Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
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- Author：Kristin Kobes Du Mez
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Summary
A scholar of American Christianity presents a seventy-five-year history of evangelicalism that identifies the forces that have turned Donald Trump into a hero of the Religious Right。
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016？ And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate’s staunchest supporters？ These are among the questions acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez asks in Jesus and John Wayne， which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment。 Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons， Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment， rather than the betrayal， of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values。
Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism， showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism， or in the words of one modern chaplain， with “a spiritual badass。” As Du Mez explains， the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the role of culture in modern American evangelicalism。 Many of today’s evangelicals may not be theologically astute， but they know their VeggieTales， they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart， and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it。 Evangelical books， films， music， clothing， and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions。 And evangelical popular culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers， men like Oliver North， Ronald Reagan， Mel Gibson， and the Duck Dynasty clan， who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America。” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne， an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness， unafraid to tell it like it was， and did what needed to be done。
Trump， in other words， is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals’ hearts and minds， nor is he the first strongman to promise evangelicals protection and power。 Indeed， the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today—patriarchy， authoritarian rule， aggressive foreign policy， fear of Islam， ambivalence toward #MeToo， and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community—are likely to persist long after Trump leaves office。
A much-needed reexamination， Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process， with enduring consequences for all of us。
How did a libertine who lacks even the most basic knowledge of the Christian faith win 81 percent of the white evangelical vote in 2016？ And why have white evangelicals become a presidential reprobate’s staunchest supporters？ These are among the questions acclaimed historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez asks in Jesus and John Wayne， which delves beyond facile headlines to explain how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment。 Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump for purely pragmatic reasons， Du Mez reveals that Donald Trump in fact represents the fulfillment， rather than the betrayal， of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values。
Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism， showing how American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism， or in the words of one modern chaplain， with “a spiritual badass。” As Du Mez explains， the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the role of culture in modern American evangelicalism。 Many of today’s evangelicals may not be theologically astute， but they know their VeggieTales， they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart， and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it。 Evangelical books， films， music， clothing， and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions。 And evangelical popular culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers， men like Oliver North， Ronald Reagan， Mel Gibson， and the Duck Dynasty clan， who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America。” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne， an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness， unafraid to tell it like it was， and did what needed to be done。
Trump， in other words， is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals’ hearts and minds， nor is he the first strongman to promise evangelicals protection and power。 Indeed， the values and viewpoints at the heart of white evangelicalism today—patriarchy， authoritarian rule， aggressive foreign policy， fear of Islam， ambivalence toward #MeToo， and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community—are likely to persist long after Trump leaves office。
A much-needed reexamination， Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process， with enduring consequences for all of us。
Reviews
Jeff
，
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other， or be devoted to the one and despise the other。”How could “family values”-loving evangelicals support a three-times divorced man that cavorts with porn stars， brags about his “endowment” on national TV， admits to groping women， admits to seducing married women， is totally illiterate of the Christian faith？ Easy。 It was 75 years in the making 。 。 。
Mikey
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A history lesson of the hypocrisy of the Evangelicals that piqued in the 1950's and wants to bring America back to that era。 A history lesson of the hypocrisy of the Evangelicals that piqued in the 1950's and wants to bring America back to that era。 。。。more
Luke
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Jesus and John Wayne is a meticulously researched genealogy of the various powers the Evangelical Right has held and continues to hold in not only the United States， but in the world。 Du Mez presents us with a chronological telling of the various stages that the Evangelical Right manipulated， deceived， and corporatized a religion into their own political and financial gain， beginning with the obsession of John Wayne， through Reagan’s presidency， leading all the way to Trump’s election in 2016。 I Jesus and John Wayne is a meticulously researched genealogy of the various powers the Evangelical Right has held and continues to hold in not only the United States， but in the world。 Du Mez presents us with a chronological telling of the various stages that the Evangelical Right manipulated， deceived， and corporatized a religion into their own political and financial gain， beginning with the obsession of John Wayne， through Reagan’s presidency， leading all the way to Trump’s election in 2016。 If you’re like me and grew up in a conservative Christian home， then many of the major figures and organizations may sound familiar。 Focus on the Family， Home School Legal Defense Act， Bill Gothard， and Mark Driscoll are just a few that many current and former Christians would recognize。 Putting the emphasis on authoritarian patriarchy and militarism， Du Mez carefully writes that Evangelicals carefully crafted their image， their products， their market， and their social bubble to further influence the various communities they infiltrate （the military being the biggest）。 In another review of this book， there was a criticism that Du Mez did not offer a solution to the problem， a remedy for Evangelical Extremism。 I would like to offer a counter to that， and argue that the only remedy would to stop believing that Evangelicalism can be redeemed in some way， that this Protestant movement can be saved by grace if they just went back to the Jesus of the Bible。 Evangelicalism cannot be saved， nor does it need to be saved， but rather let it be a serpent that devours its own tail， and an empire that burns itself to the ground。 To conclude this review， this is one of the most important books to be published in a Post-Trump world， and if you know people， especially pastors who hate this book， then good。 Now you know who to avoid。 。。。more
Chelsea Owens
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Incredible and intense in-depth historical review of how the Evangelical church became what it is today。
Marilyn
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Wow。 What a book。 Jesus and John Wayne was not light reading。 For me， Nearly every page revealed a new name or event that sent me looking at the footnotes and googling to find out more information。 By the time I finished I came away feeling like I’d had cold water repeatedly splashed on my face。 Although I’d spent 25 years as a military spouse and been part of many on post bible studies， read a couple James Dobson books， and lived in Colorado Springs and witnessed Focus on Family’s pervasive com Wow。 What a book。 Jesus and John Wayne was not light reading。 For me， Nearly every page revealed a new name or event that sent me looking at the footnotes and googling to find out more information。 By the time I finished I came away feeling like I’d had cold water repeatedly splashed on my face。 Although I’d spent 25 years as a military spouse and been part of many on post bible studies， read a couple James Dobson books， and lived in Colorado Springs and witnessed Focus on Family’s pervasive community overreach， I wasn’t aware Dobson was just one tip of many massive militaristic， patriarchal icebergs。Through meticulous research， source- evidenced calling out of church and religious leaders by name and deed， Kristen Du Mez opens a deep pit of concerning， ugly truths about Evangelical beliefs， behavior， and lifestyle- too many of which which defy or twist Jesus’s teachings， role modeling， and Biblical scripture。This book， the best non-fiction I’ve read in quite a while， deserves each and every professional accolade。 Beyond my immediate thoughts， a Goodreads review that expresses some of my thoughts more thoroughly is David Wineberg’s。This book is for any inquiring American who wants to better understand the last five years， including January 6 and our current cultural and political tribulations。 Sobering and concerning。 。。。more
Lindsey Thomas
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4。5 stars。 I think it might have been 5 stars in print。 The audio made it a little difficult to keep straight when she was quoting， who she was quoting， and when she was commentating herself。
Cara Stearns rohde
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One of the most thought provoking things I’ve read in recent history…
Julie Willey
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A much needed historical contextualization of modern evangelical culture。 I hope this information is discussed and considered at length by as many who consider themselves evangelical。 Staying tuned for Du Mez’s next work！
Liz
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A bit of a slog， but well worth it。
Brenna
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Critical historical account of the evangelical church in America。 A must-read。 I’ll be thinking on this for a long， long time。
Nicole N。 （A Myriad of Books）
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Actual rating: 4。5 starsThe only reason I'm not giving this book a full 5 stars is because it felt a bit jumpy in timeline for me。 I'm also not a huge non-fiction reader， but the title alone and my own deconstruction process led me to this book。 Quite frankly， I'm glad I found it because I found a lot of my own questions regarding the evangelical church posed in this book。 I like how the author didn't choose sides either; she presented facts with an abundance of sources and footnotes。What I foun Actual rating: 4。5 starsThe only reason I'm not giving this book a full 5 stars is because it felt a bit jumpy in timeline for me。 I'm also not a huge non-fiction reader， but the title alone and my own deconstruction process led me to this book。 Quite frankly， I'm glad I found it because I found a lot of my own questions regarding the evangelical church posed in this book。 I like how the author didn't choose sides either; she presented facts with an abundance of sources and footnotes。What I found most interesting is how Christianity really seemed to wheedle its way into politics and how staunchly （white） people defended and agreed with what was happening， even though looking back， there are so many things wrong with it， including aligning with KKK and pro-segregationist religious and political leaders。 I feel like my entire facial expression is akin to the surprise Pikachu face or even the "disappointed by not surprised！" gif。 The indignation and righteous anger I felt toward a lot of what the author seemed to validating。 I also simply found it hilarious that men felt so attacked for being too feminine， that America was becoming too "weak"， or that Jesus was too feminine that they created an entire movement to be "more manly" and masculine。 What I found most interesting， too， is how religion also found its way into the military and how insulting everything surrounding how women shouldn't be involved in the military period sounded。 Cue me rolling my eyes a thousand times。It's also wild to me that so many evangelicals went along with it--the whole complementarianism movement--and hundreds if not thousands of people sat in silence while so many people suffered。 I like how the author made the connotation between the patriarchy and the rampant sexual allegations/harassment/assault throughout the evangelical community and prominent evangelical figures。 It's laughable， and the accountability is abhorrent and basically non-existent。 The wild accusations around certain presidents and presidential candidates was definitely eye-opening and exposed even more of the hypocrisy of the evangelical church。Don't even get me started on how evangelicals pushed the narrative about Jesus being a wimp and a wuss， how he was too soft， and how they changed that narrative to make this soft Jesus into a warrior， a "badass" and turned him rather white， into an image of their own making。 And it's almost like from the very beginning， evangelicals created problems that didn't even exist， saying everything was an "attack" against Christianity and what God had "ordained。" Sure， Jan。If anyone is wondering why people are leaving the church （in general） in droves then look no further than this book because it points out so much。I'll definitely be purchasing this book for my own personal library。 。。。more
Ashley Ford
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AUDIO || As a recovering evangelical my biggest take away was: burn it all down， it’s all been a lie and a long con to keep white men in power from the outset， and there are 0 things redeemable about it。 I SAID WHAT I SAID。
Jenny
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There's no way to properly rate this。 This book is so important。 The Evangelical church has taken Christian nationalism and toxic masculinity， and inserted it where it doesn't belong， claiming it to be God's word as opposed to the will of sinful men。 This book takes us step by step into exactly how patriarchy， nationalism， and conservative politics have come to somehow represent the gentle， compassionate， generous， Middle Eastern rabbi we are meant to be emulating。 The accuracy in these pages hu There's no way to properly rate this。 This book is so important。 The Evangelical church has taken Christian nationalism and toxic masculinity， and inserted it where it doesn't belong， claiming it to be God's word as opposed to the will of sinful men。 This book takes us step by step into exactly how patriarchy， nationalism， and conservative politics have come to somehow represent the gentle， compassionate， generous， Middle Eastern rabbi we are meant to be emulating。 The accuracy in these pages hurts my heart。 We are so very lost。 。。。more
Jennifer Ellison
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I've read this book twice now。 It is revealing and if you grew up going to church in the early 80's it will read like the story of your life。 I've read this book twice now。 It is revealing and if you grew up going to church in the early 80's it will read like the story of your life。 。。。more
Michelle
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4。5 ⭐️ and rounding up。 Solidly researched and written， this one explains so much about our nation and churches。 This book and Caste have opened my eyes。
Brett Williams
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Author Kristin Kobes Du Mez—a Christian professor of history at a Christian school—traces how the normalization of immorality on the Christian Right took place。 Commencing fifty years ago when our culture wars got started， her focus is evangelical Christians。 Though as we’ve witnessed through Trumpism， with prioritization of “what is Cesar’s” and the subsequent disgrace proves there’s no difference between any Christian brand on the Right—all versions have been influenced by the same movement， w Author Kristin Kobes Du Mez—a Christian professor of history at a Christian school—traces how the normalization of immorality on the Christian Right took place。 Commencing fifty years ago when our culture wars got started， her focus is evangelical Christians。 Though as we’ve witnessed through Trumpism， with prioritization of “what is Cesar’s” and the subsequent disgrace proves there’s no difference between any Christian brand on the Right—all versions have been influenced by the same movement， which is all about political power， not faith。 Du Mez shows this new Christianity is part-and-parcel with New Right “Republicans” （contrary to Republicans）。 They are dominated by emotional duality: fear and euphoria， uncertainty and absolutism， and always， as Du Mez writes， “a sense of embattlement” to give their lives meaning through tribal belonging against a common enemy。 Reasoned analysis， on the other hand， requires study， takes a lot of time， brings down the emotional temperature far too much to be lucrative in the immediate term （and there are mountains of money at stake）， and it’s just a lot harder to do。 By the time the search for truth is completed with an answer， everyone has moved on to the next fabricated outrage。 This is not to say their anxieties are necessarily irrational。 The Left has provided threats to fear; convinced of death’s defeat through resurrection must be a euphoric experience; uncertainty is the “middle name” of modernity; and absolutism is a useful posture in battles for survival。 But the bunker mentality attendant this emotional supremacy forced these people to jettison the morality their faith was built on。 Du Mez shows they sense it， compensating with repeated justifications， recasting their previous savior as “Jesus the badass，” striving to equate him with their new savior， Donald J。 Christ。 Running throughout the book is the evangelical redefinition of masculinity， becoming a militant Rambo-like machismo。 But all social movements are counter-movements。 Evangelicals were reacting to something。 Du Mez is at times silent， at others dismissive of cause， usually beginning with evangelical reaction， not stimulus。 Progression of the evangelical definition of masculinity runs from a focus on “family values” to “Warriors for Christ” to the sine qua non of evangelical masculinity: reality TV’s Duck Dynasty。 As with every house of cards， we see where this ends up。 What is pushed as “real man patriarchy” is merely a decades-long justification and cover-up of sex with underage girls， boys， other people’s wives， and profiteering by the giants of evangelicalism like Jerry Falwell Jr。， Jimmy Swaggart， Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker， Ted Haggard， C。 J。 Mahaney， Bill Gothard， Mark Driscoll， all the way to the 14，000，000 member SBC （Southern Baptist Convention） which seems to be in competition with Catholic priests for the Pedophilia Trophy。 In 2018 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Houston Chronicle broke news that hundreds or thousands of boys had been regularly molested by SBC evangelicals across hundreds of Baptists churches throughout the U。S。 and Canada。 And where’s the Bible in all this？ Given evangelical’s “high levels of theological illiteracy，” writes Du Mez， they now “hold views traditionally defined as heresy。” Du Mez answered my long-standing question of how such people could so blatantly betray what they once stood for。 It’s because， as Du Mez writes， “they didn’t。” Christianity was redefined to be a precise fit for the vulgarities of Trump and his New Right。 Religion is for them， merely the rhetorical glue of symbols without substance that holds the political factions and fractures together against those enemy Libs。 Morality， ethics， justice， decency， responsibility， democratic governance—never mind “We no longer lie to one another” （Ep。 4:25）， or “What good is it to win the world and lose your soul” （M t。 16:26）—these are hackneyed notions for grandpa and the WWII generation。 It’s a new day。 Right-wing “Christianity” is now a political dogma。 A cult has replaced a religion。 。。。more
Kate Steele
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Excellent but scary read。 The history of the rise of evangelicals makes the present understandable。
Terri
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This book really knocked my socks off。 Do I agree with everything she says？ Maybe not。 But boy do I feel stupid for falling for the evangelical bullshit for so many years。 Too many of them have proven they are more interested in power and control than they are in actually following Jesus。 I’m not sure when I’ll step foot in a worship service again。 Two words dominated this book。 “Masculine Christianity。” I write them here to jog my memory when I look back at this book。
Carrie Chlebanowski
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Eye on opening and important bread for all evangelicals。
Julie
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This is a work of historical scholarship， but not written for an academic audience so it's accessible and engaging。 However it is a very difficult read。 The history she reveals （and documents thoroughly with credible sources） is vile and nauseating。 The bad - there are a few places in her book in which she ignores complexities and lacks nuance when outlining her conclusions。 And while I recognized this， it did not undermine her body of work or her credibility。 However。。。I have seen this criticis This is a work of historical scholarship， but not written for an academic audience so it's accessible and engaging。 However it is a very difficult read。 The history she reveals （and documents thoroughly with credible sources） is vile and nauseating。 The bad - there are a few places in her book in which she ignores complexities and lacks nuance when outlining her conclusions。 And while I recognized this， it did not undermine her body of work or her credibility。 However。。。I have seen this criticism used as "proof" that her work can be ignored and/or discounted。 That would be convenient， wouldn't it？ Problem is， that doesn't hold。 Her research is extensive， her use of primary sources substantial， and she connects all the dots。 What she reveals is extremely difficult to wrestle with if you've grown up in evangelism or admire any of the church leaders whose toxic and unethical behavior she exposes。 But to deny the truth is to minimize the pain and abuse so many have endured because of this patriarchy。。。this toxic， militant masculinity that has infected the evangelical church。 （Ladies， the history also shines the light on MANY women who were willing to support， participate in， even advocate for or cover up some horrific things， so women aren't off the hook in her book）The good - let's start from a hopeful position。 Identifying the cracks in the structure， bringing the dark into the light， can promote healing。。。right？ Gosh， I hope so。 I grew up in this culture， in a complementarian， conservative evangelical church and home。 Attended church camps， a conservative Christian college， and was surrounded by that community。 I went through my own faith questioning and deconstruction of it all many years ago， and while I made some changes in my faith life that separated me from what I'll call "hard-core evangelism，" I thought I knew that world inside and out。 But after the 2015/2016 campaign season and election， I found myself baffled by the behavior of the majority of the evangelical community - especially after that audio was released of Trump bragging about assaulting women and there was no remorse。 There was little to NO response from evangelical church leaders。 No swift condemnation of the abuse of women or demand for higher scrutiny。 Instead， only justifications and rationalizations were offered。 I was stunned。 So I've done what I always do when I find myself in a place that is deeply unsettling， when I'm trying to figure out how we got where we are。。。I dig in and read a lot of books about it。 What De Muz offers her readers is more than just relevant and relatively unknown （as in， intentionally suppressed） history， she offers answers to the frequent questioning， "How is this happening - how is this okay - how are we reading the same Bible and ending up in vastly different places？" Boy is that helpful！ This feels like more of a testimony than a book review， but I'm okay with that。 If you're an evangelical， I think you will benefit from this book。 You may not like it。 I didn't like it either because the truth revealed is brutal。 But it has given me hope that better understanding the problem will better equip me to identify unhealthy patterns and speak up。I'll add this for those who are unaware - the author is a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin College in MI， and she holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame。 Her research focuses on the intersection of gender， religion， and politics。 She is a Christian。 。。。more
Ashley
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The Author is a youngish white American who has been financially privileged enough to be a lifelong student。 I was introduced to Zinn in college， and had I continued on the narrative he suggested， I would probably feel the same way that this author does。 There is no nuance。 America is bad， and Conservatives are all bad。I don’t disagree with that conclusion。 Conservatives ARE all bad。 So are all liberals。 We are bad by nature and enjoy seeing the specks in THEIR eyes only。 You know。 THEM。 I am cu The Author is a youngish white American who has been financially privileged enough to be a lifelong student。 I was introduced to Zinn in college， and had I continued on the narrative he suggested， I would probably feel the same way that this author does。 There is no nuance。 America is bad， and Conservatives are all bad。I don’t disagree with that conclusion。 Conservatives ARE all bad。 So are all liberals。 We are bad by nature and enjoy seeing the specks in THEIR eyes only。 You know。 THEM。 I am curious what her solution is？ I suppose it’s as black-and-white as “Don’t be a white conservative evangelical！”I am thankful the author is able to freely state her opinions in this book。 That is a Liberty that doesn’t occur in every nation。 Here is a critical review of this book that was kinder than I am， so I thought I would post this instead:https://cbmw。org/2021/04/05/jesus-and。。。 。。。more
Rachel Schmoyer
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3。5 stars。 I just finished the book so I’m still mulling it over， so perhaps my review will change over time and with discussing it with others。 I think I was expecting a book with more hope in it？ And with more critique of white evangelicals from all political persuasions， not just the Republicans。 I read the paperback version with a forward written during contentious November 2020 so I was hit with lots of comments against Republicans in particular early on in the book which set me on edge lik 3。5 stars。 I just finished the book so I’m still mulling it over， so perhaps my review will change over time and with discussing it with others。 I think I was expecting a book with more hope in it？ And with more critique of white evangelicals from all political persuasions， not just the Republicans。 I read the paperback version with a forward written during contentious November 2020 so I was hit with lots of comments against Republicans in particular early on in the book which set me on edge like I couldn’t just relax and hear the author out。 I was on my guard。 Early on there were lots of broad statements about what white evangelicals are like with proof texts all from the Southern Baptists。 I understand that they are the biggest， but I didn’t think it was fair to lump ALL white evangelicals with the southern Baptists over and over again。 The chapters about women/masculinity were good。 They reinforced things I had already read in The Great Sex Rescue by Sheila Gregorie。 And things I’m currently listening to in Rise and Fall of Mars Hill。 。。。more
Michelle
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I feel pretty disheartened by this book。 We need to do better。
Jacob Rogers
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My God what a read。While this took a little while to pick up for me as I was （praise the Lord） less familiar with some of the earlier characters in this history， this is now a must read for both Christians and Non-christians alike。 It gave me a much better framework for understanding how white American evangelicalism was formed by hyper-masculinity and authority than by love of God and neighbor （ya know， things Jesus talked about）。 I love this book especially because it takes away the right to b My God what a read。While this took a little while to pick up for me as I was （praise the Lord） less familiar with some of the earlier characters in this history， this is now a must read for both Christians and Non-christians alike。 It gave me a much better framework for understanding how white American evangelicalism was formed by hyper-masculinity and authority than by love of God and neighbor （ya know， things Jesus talked about）。 I love this book especially because it takes away the right to be surprised by evangelicals supporting Trump and his policies。 It was not an aberration， but in fact the logical end of post-WWII （white） evangelical thought。 But the book， thankfully， doesn’t spend more ink on 45 than necessary and spends a lot of time on the various movements in evangelicalism during the last 75 years and how they led to today。 I know many people who worship the pastors mentioned in here who didn’t themselves commit major acts of abuse or cover up。 But all the same， they should take a look again at what these men thought was ok in the name of a few weirdly specific doctrines about masculinity， authority and gender roles （looking at you John Piper）。 The fact that many still don’t recognize the， now well documented， problems these lines of thought create both writ large in society and at even the level of local churches is troubling to say the least。Final Edit: Complementarianism is bullsh*t 。。。more
Jessica
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Wow。 I wish I could get everyone I know to read this book。 It’s come to my life in a time where I’ve been re-examining a lot of evangelical culture and messages that I’ve absorbed or been aware of but not thought deeply about。 I also really appreciated her acknowledgment of the Christian media influence that extends so far beyond individual churches and pastors。 It’s easy to look at the division in today’s society and the aligning of evangelical Christians with values that seem antithetical to B Wow。 I wish I could get everyone I know to read this book。 It’s come to my life in a time where I’ve been re-examining a lot of evangelical culture and messages that I’ve absorbed or been aware of but not thought deeply about。 I also really appreciated her acknowledgment of the Christian media influence that extends so far beyond individual churches and pastors。 It’s easy to look at the division in today’s society and the aligning of evangelical Christians with values that seem antithetical to Biblical Christianity and wonder how we got to this point， but Du Mez’s research and analysis tracks recent history in a way that clearly defines that path。 If you enjoyed this book， you might want to check out some of these other resources I’ve enjoyed recently that deal with similar themes:- The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America （Frances FitzGerald）- Talking Back to Purity Culture: Rediscovering Faithful Christian Sexuality （Rachel Joy Welcher）- The Great Sex Rescue （Sheila Gregoire）- The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill （Podcast by Christianity Today） 。。。more
Mariah Oleszkowicz
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Glad I listened to Du Mez's 4-part interview on the Holy Post podcast before I read this book。 She gave a great overview that helped me digest the amount of information she provides。 It's a straight up history book of evangelical teachings and the leaders who propigated those teaching。 There are no personal narratives。 That being said， she does a fabulous job of tracing the origins of masculine evangelism through to Trump。 She helps me understand how the "moral majority" helped elect someone who Glad I listened to Du Mez's 4-part interview on the Holy Post podcast before I read this book。 She gave a great overview that helped me digest the amount of information she provides。 It's a straight up history book of evangelical teachings and the leaders who propigated those teaching。 There are no personal narratives。 That being said， she does a fabulous job of tracing the origins of masculine evangelism through to Trump。 She helps me understand how the "moral majority" helped elect someone whose morals are highly questionable。 Also， since I lived through the "Tender Warrior" and purity culture phases， I could relate to them easily - it was like reading a portion of my own history。 I had never heard of Gothard before I read this book （thankfully）， but now I'm hearing all over。 This book helps me be more aware of people who are trying to advance their agendas in political circles。 It's good to be aware of the people who weild power - especially when they were prefer to remain in the shadows。 Side note， Du Mez is a hisory professor at Calvin College， so that's fun。 Sounds like she's going to write a book about the money involved in Evangelicalism - I will also be reading that book。 。。。more
Margie
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Audiobook read by Suzie Althens
Penny Cipolone
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I found this book interesting and informative as far as it went。 It dealt mostly with Christian masculinity as one of the main tenets of the ecclesiastical faith。 While I really that this was the author's main focus， I would have liked a bit more material on some other aspects of ecclesiastical beliefs。 However， this author did make a good case for the reasons that so many "ecclesiastical Christians" supported and continue to support donald trump。 I found this book interesting and informative as far as it went。 It dealt mostly with Christian masculinity as one of the main tenets of the ecclesiastical faith。 While I really that this was the author's main focus， I would have liked a bit more material on some other aspects of ecclesiastical beliefs。 However， this author did make a good case for the reasons that so many "ecclesiastical Christians" supported and continue to support donald trump。 。。。more
PerennialMystery
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Useful insightFor those of us who grew up Evangelical and wonder how Trump came to be accepted and endorsed by friends and family， this offers some explanatory assistance。
Corrie Haffly
，