Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

47 reviews

chloe_601's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

Listening to this book felt like tumbling down a bizarre and scary rabbit hole, with more and more developments introducing a new aspect of conservative evangelicalism, and documenting its slow rise through the background of American politics, eventually producing the election of Trump.

It is really well researched, and makes a connection between southern churches and anti-desegregation pastors, to pro-Vietnam war stances anchored by an ideal of rugged masculinity, to Nixon’s southern strategy and the party shift of the later 20th century. This continued with Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s and opposition to the Equal Rights amendment, through the 1990s and 2000s with support for the war on terror, all the way through the Obama presidency.

It felt like reading a bizarre conspiracy of shadow actors and insane interpretations of a religion, but I think that was just because I hadn’t made the connections between all the people and events before. The mentions of popular evangelical/christian media from when I was raised in that environment was slightly triggering but eye opening at the same time. I had heard and read a lot of accounts of abuse, both physical and mental, in some of the more authoritarian church environments when I deconstructed/left the faith, but reading a chapter listing out scandal after scandal shows just how horrific an environment it is for anyone who isn’t a white cis male.

The book was written from the perspective of someone who is a Christian themselves (though more progressive), which means their conclusions possibly weren’t as strong as I had hoped. But their analysis of the 2016 election, particularly their hypothesis for why evangelicals supported trump so strongly, was well-argued and made complete sense. It seemed like a contradiction at the time, but a deeper look shows that this momentum had been building for the better part of 50 years. Their support mainly came from a place of feeling threatened by not being the dominant majority anymore, and they wanted a strongman to “protect” them.

As scary and dark as reality can be, though, that analysis shows that their support was so fervent and things so insane because their system of militant masculinity, rigid gender roles, and hatred of anyone different is on the way out. It will fight as hard as it can to stay relevant, but eventually it will be in the way out. I just hope we can minimise the amount of people hurt when it lashes out.

Content Warnings

meganpbell's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

This 75-year-spanning study by a Christian historian traces American evangelicals’ takeover of the Republican Party and shows how their highest values—militarism and masculinity, patriarchy and patriotism—turned a modest Jesus Christ into a macho John Wayne, and made voting for Donald Trump not a necessary evil, but a natural conclusion. As disturbing as it is revelatory, this book is a must read for anyone seeking to make sense of this political era.

Content Warnings

katelyn11's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

lkbp17's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative slow-paced

3.5

Content Warnings

feralforestgoblin's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

4.5

A really fascinating angle on how Jesus-worship evolved into military/nationalism-worship. Might not be a comfortable read for everyone, but it's an angle that should be explored nonetheless. This is well put together and easy to follow.

Content Warnings

tinyshedtia's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. If you’ve ever wondered how it’s possible for the US to be where it is, this book provides SO MUCH CONTEXT. Honestly I haven’t been able to shut up about this book. Incredibly well researched, the writing is compelling, and the structure is fantastic; it truly brings you on the journey of how evangelicalism began and how it got to where it is now. Amazing.

Content Warnings