I was not born into an evangelical family. In short, I do not read Du Mez’s book from the standpoint of total objectivity, nor do I approach her subject matter as a set of pure abstractions in which I have no part.įurthermore, I bring my own experiences as an evangelical to the narrative that Du Mez has produced in her book.
Author of jesus and john wayne how to#
And lastly, I am a Christian historian myself, and am constantly thinking about how to be a worthy student and teacher of history, as well as a creditable teller of past stories for present audiences. I also am a white, conservative evangelical Christian, so I read the pages of this book with the realization that my people are the subject of this book (although I do question how valid the way DuMez normativizes the concept of “white evangelical” is).
For one, I know Professor Du Mez professionally and I have a deep and abiding respect and admiration for her. I am deeply invested in more than one element of Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne. Consider this review a cri de coeur over a book written as a cri de coeur.
I have reviewed dozens of books in my professional life, but this review will be different. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (New York: Liveright, 2020), 386 pages, $18.95 (Hardback).Īs I begin, please indulge me as I make a few personal prefatory remarks.