Ep. 2 – Farewell Evangelicalism | Setting the Scenes feat. Scott Okomoto and Marlena Graves

Episode 2 in this serial series called: Farewell Evangelicalism is here.

In this episdoe we begin to peel back to layers of evangelicalism to make sense of how it’s become the broken and malformed expression it is today. When did the wheels fall off? When did evangelicals become white nationalists? It hasn’t always been this way. To get to the ‘how’ evangelicals became associated with various monkers like white nationalism, we must develop cultural context, garnering information to begin naming specific components in the movement that produce harm to the neighborhood, city, and nation, and of course to those stuck within the confines of the four church walls.

The hope for this episode is to help give name to cultural moments when the evil and broken pieces in evangelicalism emerged so more folks can make connections to their own church or belief systems. We go back into time connect the dots between political movements, the use of fear to sway evangelicals, and ways evangelicals have casually sided with white supremacy to inform their beliefs.

Episode 2 – Show Notes

(00:00) – Introduction (00:28) – Setting the Scenes (01:35) – When evangelicals lost the plot. (05:30) – Introducing Scott Okomoto including his time teaching at Aszuza Pacific. (09:00) – When evangelicals swung hard right. (10:20) – How white was APU? Explaining culture and culture shifts. (14:00) – From Bush to Obama and evangelical militancy. (19:45) – Unpacking MAGA. (26:00) – Outro and Intro to Dr. Marlena Graves (20:45) – Unpacking the connections between evangelicals, Republicanism, and white supremacy. (26:15) – History: Moments in the 20th century when evangelicals married Republicans. (39:00) – Connecting the Religious Right movement. (42:50) – Talking about the strategy behind preserving white supremacy. (54:00) – Outro and wrap.

Featuring your host Rohadi Nagassar (rohadi.com) and:

Scott Okomoto – Writer/Podcaster R Scott Okamoto is a writer and musician from Los Angeles. He is passionate about AAPI identity and politics, fly fishing, sex and sexuality, cooking, and religious deconstruction. Scot is the creator and host of the Chapel Probation Podcast and the author of Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University, published by Lake Drive Books.

Dr. Marlena Graves – Professor/Author Marlena received her M.Div. from Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York and his pursuing her PhD in American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH where she is researching the influence American culture has on Evangelicals’ view of immigration, race, and poverty. Marlena’s book, “The Way Up Is Down” (with IVPress) released in July 2020.

Intro Music by Jesse Peters. Bumper music by Daniel Wheat.