculinity.” It started with John Wayne and Ronald Reagan, then moved to Mel Gibson and others. On the political side, tough guys like Barry Goldwater and Donald Trump were favored over more reflective leaders like Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Conservative women, such as Phyllis Schlafly and Maribel Morgan, provided the tools to construct a corresponding submissive femininity. The militant masculinity of the Religious Right is a key component to their love for strongmen leaders, willingness to engage authoritarianism over democracy, and desire to return the country to a white Christian patriarchy. This episode features an interview with Dr. Kristin Kobes du Mez, the author of the new book: Jesus and John Wayne: How Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”

Sexless Ed: The Orange Wave, Ep. 6
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 programs through tens of millions of dollars in federal funding. Where did this war start? Who are its major players? And why are evangelicals so afraid of condoms? This episode includes an interview with Dr. Kristy Slominski, Assistant Professor of Religion, Health, and Science at Arizona University, and the author of the forthcoming book Teaching Moral Sex: An American Religious History of Sex Education.

Old School-The Orange Wave, Ep. 7 APU … BETSY DEVOS…
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 it’s having on our public education system and our public square. This episode features interviews with Dr. Chrissy Stroop and Scott Okamoto.

• From Straight White American Jesus Official Site.