It was more than a decade ago, but I still remember that moment vividly. It was one of the few times in my life where I found myself genuinely speechless. My husband and I had been visiting a church near…
Kristin Kobes Du MezApril 15, 2021
Earlier this month, Jemar Tisby shared his story of leaving white evangelical spaces with the hastag #LeaveLOUD on his Pass the Mic podcast, the first in a series of episodes where Black Christians go public with their exit stories. Tisby is not…
Kristin Kobes Du MezMarch 18, 2021
“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
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
Jemar Tisby has a new book out this week, How to Fight Racism. Is it any good? First, some personal history. I first met Jemar Tisby at an academic conference, long enough ago that I can’t even remember which one. By…
Kristin Kobes Du MezJanuary 7, 2021
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
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
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
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