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A review by sareidle
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.25
This book helped me place all of the puzzle pieces together of things that I observed and criticized in American Evangelicals for years. Seeing the bird's eye view of how mainstream Christianity has shifted in response to societal changes demonstrates how Evangelicals care more about power and influence than Christ's message. There are many factors that have led to the current predicament of the United States in 2025 and Kristin Kobes Du Mez did an excellent job presenting her research on the white evangelical side.
That said, the misogyny and dog whistle racism was hard to listen to repeatedly. I felt myself getting angry when quotations from evangelical leaders and conservative politicians were read because it was so divorced from the actual teachings of the Bible. While this is a very important book to read, based on my experience, I recommend reading it in moderation.
That said, the misogyny and dog whistle racism was hard to listen to repeatedly. I felt myself getting angry when quotations from evangelical leaders and conservative politicians were read because it was so divorced from the actual teachings of the Bible. While this is a very important book to read, based on my experience, I recommend reading it in moderation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abortion, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment