Guerrilla Readers, February 2025
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
To old friends, hello again. I commend you for having the courage to come back for a second book!
To new friends: In Guerrilla Readers, we are reading writers who challenge what we think we know about about the world we live in—books that lead us to a deeper understanding of how we got where we are today and where we’re likely to be tomorrow and the day after that. This is difficult reading, to be sure, not fun or even mildly entertaining, often uncomfortable, even deeply troubling. But helpful in the long run, for it clues us into what’s going on, who the players are, what we need to be looking for as it all seems to come apart, why it all matters—and sometimes, what we can do about it. Understanding can help us recalibrate. It can leave us both grateful and hopeful, even as we grope through the dark.
Earlier posts and discussions in this series are here. Free subscribers are welcome to read along with these posts on the books; paid subscribers can share their thoughts and feelings with other readers in our discussions.
What did it mean to be an evangelical? Did it mean upholding a set of doctrinal truths, or did it mean embracing a culture-wars application of those truths—a God-and-country religiosity that championed white rural and working-class values, one that spilled over into a denigration of outsiders and elites, and that was organized around a deep attachment to militarism and patriarchal masculinity?—Jesus and John Wayne. loc 4217
In the late 1940s-50s, my mother belonged to a fundamentalist Church of Christ. As a child, I went to services and potluck suppers with her and enjoyed years’-long friendships with members of the congregation. As a young woman, I taught Sunday school in a Southern Baptist church. I sold my first piece of writing to a church publication. Although my spiritual life took a different direction in my mid-adult years, I thought I understood the evangelical movement.
Which is why I was absolutely dumbfounded when evangelicals carried Trump into the White House in 2016. The congregation I knew in the ’50s would have been appalled by his porn-star affairs and his “grab ’em by the p****y” boast. They could never have supported a man like him. What happened?
That’s why I reached so eagerly for Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s 2020 book, Jesus and John Wayne. I wanted to know how the evangelicals I knew as a kid growing up had morphed into the kinds of people who could be duped into supporting Trump or—even more incredibly—how they did it with such apparent enthusiasm.
I got what I asked for. Jesus and John Wayne is a sharp, thoroughly researched historical analysis of how white American evangelicalism was taught to embrace a militant, patriarchal vision of Christianity—one that prioritized power, nationalism, and masculinity over theological doctrine. KKDM argues that this transformation wasn't a distortion of evangelicalism but an organic outgrowth of its long-standing cultural and political commitments. The book traces this development across the 20th and 21st centuries, culminating in the overwhelming evangelical support for Donald Trump, a figure whose personal morality conflict with traditional Christian moral standards but whose authoritarian, hyper-masculine persona resonates with the evangelical base.
Some things I’m thinking about as I read
Evangelicalism as a political, cultural, and commercial movement. Du Mez argues that it has become as much political as theological , now shaped by cultural anxieties about gender roles, race, and power. She highlights how evangelical leaders—from Billy Graham to James Dobson—used their platforms to push conservative social and political agendas, and how commercial Christian media have profited.
The cult of militant masculinity. Evangelicalism in the U.S. has been deeply shaped by a vision of masculinity that celebrates aggression, dominance, and "warrior" leadership, often tied to militarism and law-and-order politics. Figures like John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and even Teddy Roosevelt served as cultural prototypes of the "Christian warrior," reinforcing this ideal.
The role of white evangelical women. Women played a crucial role in promoting and defending this brand of militant masculinity, particularly through family values rhetoric and the cult of male headship. Figures like Phyllis Schlafly, the Duggar family, and conservative Christian women’s ministries reinforced submission, modesty, and wifely duty, even as they wielded influence within evangelical circles.
Abortion, racial politics and evangelical power. White evangelicalism has consistently been linked to racial hierarchy, supporting segregationist policies and opposing civil rights movements. But the evangelical power base arises both from resistance to desegregation and racial parity and from pro-life abortion resistance as well.
The evangelicals’ embrace of Trump. Du Mez demonstrates how Trump’s appeal to evangelicals isn’t a bug but a feature of the movement’s long-standing celebration of strongman leadership. His defiance of “political correctness,” his promises to defend conservative Christian values (especially against feminism, DEI, LGBTQ+ rights, and secular liberalism), and his militant rhetoric have enshrined him as a champion of white evangelicals.
Some things to watch for
Both Richardson and Du Mez want to teach us what to watch for in the media we consume.
The false narrative of a “golden yesterday.” Evangelical narratives about America’s past are often built on an idealized and inaccurate version of history.
Women as patriarchy enforcers, enablers. Christian women authors, women’s ministries, and homeschooling moms may contribute to teaching and maintaining patriarchal gender roles.
Militaristic and patriotic rhetoric. Du Mez pays attention to martial code words—the language of warfare, conquest, and battle metaphors—and visual imagery.
Evangelical pop culture’s influence. The use of cultural heroes and commercial media (books, movies, music, theme parks) to reinforce gender norms and political ideologies. Who’s getting rich off of people’s religious commitments? Where is that money going?
Is it theology or is it politics? Theology is being used as justification for political positions and (more alarmingly) being reshaped by political priorities.
A few questions for our later discussion
I’m posting these now so you can think about them as you read. I’ll keep our comment space closed for now and open it for discussion on Monday, February 17, when we’ve all had a chance to read the book.
Have you had personal experiences of evangelical Christianity that either support or contradict Du Mez’ arguments? Where? When? What happened?
As you read, notice where the writer is standing in relation to her subject—that is, what her viewpoint is on the world she’s writing about.
In her book, Richardson is writing about people and ideas on the national scene and in the past. She is a historian, standing on the sidelines, looking from the present into the past and from the outside in. While she’s intense and involved, she’s pretty objective.
Du Mez, on the other hand, is more of a reporter—somebody who’s close to the action, participates in evangelical work, and sees and takes notes on what’s going on inside. While she’s objective, she’s pretty involved. And intense.
How do these different points of view affect the way these writers tell their stories? How do they affect your reading experience? Which do you find more effective: the outsider’s objective view or the insider’s involved view?
If you read Richardson’s Letters from an American, or Du Mez’s Connections, you’ll notice that both use a reportorial viewpoint in these newsletters. What differences from their books do you see?
And here are the questions to consider about every book we read:
What surprised you about this book?
What pleased you?
What do you most agree with? Disagree with? Why?
What worries you about the book? What excites you?
What parts did you skip? Why?
What is your favorite quote?
What question would you most like to ask Du Mez?
What question would you most like to ask other readers?
If you want to dig deeper
Du Mez suggests that you might keep your eye on the performance of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. In her January 25th Substack, KKDM calls him a poster boy: “Almost chapter by chapter,” she says, “he embodies the themes of the book.” She goes on to ask, “Now that we’re all living in Pete Hegseth’s America, what can you do?” Her answer: “It’s a good idea to educate yourself on what we’re dealing with.”
And thanks to guerrilla writers like Du Mez, that’s exactly what we’re about here in Guerrilla Readers. Educating ourselves on what we’re dealing with. If you want to learn more, here’s a sampling of recent books on the subject:
Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy – Katherine Stewart (Feb. 18, 2024)
A journalist investigates how evangelical leaders have weaponized religion for political and financial gain, exposing the deep ties between right-wing Christianity, dark money, and authoritarian power structures. (If you have time for only one more book, this is the one I recommend.)
The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy – Philip S. Gorski & Samuel L. Perry (2022)
A historian and a sociologist examine how white Christian nationalism drives political extremism and violence in the U.S., connecting it to historical patterns of racial and religious supremacy.
Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—And What Comes Next – Bradley Onishi (2023)
A former evangelical insider traces the history of white Christian nationalism, explaining how it evolved into an anti-democratic movement that fueled violent events like the January 6 insurrection.
The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy - J. Russell Hawkins (2021)
A historian and scholar of race and religion shows how, although the triumph of the civil rights movement fundamentally transformed American society, it did little to change southern white evangelicals' commitment to segregation.
Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism and the Wreckage It Leaves Behind – Angela Denker (Updated 2023 Edition)
A journalist and Lutheran pastor explores the lives of conservative Christians across America, providing a nuanced view of how faith, politics, and power have shaped evangelical communities.
Looking ahead
The comments are closed on these free introductory posts (but I’m available via DM or email if you have ideas to share). Our discussion of Jesus and John Wayne will open behind a paywall on Monday, February 17. The comments will remain open as long as anybody has anything to say. Thanks for reading, and hang on—it’s bumpy out there!