Weekly Roundup: “Starve Away” + New Trump Policy Encourages Christians to Proselytize at Work (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad and Dan tackle two urgent developments shaping the intersection of politics and religion in America. They begin with the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, examining how allegations of genocide—now echoed by Israeli human rights groups—are forcing fractures within the GOP, with figures like Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene offering unexpected critiques.

Brad and Dan explore how Israel’s religious nationalism and the U.S. tendency to cast Islam and Palestine as threats complicate public discourse. Then, they turn to a chilling new Trump-era memo permitting federal employees to evangelize in the workplace, unpacking its implications for religious privilege, secular rights, and the Christian nationalist agenda behind Project 2025. Along the way, they call out congressional hypocrisy, share reasons for hope in the form of abortion shield laws, and spotlight rising global recognition of Palestine and U.S.-based resistance efforts.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-starve-away-new-trump-policy-encourages-christians-to-proselytize-at-work/

Oklahoma board approves contract for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School - The Washington Post

"While many Oklahomans undoubtedly support charter schools sponsored by various Christian faiths, the precedent created by approval of the … application will compel approval of similar applications by all faiths," Drummond wrote in a legal opinion, "even those most Oklahomans would consider reprehensible and unworthy of public funding." 

After the board approved the application in June, it was sued by a group of parents, education activists and clergy members, who argued the school, were it allowed to open, would violate the state's constitution, which requires public schools to be nonsectarian. The state law governing charter schools also requires the institutions to be nonsectarian. The plaintiffs — represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the Education Law Center and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — said the state would be forcing taxpayers to subsidize the Catholic Church's mission of evangelization...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/09/oklahoma-religious-charter-school-contract-approved/