In a disheartening but long-anticipated 6-3 decision, the Supreme court struck down 1973’s Roe vs. Wade decision, eliminating constitutional protection for abortion. In this first episode after a 2021 hiatus, the hosts examine several threads in the anti-abortion movement’s generations-long trajectory: The origins of the modern anti-abortion moveme…

In this episode, Jeff and Kristin tackle two separate stories: the rise of a Charismatic worship musician and his path into right-wing politics… and the controversy around an award-winning Christian romance novel whose hunky hero “participates in” genocide. News and Updates Talking about Doug Wilson’s Neo-Confederate Christianity and the Ivermectin…

Doug Wilson is a key voice in modern Reconstructionism, an ideology that envisions America (and the world) remade into a confederacy of self-governing, patriarchal theocracies. Despite a history of eye-popping apologia for slavery, Wilson has become a key crossover figure for Reconstructionism. He leads a 1000-strong independent church in Moscow, I…

It’s easy to mistake “Purity Culture” — Evangelical Fundamentalism’s distinctive take on sexuality and social mores — for prudishness. It’s much more than a simple “don’t have sex” campaign: the movement combines several related ideological threads in ways that can torment insiders and baffle outsiders. In this episode, Jeff and Kristin explore Pur…

First: a content warning for Christian Rightcast listeners. This episode directly addresses child sexual abuse, religious abuse, and specific techniques used by the Duggar family and Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles to protect child sexual predators. Last month, our series on Christian Reconstructionism was hitting its stride. Then…

Last episode, Kristin walked us through the high points of Christian Reconstructionism — RJ Rushdoony’s extremist vision of a feudal, patriarchal America ruled by religious law. In this episode we explore the racist building blocks of his ideology, as well as the careful definitions many Reconstructionist-inspired movements use to claim their views…

If you’ve ever discussed “school choice,” wondered why some Christians , or puzzled over a “Taxation Is Theft” sign, you’ve encountered the legacy of Rousas John Rushdoony — one of the most influential but least-known fundamentalists of the 20th century. Rushdoony founded and shaped the Christian Reconstructionism movement for decades, articulating…

Over the course of our series on End Times and Apocalypse narratives in the Christian Right, one name has come up over and over. Hal Lindsey’s breezy 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth repackaged the broad strokes of Dispensationalist theology for the post-Woodstock world, framing Bible Prophecy as the more accurate version of popular “new age” …

After two episodes of history and context, Kristin and Jeff tackle the movie that put Rapture Horror on the pop culture map: 1972’s A Thief In The Night. It’s short but packed with B-movie flourishes, Evangelical cultural ephemera, and fundamentalist political paranoia. Produced on a relatively slim $68,000 budget, it exploded in popularity and ear…

Apocalyptic narratives have shaped Christian tradition for millennia, but growing demand for “standardized” Christian reading materials at the turn of the 20th century turned End Times theology into big business. Jeff and Kristin follow the rise of the Christian publishing and media industry, zeroing in on key “crossover” hits that transformed Disp…

If you’ve read Left Behind, seen A Thief In The Night, or watched any three episodes of Supernatural, you’ve witnessed the basic elements and cultural ubiquity of Biblical prophecy about The End Times. From Jewish resistance literature under Babylonian and Roman rule, to Martin Luther’s theory that the Pope was the Antichrist, to the rise of dispen…

Kristin and Jeff discuss the Christian Right’s presence at January 6th’s attempted Capital coup, focusing on three groups: Quiverfull homeschoolers, anti-abortion activists, and Charismatic evangelicals. Articles and groups mentioned in this episode White Christian Nationalism A White Christian Nationalist Coup Long in the Making, on the Straight W…

This final episode of the Norman Vincent Peale series opens on a different note: a conversation between Kristin and Jeff about how to deal with the radicalization and potential violence of former friends, family members, and fellow travelers. After that, though, the conclusion of the three-part series arrives with a more detailed look at Peale’s be…

Happy Holidays, everyone! This episode is a bit heavier than the previous one, but focuses a critical light on the role that Christian Right ideologies have on current events. In this second part of our series on pastor, speaker, and writer Norman Vincent Peale, Kristin takes a closer look at the trajectory of Peale’s professional life. We discuss …

How did a Methodist preacher’s kid become a post-war right wing icon… and pastor to the Trump family? In the first episode of a two-part series, Kristin leads a deep dive into the life of “God’s Salesman” — speaker and writer Norman Vincent Peale. As always, thanks to everyone who listens to the podcast, reaches out to comment, and subscribes! You …

In this episode, Kristin and Jeff give a tour of the myriad groups and movements that form the Christian Right, with an emphasis on the different strains of Protestant thought that contribute to the Right’s biggest power bloc: Evangelical Fundamentalism. Interested in weighing in on this episode, or curious about topics for future ones? Find us on …

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Christian Rightcast! In this conversation, Kristin and Jeff discuss the Christian Right in America, their respective histories with the movement, and why it matters. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be diving deeper into the movement, focusing on specific personalities, organizations, cultural touchstones,…