Reviews - Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith

I've seen a few of April Ajoy's videos on my Instagram so I had to check out her book. It's very well written and offers analysis that is equally astute and hilarious. A lot of what she wrote resonated with me even as someone who went to a church with a decently liberal female pastor. Unlike April, I don't believe in God much anymore but like April, I still admire the Gospel narrative and think the church as an institution should live up to that message. This book would be a great addition to anyone on a deconstruction journey, wherever it may end. My one point of criticism is that some passages of the book (such as the quiz and other list sections) didn't translate well to audio, but there's really no way to fix that.

Content Warnings

hanlov's review against another edition

4.75

challenging funny reflective medium-paced

"I came to think differently and question what I had been taught because the life I experienced and the knowledge I learned pushed me beyond what Christian nationalism taught me... There was no atheist professor brainwashing me, I just lived my life, expanded my knowledge of the world, and came to see that things didn't add up."

What a poignant, timely, and unfortunately exceptionally relatable listen for me! I learned about April through her TikToks and loved her sense of humor and view of the world. I was really excited to read this book and I was not disappointed at all. April is painfully real, hilarious, and rehashed a lot of the same things I have had to reconcile with my faith and the world I was brought up in. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about conservative Christianity/Christian nationalism, especially via the personal experience of a woman like April. Here's to putting the "Christ" back in Christianity; the greatest of these is love.

Content Warnings

litlineup's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

evenstr's review against another edition

4.0

informative reflective medium-paced

lyricallit's review against another edition

5.0

funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

Gentle thoughtful explanation of Christian nationalism's dangers and influence. Nicely balanced with personal anecdotes and cited sources

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