He was the face of evangelicalism, and his masculine credentials were bolstered by his conversion story, which drew on both athletic and military metaphors to make clear that Christianity was wholly compatible with red-blooded masculinity.Įvangelicals supported the war against totalitarianism, but they also had doubts about the US military. In so doing, the apostle notes, he must needs pass through Samaria. It was not until the 1940s that they decided to unite and launch an offensive on a national scale.Įvangelicals needed a network to support and amplify their individual efforts, and that network was created by Billy Graham. The fundamentalist movement was not limited by denominational affiliation, and its influence was on the rise. Calvin University history professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins Skye Jethani to continue discussing her bestselling book, 'Jesus & John Wayne.' In this episode, they discuss how evangelicalism fought to maintain traditional authority structures in the. In its place, the ideal of the Christian businessman resurfaced as a prototype of Christian manhood. Jesus and John Wayne Episode 2: Culture Warriors (The ‘70s - ‘80s). This is a highly disturbingand informativebook. Liberals insisted that their own social activism exemplified a manly exercise of Christianity, while fundamentalists asserted that a staunch defense of doctrine evinced masculine courage and conviction.įollowing the war, the more militant model of Christian masculinity lost its appeal. Listen to this article Book Review of: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2020, 356 pages WN: This is one of the few times I also posted a book review to this Blog. This new, aggressive Christianity was a perfect fit with the emerging American consumer culture.ĭuring the First World War, these two competing visions of muscular Christianity were caught up in a frenzied militarism. and Bob Jr Unanswered Questions Jon was born in Kalamazoo on September 17, 1965, the son of Wayne E Pountain, Jon A Summary: Robert Joyce is 67. Her previous book was A New Gospel for Women. Du Mez, who is a history professor at Calvin University, has written for many US publications, including the New York Times. They couldn’t shake the feeling that Christianity didn’t feel masculine, and they blamed the faith itself or the Victorian gentility of earlier Christianity.ĭuring the 1900s, American Christianity was re-masculinized by allowing men to take back the church. The podcast mentions the book Jesus and John WayneHow White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (published in 2020). By the early twentieth century, Christians recognized that they had a masculinity problem. The path that ends with John Wayne as an icon of Christian masculinity is strewn with a colorful cast of characters. Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 1
Insights on Kristin Kobes Du Mez's Jesus and John Wayne Contents For the theologically conservative reader, Jesus and John Wayne starts off as a real drag.