She quotes the Baptist scholar Alan Bean as saying, The unspoken mantra of post-war evangelicalism was simple: Jesus can save your soul but John Wayne will save your ass. Which is why I think it best to leave them alone at Christmas and Easter вЂ“ their most sacred time of year for trolling Christians on twitter вЂ“ and save whatever questions we may have about their religion for another time, when theyвЂ™re not focusing on the core tenets of their faith.вЂќ Flashback: Why Medical Missions Is So Effective Du Mez draws this convincing image from decades of popular evangelical books on masculinity, such as Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson and Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. An alumna of Dordt College and raised in Sioux County, Du Mez watched with fascinated horror on Januas presidential candidate. вЂњJust as I donвЂ™t think it is very helpful to take side swipes at Orthodox Jews during Yom Kippur nor Sikhs during Baisakhi, so too it is unkind to have a go at fundamentalist Atheists during their high holidays. Kristin Kobes Du MezвЂ™s Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith and Fractured A Nation begins on sacred ground for all daughters and sons of Dordt University.

ThereвЂ™s a lot of snark in this one from Stephen Kneale, but he makes a very important point along the way.

Leave the New Atheists alone on their Holy days The trouble, IвЂ™m convinced, is that many pastors are not thought of by outsiders at all! Yet, as Jared Wilson says here, they must be thought well of. Pastors Must Be Well Thought of By Outsiders I just finished Jesus and John Wayne by my fellow Anxious Bench blogger Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Robert Godfrey explains what this text does and doesnвЂ™t mean. Thaddeus Williams: вЂњHave you ever felt like many Christian churches today donвЂ™t care about justice the way they should, like theyвЂ™re on the вЂwrong side of historyвЂ™? Maybe youвЂ™ve even felt like that has become a dealbreaker for you, that your passion for a more just world could be more deeply gratified if you simply cut ties with the church, with all of its baggage and blind spots? If youвЂ™ve been burned by hypocrisy in the church or love someone who has, then perhaps that impulse to bail has grown irresistible.вЂќ Work Out Your Own Salvation With Fear And Trembling (Video) Jesus and John Wayne: A Fair Portrait of Evangelicalism?ДЄnne Kennedy has written a thorough review of a popular new book by Kristin Kobes Du Mez: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. Cummins Jesus and John Wayne presents a serious critique of white American evangelical culture. (Yesterday on the blog: Why Should We Remember what God Forgets?) A Typesetting God Kristin Kobes Du Mez Liveright Publishing, 368 pages Reviewed by Emery J. TodayвЂ™s Kindle deals includes a one-day sale on Scott David AllenвЂ™s excellent Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice. Sponsor Show Your Support Become a Patron

Jesus and john wayne critique