election may be in laser focus as we think of whatвЂ™s right or wrong with our country, she cautions us against placing too much stock that one person alone can carry or dismantle the culture we are swimming in today. This explains why Christian Book Stores (CBS) sell more feel-good types of books by Christian writers than books by theologians and preachers who plumb the depths of Scripture, including messages of prophets who spoke to power and identified with people groups marginalized by those in power. Jesus and John Wayne underscores how we have arrived in a society that values self-improvement quotes and commercialized Christianity over a critical examination and application of Scriptural truth. This book unpacks and displays the idea of cultural Christianity while also laying out the deals and trades made to secure more power for authoritarian and patriarchal values. Those in power can count on receiving even more power and status in exchange for pushing ideas of individualism and paternalistic Christianity. them.вЂќ This line of logic has married the church with the state. It is precisely this line of thinking that has led to the creation and institutionalization of the Moral Majority and hard lined divisions of вЂњus vs. (Hint: вЂњAmericanвЂќ and вЂњChristianвЂќ are not interchangeable, and America is not вЂњGodвЂ™s country.вЂќ) Those who live by the phrase вЂњGod, Family, Country,вЂќ could easily become defensive, especially if oneвЂ™s primary identity comes from being an American compared to being a Christian. Through a historical account, Kobes du Mez highlights how Donald Trump is not an exception to Christianity, but merely the newest leader to embody the traits white evangelicals have always upheld to be вЂњChristian.вЂќ Rather than being an anomaly, Trump simply follows a long line of predominantly white male leaders who have risen to power through substituting the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels for ultimate earthly authority.

Instead of the Jesus revealed in Scripture, American Evangelicals have formed a Jesus who looks and acts a lot more like John Wayne-the rugged individual, ready to take on вЂњthe bad guysвЂќ with guns and swagger, with an inherent duty to fight and take what rightfully belongs to us (to advance the kingdom of God, of course). This includes trading Biblical truths for mass propagation of Christian вЂњcultureвЂќвЂ“a culture of traditional, white, male headship that вЂњsavesвЂќ all who are willing to fall in line under their God-ordained power. The author unpacks how white dominance and colonialism has driven the proliferation of Christianity in service of those who are already in power and who are hungry for more. This exposes the unlikely marriage of American dominance (MAGA) with humble Christian faith. While the USA faces a highly divided presidential election with attacks and sharply drawn lines, some have resorted to a favorite issue galvanizing them without considering other factors that could temper their passionate conviction.ДЇor Evangelicals in America, some wonder how a follower of Jesus could actually support the incumbent president, while others canвЂ™t imagine anything but supporting this president for at least another four years.ДЇor those who wonder, вЂњHow did we get to this point?вЂќ Kobes du Mez masterfully examines a seventy-five year history of evangelicalism in the United States, identifying the moments that coalesced to further empower and embolden white male dominance while casting aside the teachings of Scripture. Jesus and John Wayne fits the вЂњmust readвЂќ category for those open to having the idea of American Christianity tested by the Jesus portrayed in the Gospels. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes du Mez.

Jesus and john wayne pdf