Book #29 of 2024!
A “how did we get here“ look at AmeriJesus extremism and how white evangelical leaders utilized male insecurity to fuel racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, + Islamophobia to ignore the Bible + Christian principles to cravenly manufacture persecution complexes to gain power.
I’m someone who had a brief crisis of faith in 2020-21 as I wasn’t sure if I could identify with a religion whose members could not only vote for a man who embodied zero Christian principles but who, in their every day lives, warped the Bible to try to support selfish behavior and condemn pandemic mitigation measures.
Similarly, this book talks about well-meaning evangelicals who tried to separate the AmeriJesus sentiments from evangelical teachings, claiming the Christian Nationalism wasn’t really what they believed.
The difference, of course, was that I could defy a vocal minority (many of whom were probably the subject of the book) and recognize their warping of the teachings as a fringe.
Evangelicals who tried to separate from Christian Nationalism were stymied by the fact that it actually was their denomination’s doctrine. Their powerful white leaders were claiming to know better than Jesus’s Word what Jesus actually wanted, who Jesus was. Then as things evolved, so did their teachings - when a woman ran for president, it was “obvious” that women should not lead over men. Well, except for Sarah Palin, Evangelicals can make an exception for her because the alternative was a “Black Muslim” who would destroy American Christianity!
The evolving hypocrisy is in stark relief in this book as Kobes Du Mez writes a historical but page-turning description of how evangelicals’ specific made-up brand of masculinity has roots going far back but with consequences leading into today as they claim their faith is endangered to drive votes, leading the rest of us to face down the second term of the most un-Christian man to ever lead this nation.
As frustrating as this subject is, this book was informative, easy to read, and illuminating.
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