Some have criticized Du Mez (and the same criticism has been made of pollsters) for defining evangelicalism beyond adherence to a list of theological beliefs, particularly the authority of the Bible, that many would claim are central to evangelical identity. In doing so she shows how consistently various movements within evangelicalism have sought to centralize the importance of patriarchal authority and how frequently this value has been linked with militarism and Christian nationalism either explicitly or implicitly. As she traces this history, Du Mez draws out thematic connections between some more marginal figures and movements and those that are more well known.
Her intention in the book is to help the reader understand the “catalyzing role” of militant Christian masculinity in American evangelicalism and how this has contributed to the increasingly divided political landscape of the United States in the past half-century. She argues that, on the whole, white evangelicals voting for Trump were neither simply making a pragmatic decision nor betraying evangelical values, but rather their decision was consistent with a long-standing preference for militant masculine leadership which is shaped by a prominent evangelical commitment to patriarchal authority.Īlthough the 2016 election of Donald Trump serves as a jumping off point for her argument, it is really but one mark on the timeline of the past 70 plus years Du Mez reviews in evangelical history. And one question that seems to constantly recur is: why have so many white evangelicals continued to support Donald Trump, who, despite his promises to defend them, seems to share so few stated evangelical values and beliefs? In her book, Du Mez begins by proposing her own answer to this question which first arose following the 2016 election. Through both news analysis and casual conversations, many of us are still trying to make sense of it all. Afterward many evangelical leaders stood by Trump as he contested the election results and protests broke out across the country and at the capitol in response. As the calendar turned over from 2020 to 2021, evangelicals continued to overwhelmingly support Donald Trump with exit polls from the November 2020 election showing 75% of white evangelical votes cast in his favor even as he lost to Joe Biden. The USA’s divisions were on clear display in our debates over mask-mandates, racial justice, and the integrity of our election process.
The year that has passed since Kristin Kobes Du Mez published her New York Times best seller, Jesus and John Wayne, has been a politically rocky one, to say the least.
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