Bradley Onishi
Adjunct Professor
Biography
Brad Onishi is a social commentator, scholar, writer, teacher, coach, and co-host of the Straight White American Jesus (SWAJ) podcast. In everything he does, Brad seeks to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange by providing insight into life’s most fundamental questions. He often speaks about topics related to the radical conservatism and extremist religions that shape our world, some of it right in our own neighborhoods. His show, SWAJ, ranks in the top 50 of Politics shows on Apple’s podcast charts – ahead of programs from NPR, the NYT, and other national outlets. His forthcoming book, Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism – And What Comes Next will be available January 2023.
Expertise
- Philosophy
- Theology
- American religion
Research Areas
- Christian nationalism
- Secularism
- Philosophy of religion
Appointments
- Co-Chair, Secularism and Secularity Group, American Academy of Religion
- Faculty Research Associate, UC Berkeley Committee on the Study of Religion
- Editorial Board, Oxford Religion Encyclopedia
Education
- UCSB, PhD in Religious Studies, 2014
- L'institut catholique de Paris, Licence in Philosophy, 2012
- Oxford University, MPhil in Theology, 2007
- Azusa Pacific University, MA in Religion, 2005
- Azusa Pacific University, BA in Philosophy, 2003
Prior Experience
- Associate Profess of Religion, Skidmore College
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion and Humanities, Rhodes College
Awards & Distinctions
- Skidmore College Faculty Commencement Speaker, 2021
Selected Publications
-
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism - And What Comes Next (Broadleaf Books 2023)
-
The Sacrality of the Secular: Postmodern Philosophy of Religion (Columbia University Press, 2018)
-
Trump's New Civil Religion, New York Times, January 2021