Kristin Kobes
Du Mez, Ph.D.

Historian / Writer / Speaker

Professor of History, Calvin University
Senior Democracy Fellow, Public Religion Research Institute

Writing and In-the-Media

Latest Books

Featured In-the-Media

Interview: MPR News, The Thread – Books and Literary News, “A New Book Explores How the Subculture of White Christian Women Shapes America” FeaturedIn the Media

Interview: MPR News, The Thread – Books and Literary News, “A New Book Explores How the Subculture of White Christian Women Shapes America”

Interview by Kelly Gordon October 6, 2026 Kristin Kobes Du Mez new book on the subculture of white Christian women | MPR News I wanted to look at the popular religious culture that shapes Christian women's lives: Christian radio, Christian…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
October 6, 2026
Interview: National Public Radio, All Things Considered, “You Know the Phrase ‘Live Laugh Love,’ But Do You Know Its History?” All Things Considered NPR logo blue background on white wordsFeaturedIn the Media

Interview: National Public Radio, All Things Considered, “You Know the Phrase ‘Live Laugh Love,’ But Do You Know Its History?”

Inteview by Juana Summers September 14, 2026 All Things Considered You know the phrase "Live Laugh Love," but do you know its history? : NPR NPR's Juana Summers talks with Kristin Kobez Du Mez about 'Live Laugh Love: The Secret…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
September 15, 2026
University of St Andrews, School of Divinity, Smith Lecture, “The Secret History of Christian Women: Purity, Power and the End of the American Century” University of St Andrews Logo and Crest black text on whiteFeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

University of St Andrews, School of Divinity, Smith Lecture, “The Secret History of Christian Women: Purity, Power and the End of the American Century”

March 11, 2026 Buchanan Lecture Theater St Andrews, Scotland Each semester, an outstanding female scholar from any sub-discipline of Divinity is invited to St Andrews to deliver the Smith Lecture in memory of Agnes Lewis and Margaret Dunlop (both née Smith),…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
March 11, 2026
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Thulin Lecture, “An Evening with Kristin Kobes Du Mez” Univeristy of Illinois Logo Orange I with White Text on BlueFeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Thulin Lecture, “An Evening with Kristin Kobes Du Mez”

Thulin Lecture: An Evening with Kristin Kobes Du MezFrom Jesus and John Wayne to Live Laugh Love: The Religious Roots of our Current Moment When: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., Tuesday (February 24, 2026)Where: Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana,…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
February 24, 2026
Whitworth University, Weyerhaeuser Speaker Series, “Live Laugh Love: White Christian Women and the World They Made.” whitworth university logo white on redFeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

Whitworth University, Weyerhaeuser Speaker Series, “Live Laugh Love: White Christian Women and the World They Made.”

October 22, 2025 Cowles Auditorium Presentation / Weyer Center Christian Faith The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning is pleased to welcome Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times bestselling author and professor of history at Calvin University. Kobes…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
October 22, 2025
Emory University, Chandler School of Theology, Pastoral Leadership in an Age of Christian Nationalism. “Jesus and John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning.” FeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

Emory University, Chandler School of Theology, Pastoral Leadership in an Age of Christian Nationalism. “Jesus and John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning.”

September 24-25, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia In a time when Christian nationalism is gaining both cultural and political traction, the work of pastoral leadership requires renewed theological reflection, moral clarity, and prophetic courage. Candler is hosting this set of four public…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
September 24, 2025
Interview: National Public Radio, Morning Edition, “An Author Explores How Her Christian Faith Has Been Politicized” FeaturedIn the Media

Interview: National Public Radio, Morning Edition, “An Author Explores How Her Christian Faith Has Been Politicized”

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to author Kristin Kobes Du Mez about how President-elect Donald Trump has emboldened the Christian nationalist movement. December 10, 2024 Heard on Morning Edition An author explores how her Christian faith has been politicized : NPR
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
December 10, 2024
University of Colorado: The Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life. “Jesus and John Wayne: Evangelical Masculinity, Family Values Politics, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism.” university of colorado colorado springs gold logo and words on black backgroundFeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

University of Colorado: The Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life. “Jesus and John Wayne: Evangelical Masculinity, Family Values Politics, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism.”

Ent Center for the Arts Chapman Auditorium Drawing on her New York Times bestselling book, author Dr. Du Mez explains how the study of evangelical popular culture makes clear that recent political events do not represent the betrayal of evangelical…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
April 15, 2023
Baylor University. Leadership Speaker Series. “Ceilings & Mazes: Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Faith, & Leadership.” with Dr. Beth Allison Barr baylor unviersity logo and words on green background with yellow lettersFeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

Baylor University. Leadership Speaker Series. “Ceilings & Mazes: Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Faith, & Leadership.” with Dr. Beth Allison Barr

Baylor Student Life Division In support of equipping students towards “Leadership for the Common Good”, thought leaders are invited to Baylor to discuss the intersection of their areas of expertise: postures of leadership to include character, virtue, and ethics, as…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
February 16, 2023
Harvard Radcliffe Institute Conference: The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America harvard radcliffe institute logo.FeaturedIn the MediaTalks & Lectures

Harvard Radcliffe Institute Conference: The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America

Session 3: American Public Life Aziza Ahmed, professor of law, Boston University School of Law Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history, Calvin University  Daniel K. Williams, professor of history, University of West Georgia Moderator: Andrew R. Lewis, associate professor, School…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
January 27, 2023
Interview: PBS, Amanpour & Co, “Kristin Du Mez: How Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith,” with Michel Martin pbs logo white letters on blue backgroundFeaturedIn the Media

Interview: PBS, Amanpour & Co, “Kristin Du Mez: How Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith,” with Michel Martin

The likely demise of Roe v. Wade has galvanized America’s evangelicals. Who exactly are they? And how do they influence politics? Kristin Du Mez is a professor at Calvin University and a historian of American Christianity. Her book "Jesus and…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
May 5, 2022
Interview: NPR, Morning Edition, “Sen. Josh Hawley Claims Masculinity is Under Attack. This Historian Disagrees,” with Steve Inskeep npr logo (medium)FeaturedIn the Media

Interview: NPR, Morning Edition, “Sen. Josh Hawley Claims Masculinity is Under Attack. This Historian Disagrees,” with Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to history professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her new Josh Hawley's claim that masculinity is under attack. For a complete transcript and to listen to the interview, visit Sen. Josh Hawley claims without evidence that…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
November 11, 2021
Award Recipient: National Council of Teachers of English, George Orwell Award (2021) george orwell award black text on green backgroundFeaturedIn the Media

Award Recipient: National Council of Teachers of English, George Orwell Award (2021)

George Orwell Award 2021 Recipient: Kristin Kobes Du Mez Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation  (Liveright, 2021) Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s book Jesus and John Wayne unveils a rich and fascinating account of White, evangelical…
Kristin Kobes Du Mez
October 21, 2021