Articles & Essays Archives - Kristin Kobes Du Mez

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays

Discipline and Punish: A Guide to Power in American Evangelicalism

“Are you going rogue?” The question startled me. It had come from a professor at another Christian university, someone I hadn’t met before. This was in the months before Jesus and John Wayne published, but she was responding to some of my…

Kristin Kobes Du MezFebruary 18, 2021

American Evangelicalism Articles & Essays Christian Thought Featured In the Media

Five Myths about Evangelicals

Excerpts: Myth No. 1: Evangelical beliefs come strictly from the Bible But evangelicals’ beliefs are often molded by political and cultural allegiances, not just biblical texts. Political scientist Michele Margolis has demonstrated that politics can shape religious choices, just as religious belief…

Kristin Kobes Du MezJanuary 22, 2021

Articles & Essays Church History Spirituality

On Pandemic Christmas Eve

For many of us, this is a Christmas without family celebrations, mall Santas, rousing performances of Handel’s Messiah, and Christmas Eve candlelight services. All is not lost, however. Starbucks has come through with a lovely selection of red-and-green holiday cups, one…

Kristin Kobes Du MezDecember 24, 2020

Articles & Essays Christian Thought

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

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