Ep. 9: How “Christian Values” Gave Rise to Toxic Masculinity with Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Show Notes
Episode Summary
Those of us who were raised evangelical are well acquainted with the terms “family values” and “Christian values.” But do we know where they came from, what came before them, and that they’re more political than they are rooted in Christ? That’s why historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s seminal new book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation is a game-changer…for anyone willing to read it and take it seriously. We delve deeper into why she wrote it, what in her research surprised her the most, and how knowing this history can uproot our faith—in a good way.
Bio
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She has written for the Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, Christianity Today, and Christian Century, and has been interviewed on NPR, CTV, the BBC, and by CNN, the New York Times, the Economist, and the AP, among other outlets. Her most recent book is Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.
Follow Dr. Du Mez on Twitter and Facebook, and find out more about her work at www.kristindumez.com.
Quotables
“Paradoxically, the men who best exemplify this militant, ‘Christian’ masculinity are those who have not been deeply formed by Christian values.” (tweet this)
“This narrative—Christian America! Everything was great! And then the 1960s happened, and we need to make things great again!—only makes sense if you are a white Christian.” (tweet this)
“Christian nationalism, as evangelicals embrace it, is a white racial identity and political vision.” (tweet this)
“It was the issue of desegregation that really riled up a lot of conservative protestants, particularly in the south, and politically mobilized them.” (tweet this)
“With evangelical leaders, militancy often predated the fears and in fact required the manufacturing of fear in order to justify their militancy and bolster their power.” (tweet this)
“I’m not trying to protect the image of evangelicalism or even of Christianity; I’m just trying to tell the truth and promote justice.” (tweet this)
“Christianity does not depend on white evangelicals.” (tweet this)
Key Topics with Timestamps
[01:28]—What prompted Dr. Du Mez to write Jesus and John Wayne
[05:40]—How “family values” evangelicalism and politics inevitably led to the white evangelical support of Donald Trump
[08:50]— From the Wild at Heart website: “And, by the way, Jesus was not the poster child for pacifism; he wasn’t the World’s Nicest Guy. Christianity does not ask men to become altar boys; it calls them up as warriors.”
[09:35]—How John Wayne and William Wallace fit into the narrative
[15:00]—What purity culture, femininity, and sexuality have to do with militant, toxic masculinity
[20:10]—The sexual ethic that is prescribed by powerful, aggressive “Christian” masculinity
[22:35]—Christian nationalism
[24:37]—The history of how racism and desegregation—not abortion!—were the catalyst for conservative Protestant political mobilization
[27:30]—Why history matters
[30:00]—How this movement’s obsession with sex and gender led to an epidemic of abuse and cover ups
[35:30]—Did evangelicals only vote for Trump because they were afraid? Or does history reveal a different story?
[39:20]—How we can change the conversation with our loved ones who embrace this narrative
[43:30]—What gives Dr. Du Mez hope for the future of faith
[47:58]—Rapid Fire questions
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Credits
This episode was produced by The Sophia Society. Music is by Faith in Foxholes, and sound engineering is by Joshua Mudge.
