Jesus and John Wayne

How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

By: Kristin Kobes du Mez

Narrated by: Suzie Althens

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

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 explains how white evangelicals have brought us to our fractured political moment.

Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping account of the last 75 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. 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.

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.

©2020 Kristin Kobes Du Mez (P)2020 Kalorama

Excellent book but the narration is annoying

I loved this book. It really put my youth in evangelical Christianity in perspective and helped me reconcile why I resist the "evangelical culture".

The narration of this book, though, was difficult. The random pregnant pauses on weird syllables and words almost made me throw my phone and read the book myself. The constant pause on the word "the" and other random words was incredibly annoying. Ms. Althens lacks a good narrator voice and is unable to read in a smooth tone. I would not purchase another book that she narrates.

helped put the puzzle together

this book was pretty amazing. this evangelical movement has clearly gotten out of hand. it's hard to fathom, even when it's clearly laid out, just how many people's minds they've hijacked. this is one book I'd recommend. unfortunately I doubt the people that need it most will even touch it.

Well researched & well written

I grew up in this culture and this book gives an objective historical review. I highly recommend this book, it shows white evangelicalism for what it is.

Truth Uncovered

Thank you, Kristin, for documenting the factual history of the Evangelical Church as it is now understood. This book left me sobbing with grief remembering the way I was treated as a woman with a leadership call on my life. It also brings me hope as the truth coming to light sets us free. May the wounded and abandoned heal and find refuge in the arms of the loving Christ.

Excellent Book, So True It’s Painful

I grew up in this evangelical culture as an intelligent, independent young woman and witnessed the rampant hypocrisy this book describes. This well-researched book explains the path evangelicalism followed through the last century, illuminating how we as a nation ended up in our current state. White Christian nationalism with it’s patriarchal dictates, celebrating bellicosity while claiming victimhood, has poisoned the American church, its culture, and its politics.

Transformational

this made me examine my entire history growing up in the Evangelical Church in the United States, specifically in a Southern state. Eye opening examination of the impact of patriarchy on all of my formative Church experiences. I'm a Bill Gothard alumni for example. I'll just leave that here. I would like to thank the author for this groundbreaking book that speaks to so many of us in the depths of our soul. The holy spirit is moving, and God is not mocked - not even by those who profess to carry the mantle of leadership in His church and in their Christian homes.

Thorough content, worth the informative read, better narration needed.

Continent was fantastic, the narrative performance was too much like a Robo call. It lacked emotion, inflection, and provided very odd transitions for punctuation.

Excellent!

So insightful! Really helps draw out the timeline and explains why it wasn't such a giant leap to entering into Trump's America.

A must read.

An eye opening and sobering accounting of the evangelical movement. This is a must read for anyone trying to understand the dynamics currently at play in the United States.

Gives the very needed perspective

As so many of us marvel over the hypocrisy of the Evangelical Religious Right, this book delves into its creation and provides a full (though discomforting) explanation of how we’ve gotten to where we are today. This is a MUST READ!