Jesus and John Wayne

How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

De: Kristin Kobes du Mez

Narrado por: Suzie Althens

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

For Moderate Evangelicals Wondering WTF happened

Written by an insider and filled with keen observation regarding the Graham/Falwell/Dobson/Reagan/Bush/Duggar complex. Homeschooling, purity rings, Veggietales, “boys bibles” from Tommy Nelson ... all the way to the baffling rise of Trump.

This is the story of our consumerist, militarist, and nationalist idolatry reaching its logical consequences. While most of these things were never bad in themselves, loving them over and above honoring God’s word, the humanity of our non-Christian neighbors, and objective truth has brought us to some shockingly low places.

Just finished this book. Wow! I can really relate to what this book talks about.

I should probably give myself time to fully digest this book before writing a review. However, I am obviously not going to do this. Instead, I will confirm my personal experience to this subject.
As a young man born in the early 1950’s, I started understanding the world during the 1960’s and 70’s. I was raised by a father who’s childhood hero was quite obviously John Wayne. I wasn’t raised religiously as anything until my parents became fervent Baptists rather suddenly around the time I was eleven. I remember Dad saying it was to get back to the historical, family beliefs. That seemed strange to me as an eleven year old because as I knew, the family was mostly lapsed Presbyterians and Episcopalians. Anyway, whatever church was fine with me. I must say that I had a good childhood and am grateful for it.

At about the age 12 or 13 I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour at a Billy Graham Rally at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. I was frequently elected youth group leader at church where the whole family was active. On graduation from high school the family moved to a small town in Northern California where the Baptist Church was more strict. As I attended a state university, I taught Sunday School, read the scriptures on Sunday Mornings and continued to be active in the young adults group. My goal was the ministry. The particular branch of Baptist I was part of recommended a conservative, fundamentalist Seminary in Southern California. I applied and was accepted. The first year went well and I was hired by a local church as apart time Youth director. I was well liked but back at school, I was beginning to realize that my understanding of Christianity wasn’t quite the same as my understanding of Christianity. To begin with, the seminary rules were strict and included, no dancing, no playing cards, no drinking, no homosexuality, those are just the many no’s I can remember. I honestly thought that some of the professors made statements I found offensive especially against Muslims and anyone who didn’t subscribe exactly to their religious or behavioral ideas. Certainly not all but some of the students were rude, aggressive bullies who steamed over you in classroom discussions. I remember one brazenly declaring that a professor told him that we were required by scriptures only to love those who are Christians and, by inference, only your kind of Christian. I never saw a professor act anyway but approvingly to these aggressive students and their offensive statements. The seminary demanded a verbal plenary interpretation of scripture. It was this last point that turned out to be the beginning of the end for me. As the professor was was speaking it suddenly dawned on me that the whole fundamentalist case was predicated on the faulty belief of biblical infallibility and literal acceptance of verbal plenary inspiration. The effect of verbal plenary inspiration was to move the writers so as to produce just the words God wanted. The professors hedged that in the original, the Bible was exactly as God would have written it and must be accepted as such. I couldn’t accept that because I could clearly see contradictions between books and stories that were simply not believable as historic fact.
The aggressive backlash I received was more than I could take. I left seminary at the end of my second year and was ostracized for doing so by both friends, family and the church. I felt I had left a cult. I left the evangelical church for mainline Christianity but kept in sufficient contact to recognize that evangelicals were becoming more conservative and more aggressive in there tactics to effect laws and politics. After a decade, I reunited marginally with my parents. I could especially recognize the hardline, conservative, John Wayne evangelical in my aged father. It had always been there but all I could see was the obstinacy. All I felt was hurt and rejection. This book captures my father’s evangelical faith and practice perfectly.

Good to know, but hard to chew

A full-bodied expose of the rampant cultural/political issues within the American Christian community. Lots of “ah-ha’s” and fun facts. But the book itself was a little gristly for me. Something between the author and the reader combined to feel a little more snarky than I found palatable. For me, the subject matter felt like it warranted more solemnity. But if you like tongue-in-cheek commentary, you’ll love this read! Would not recommend for your red-blooded, right-wing family member unless you want to thorough piss them off! Would recommend for someone who is looking to better understand modern American Christianity and who is open to critiquing it.

right wing evangelical summary

well done jam packed expose with accounts of right wing evangelical leaders actions and goals.

Thumbs Up for the book, thumbs down for the narration.

Great book so far, but will have to read it to finish it. The narrator seems totally unfamiliar with the subject matter, and that comes out in the weird emphasis and off-timing of the recording. It’s tough to listen to. I’m returning it.

Very well done

This sheds a lot of light on why we’re in this boat today. It’s a great book!

Great book, horrible Christians

I have watched this takeover through the years but had not realized how involved the “Evangelicals” were in the process. This book covers the things we all saw/heard on the news, were horrified by but didn’t realize the charges just went away most of the time. I would like to recommend it to some of my Christian friends but I am sure they wouldn’t read it or if they did would not believe it.

Interesting History

I was drawn to this as someone who left the evangelical church after I was told by someone I love very much that “81% of evangelicals voted for Trump. If that many God-loving people support him, I believe God intended for him to be president.” This book was an excellent history of evangelicals’ political ties and how their support of Trump really shouldn’t be surprising to people who know history.

A Captivating Outside Look into the American Evangelical Movement

While I don’t completely agree with everything said, I think this book was a great perspective for rereading how movements in Evangelical Christianity were shaped by American politics, masculinity, and femininity even to give a point of view that is thought-provoking.

MUST LISTEN

This book is incredibly helpful and understanding the history and background of the formation and evolution of the evangelical movement in the United States. Anyone having lived within the evangelical movement or wanting to understand the evangelical movement or also the current political climate of conservative America would do well to listen to this book for a keen insight.