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Du Mez posits that evangelical preference for this leader image has changed our image of Jesus. Books for women idealize meek subservience, oriented around strong masculine leaders.
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These books often use militaristic imagery and foster a feeling of moral and cultural embattlement. For white evangelical men, the ideal is to be strong, aggressive and protective (like John Wayne). Du Mez follows this trope through the anti-communist, anti-social progressive fervor of the Moral Majority of the ‘80’s and 90’s.ĭu Mez further tracks the great white Wayne avatar into the Christian Living genre of self-help books for men and women, forming a picture of Evangelicalism’s ideals of manhood and womanhood. A pro-military and cowboy brand of masculinity held sway – embodied in the aesthetic of John Wayne: a large, strong, politically conservative white man who loves his country and militantly defends against communism and illegal immigrants. Du Mez explains how Evangelicals became passionate for political power and fascinated with celebrity symbols. Billy Graham’s influence with republican presidents like Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan, and his ability to persuade Evangelicals to cast votes for them, lays the foundation of J&JW ’s narrative. History Professor at Calvin College, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, wonders how conservatives could “support a man who flouted every value they insisted they held dear (2).” The same people, explains Du Mez, who literally turned “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do) into “a national phenomenon, justify their support for a man who seemed the very antithesis of the savior they claimed to emulate (2).” J&JW provides a narrative that seeks to answer these questions for those shocked and dismayed at the reported 81% evangelical support for Donald Trump.įrom Billy Graham and the formation of the National Association of Evangelicals to the 2016 election, Du Mez examines the last 70-80 years of evangelicalism’s rise. We should see it as an opportunity for self-examination. Whatever emotions or responses J&JW provokes in us (“right on” or “shut up”), we should resist the urge to make it such a symbol. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (henceforth J&JW ) is poised to be another symbol for camp categorization between progressives and conservatives. The Communist Manifesto or Road to Serfdom ? Battleground books become symbols of community signaling, “ We don’t read THOSE. Like preachers, doctrines, politicians and positions, books and authors can become identity markers for sub-cultures, movements and communities.
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As historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez demonstrates, 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." Trump is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals' hearts and minds, having followed the path blazed by, among others, John Wayne, Oliver North, and Mel Gibson. While we assume the religious right has pragmatic reasons for backing Trump, in truth he represents the fulfillment of evangelicals' most deeply held values. Yet in 2016 he won 81 percent of the white evangelical vote, and continues to rely on white evangelicals as his base of support. "A scholar of American Christianity answers perhaps the most bewildering question of our time: Why are evangelicals "the Donald's" most fervent supporters? Donald Trump is a libertine who lacks even basic knowledge of the Christian faith.