322: April Ajoy | Star-Spangled Jesus
Preacher Boys Podcast
Eric Skwarczynski
4.6 • 701 Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2024
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Pre-order Star-Spangled Jesus: https://amzn.to/3XfEha8
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April Ajoy wouldn’t have called herself a Christian Nationalist when she performed her original song “America Say Jesus” on the Jim Bakker show, or when she participated in Jesus Marches across America, or when she posted cringe-worthy videos on YouTube to campaign for Mitt Romney. April just considered herself a good Christian: faithful, Republican, and determined to make America a Christian nation once again.
But as her view of the world widened, Ajoy began to see cracks in her steadfast beliefs and recognized the ways her conservative politics and religion were intertwined in her mind. Did God really bless America? Is it actually by His red, white, and blue stripes that we are healed?
Ajoy, content creator and podcast host, shares funny stories from her time deep within Christian nationalism, exploring how aspects of evangelical culture such as purity pledges, product boycotts, Satanic panic, and end-times theology have all been exploited to advance the Christian Nationalist narrative. She also illuminates the ways nationalist thinking has infiltrated our churches and political arenas, shaping not only modern evangelical culture but also American public policy and international relations.
Part memoir, part guidebook, part call to action, Star-Spangled Jesus explores how the fight to make America a “Christian nation” has damaged us all and shows how one woman left Christian Nationalism and why America should too.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations. Listener discretion is advised. |
| 0:08.9 | You are listening to the Preacher Boys podcast, a podcast shedding light on decades of mental, physical, and sexual abuse within the independent fundamental Baptist movement. |
| 0:19.7 | The testimonies shared on this podcast are told from the personal experience and perspective |
| 0:24.3 | of the survivors. |
| 0:26.1 | Not all legal outcomes are known or final. |
| 0:29.1 | Any suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. |
| 0:33.5 | Now, here is your host, Eric Squarsinski. |
| 0:37.5 | Hey everybody, welcome back to the Preacher Boys podcast. |
| 0:39.8 | Today's guest is April Ajoy. |
| 0:41.8 | You've probably seen her viral TikTok and Instagram videos. |
| 0:46.0 | She's a content creator and podcast host who uses humor to shine light on harmful, toxic, |
| 0:50.8 | and sometimes just the weird traits of American evangelicalism. |
| 0:55.6 | After growing up an evangelist kid entrenched in Christian nationalism and later working in conservative Christian media, |
| 1:00.1 | she saw the harm caused firsthand. Still a Christian, she uses her platform to expose the dangers |
| 1:05.7 | of Christian nationalism while promoting a more inclusive faith. She's been featured on BuzzFeed, CNN Newsweek, and more. |
| 1:13.1 | And today, she's on the Breacher Boys podcast. |
| 1:16.1 | All right, guys, let's get in today's conversation with April Ajoy. |
| 1:19.2 | And if you appreciate anything in today's episode, or even if you haven't even listened yet, |
| 1:24.0 | head over to Amazon.com right now and pre-order a copy of Star-Spangled Jesus, |
| 1:29.4 | leaving Christian nationalism, and finding a true faith. This book is absolutely amazing. I read it in two |
| 1:34.8 | sittings, and it is powerful, hilarious, eye-opening, and so much more. That's Star-Spangled Jesus, |
| 1:43.0 | leaving Christian nationalism, and finding a true faith. |
... |
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