I think that was an important backdrop for this research. I know for a fact that throughout American history and throughout Christian history, there have been devout, Bible-believing Christians - including some who have identified as evangelicals and in fact fundamentalists - who take the Scriptures very seriously and read it in a very different way with regard to patriarchy, with regard to gender and power, and with regard to power more generally. My first book is on the history of Christian feminism, and I think that really gave me eyes to see contemporary American Christianity and conservative evangelicalism in a slightly different light. But there are also traditions of Christian feminism - of understandings of the gospel as undermining patriarchy. Kristin Kobes Du Mez: Within Christian tradition generally, there is a long-standing tradition of patriarchy, patriarchal teaching, patriarchal interpretations of the Scriptures. The following is an edited transcript.įaith & Leadership: What are some of the roots of patriarchy in evangelicalism? She spoke with Faith & Leadership’s Chris Karnadi about her new book, the impact of evangelicalism’s masculinity on the 2020 election, and the effect it may have on the future of evangelicalism. But the embrace of this warrior Christ has led to problems, evidenced in both church leadership and a willing allegiance to Trump, she writes.ĭu Mez is a professor of history at Calvin University and is also the author of “A New Gospel for Women: Katharine Bushnell and the Challenge of Christian Feminism.” This Christ was a rugged warrior, willing to fight for the faith and the nation. In the book, Du Mez argues that the well-reported, seemingly contradictory evangelical support of Trump throughout his 2016 campaign and then presidency is completely logical, considering the evangelical affinity with militant masculinity.Įvangelicals formed an idea of Christ from figures like John Wayne and Theodore Roosevelt. The type of masculinity Trump showed in this moment and its relationship to Trump’s evangelical support is the topic of Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s recent book, “Jesus and John Wayne.” After a weekend at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment for COVID-19, President Donald Trump returned to the White House.