Star-Spangled Jesus

Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith

By: April Ajoy

Narrated by: April Ajoy

A hilarious and eye-opening account of leaving Christian Nationalism behind to follow Jesus better. Social media influencer and podcast host 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?

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.

Kinda helped me out

This last election cycle left me questioning my faith. I kind of renounced the Conservative definition of Christianity, but I still gad a feeling that I can’t just not believe in Jesus. Ms. Ajoy showed me you can be a believer and not be a complete A-hole about it. That there are still people who keep the Christ in Christianity. And I about died laughing during the Racial Reconciliation Night part.

A touching memoir with interesting insights

I am familiar with the author through her TikToks and found out about this book through her appearance on a podcast. Having grown up on the outskirts of these spaces it was interesting hearing the perspective of someone in the inner-circle. And while I am generally familiar with the history of evangelicalism, I found this book had a lot of information about the history of the Christian Nationalist movement that I hadn't heard before. The performance of the author in this audiobook was also fantastic and conveyed a lot of her heart for the subject matter. I'm not sure how well quizzes work in an audio medium, but they were funny so I don't think it really matters. 5 Stars, highly recommend

Must-Listen For Anyone Recovering From Christian Nationalism

Yet again, another deeply relatable book on this topic. April describes her journey out of Christian Nationalism with humility, accountability, and compassion.

The Book I Needed

I’ve struggled with my beliefs that I’d grown up with in the past few years… often wondering what was going on with me. I found myself questioning so much of what I was seeing at my church since the election of Donald Trump in 2016. As April notes in her book, no one plans on deconstructing. It just kind of happens. I’m so thankful to have April’s memoir to help guide me through all of this. Her explanation of Christian Nationalism is both informative and hilarious! (As a side note I now know I wasn’t the only one who, as a kid, freaked out when the house got too quiet and panicked that the Rapture had occurred without me!). Thank you, April, for writing this book. It’s certainly opened my eyes to a world that’s no longer black and white, and I think I’m better for it.

Great book

I loved the book. Loved April's reading of her book. Recommend purchasing this book.