Over the years there have been a few books that explained the world to me in revelatory ways. I think my first experience was a book I read in college about usury. Through that one topic the whole medieval structure and the history of anti semitism as well as the beginning of modern banking principles was explored. Some years later I read The Enigma of Japanese Power  by Van Wolferen and I was astounded at the masterful way he dissected and analyzed the history of the Japanese political and industrial system.  I was equally amazed when I read the book Salt: A World History by Kurlansky which explained the history and importance of salt not only in our diets but to the world of commerce and economics. Each one of these books opened my eyes to a piece of history that is often overlooked and gave context to its larger importance in history.

Jesus and John Wayne is another book that I can now add to this collection of mind opening and enlightening books that give meaning and context to the way the world works today. Beginning with the emergence of white evangelicalism in the South as a reaction to the Civil Rights movement, Du Mez shows how White evangelicals turned away from the the Jesus of the Gospels and instead created a “rugged masculine warrior” Jesus who acted like John Wayne and supported authoritarianism, patriarchy, protected the white status quo, women’s purity, and was against equal rights for women, opposed to BLM, skeptical of #MeToo, and fearful of Islam. They embraced rugged heroes in additions to John Wayne, like Billy Graham, Oliver North, Ronald Reagan and even Mel Gibson to support their belief that God had ordained the US as a White Christian Nation and should be unashamed by political correctness and willing to “tell it like it is.” 

Du Mez is very persuasive as she challenges the commonly held assumption that conservative White Christians backed Trump for pragmatic reasons, and instead insists that Trump was the culmination of a long held hope for a leader who would aggressively enforce US might over others, especially in the Islamic world, protect traditional patriarchal values at home by limiting equal rights for women, abolish Roe V. Wade and make it harder for minorities to vote, thus protecting a white way of life. Her thorough research and vast resources are quite revealing and provide us with another lens with which to look at the political movement that brought us Trump. It is not a comforting book, but someone wise once said” know your enemy” and this book certainly provides ample material to do that!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to? Keith, Ken and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? YES!

Read in ebook format.