Articles & Essays Archives - Page 2 of 9

Confronting Toxic Christianity

The latest scandal to rock American evangelicalism is more of the same but with a fresh, updated feel. James MacDonald, Paige Patterson, Mark Driscoll, and Bill Hybels, to name just a few evangelical pastors caught up in abuses of power,…

Kristin Kobes Du MezDecember 10, 2020

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Featured In the Media

NBCNews.com. Op Ed. Trump pick Amy Coney Barrett’s Christian ‘Handmaid’ History Matters

Excerpts: Given this polarized context, it’s no surprise that leading Democrats have signaled a reticence to confront Barrett on the issue of her faith. Yet the precise nature of her beliefs, how those beliefs shape her judicial philosophy and how they align…

Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 10, 2020

photo of books standing upright; on golden pine background

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Thought Sexual Abuse & #MeToo

After Jesus and John Wayne

We’re three months out now from the release of Jesus and John Wayne, and it’s been a whirlwind of remote talks, podcasts, interviews, and even a couple of documentary film crews. One of the reasons I’ve had so many opportunities to…

Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 1, 2020

image of the book cover Jesus and John Wayne in blue with red lettering

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays

Jesus and John Wayne: An Afterword

Back in June, in anticipation of the book’s release, I published Jesus and John Wayne: the backstory. Now, nearly three months out from publication, I thought I’d take the opportunity to reflect on the book’s initial reception—more specifically, on the surprising…

Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 17, 2020

Articles & Essays Donald Trump In the Media

From Donald Trump to John Wayne: How to become a hero of the Christian Right

Excerpt: . . . in my research on evangelical masculinity, I have found that Trump's leadership style aligns closely with a rugged ideal of Christian manhood championed by evangelicals for more than half a century. As I show in my…

Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 8, 2020

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Sexual Abuse & #MeToo

You Want Context? Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Crotch Shot and Family-Values Evangelicalism

Earlier this week Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University and one of President Trump’s leading evangelical supporters, once again found himself at the center of controversy. And once again, Falwell had no one to blame but himself. This time,…

Kristin Kobes Du MezAugust 6, 2020

close up of people's hands holding small American flags

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Donald Trump

Will Trump’s Weakness Threaten White Evangelical Support?

Religion Dispatches. July 9, 2020. Excerpts: Earlier this month he sought to curry favor with evangelicals by staging an awkward photo op in front of a church, Bible in hand, after violently dispersing peaceful protesters. In Arizona last week, he addressed a Students…

Kristin Kobes Du MezJuly 9, 2020

image of knight armor holding sword in front of groin

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Feminists Christian Women

About Those Manly Evangelical Protectors…

A couple weeks back, evangelical Twitter erupted with the drama unfolding around Aimee Byrd and her new book, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose. Byrd is no liberal. A member of the Orthodox…

Kristin Kobes Du MezJuly 9, 2020

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Featured In the Media

If You Want to Understand White Evangelicals, Tour a Hobby Lobby Store

The Daily Beast. Opinions. June 21, 2020. https://www.thedailybeast.com/if-you-want-to-understand-white-evangelicals-tour-a-hobby-lobby-store Screencapture of Daily Beast. Images/Kristin Kobes Du Mez Excerpt: Scenes of President Donald Trump proclaiming himself the “president of law and order,” urging the deployment of the military to “dominate the streets,” and then…

Kristin Kobes Du MezJune 21, 2020

image of cross with two guns - the image on book cover for Jesus and John Wayne

Articles & Essays Christian Scholarship Work & Family

Jesus and John Wayne: the Backstory

In a little over a week, my new book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation will find its way into the world. When I started the project, I couldn’t have imagined the world it…

Kristin Kobes Du MezJune 11, 2020

Articles & Essays