"Jesus and John Wayne" by Kristin Kobes Du Mez - a review

I need a shower, maybe two or three … and a good mind-scrubbing.

I just finished a remarkable book by historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez, from Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.”

I knew a lot of this story, but Du Mez connected a lot of dots and forcefully draws the conclusion: Trump is not an anomaly, but the culmination of 50 years, and more, of evangelical militaristic masculinity. 

Trump is their man - his behavior confirming for them his manliness, a virtue desperately needed to preserve this nation’s greatness, a greatness built upon patriarchy, white supremacy, nationalism, and militarism. A nation under attack from within by liberals and progressives who support women’s choice, women’s equality, gay rights and voting rights, and under attack from without by Communism and now Islam.

Along the way, evangelical fixation on sex has led to some of the most bizarre ideas and behaviors that are nothing less than pornographic - all in the service of the easily bruised male ego, which is crucial to the welfare of the nation. It all begins with the man, a clearly defined manly man, masculine, dominate, steak-eating, gun-loving, soldier-like, and powerful, with women created by God to keep the man happy, proud, strong, through her obedience, quietness, sexual servitude, and child-bearing and rearing, to produce another generation of soldiers for Christ and the little women to serve them.

Hence, anything that blurs the lines between male and female is to be rejected, and those who would promote the blurring of lines, as do Democrats, liberals, universities, public schools, socialists, people of color, and Hillary, are to be vilified, hated, feared, mocked, and condemned.

Boys should play with guns, and girls with dolls. And if boys are boys, well, then, girls need to be forgiving and quiet. Everything, of course, should be reserved for marriage. Boys are initiated into the secrets of manhood in a hunting camp, and girls at purity balls and makeup parties.

15 years in the making, this book dives deep into the murky waters of evangelicalism, and while some evangelicals have protested all along the way, the bulk of evangelicalism has moved into hyper-conservatism, bolstered by the Christian publishing and music industry, talk radio and FOX News, in partnership with politicians who have played the evangelicals for all their worth, and evangelical religious leaders who have loved the power of their influence peddling in the halls of congress and the Oval Office.

Du Mez’s writing is clear and her points well-documented. That she survived this ordeal is a testament to her fortitude and her faith, that what has been done can be undone, and to a host of people around her - family, friends, and scholars who share her commitment to the truth and her hope for better days.

I thought I knew much of this story, but I didn’t. I had no idea as to the depth and breadth of it all, so well-funded, and so well connected to rightwing politics and rightwing military leaders. I knew something about Colorado Springs as the center of it all, but no idea as to how deep it went, and how deep it remains, though more and more is being revealed, and brought under scrutiny.

I find it amazing that evangelicalism thrives in an environment of control, fear, and secrets, and when brought to light, it reacts with violence, and lies all the more to cover itself and keep the flock obedient.

This vital book filled in lots of  my knowledge-gaps, and drew lots of lines between people, organizations, and ideas, to make it painfully clear just how insidious and deadly is the evangelical hold on much of America. Evangelicalism is not about life, no matter what it claims, but control and power and greed and manipulation, with the white male as king of the mountain.

My thanks to Ms. Du Mez for this extraordinary book, a book that belongs on everyone’s shelf, or on everyone’s kindle, deserving a careful reading and much prayer.

And, yes, like me, you may need shower or two  after reading it.