It’s difficult to convey in its subtlety, but one example is in the chapter titled, “A New High Priest.” This section, which includes no citations or direct quotes, offers a biting, sarcastic version of evangelical thinking about gender and masculinity in particular: “What makes for a strong leader? A virile (white) man. As a woman, I cringe at this oft-misused critique, but the problem was prevalent throughout the book so it seems important to mention. This makes it difficult to see her as a friendly critic. One of the first things I noticed about the book was that by parroting evangelical voices without using direct quotations or citations, Du Mez’ tone unfortunately often reads as sarcastic. Due to frequent sarcasm as well as a lack of charity toward its critics and, at times, a lack of evidence to back up its claims, I fear this book will be rejected by many of the people who would most benefit from reading it Who Said It? Perhaps I’m a particularly needy reader, but if Du Mez hopes to persuade skeptical readers, you wouldn’t guess it from the book. However, despite the good I see in Du Mez’ work, I have to admit my mixed feelings about it.
WHO WROTE JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE FULL
Du Mez’s work throws the closet doors wide open, and our skeletons are on full display. Because we cannot continue to claim that abuse scandals or Christian nationalists are outliers. Evangelicals need to come to terms with how they have used power and gender to harm people. Jesus and John Wayne is well-timed, and important. It helps us see the ideological distance between soft-spoken James Dobson and our blustery racist grandpa aren’t as vast as we had assumed. It helps us see that that “one time” when we saw women treated badly was actually one of many. The book helped me put the stars I’ve seen through the decades into alignment, revealing a constellation of our failures. I have spent my life in evangelical circles, and most, if not all, of the names mentioned in Jesus and John Wayne were familiar to me. Believing that wounds from a friend can be trusted (Pro 27:6), we would do well to heed those Jesus and John Wayne offers. Indeed, Kristin Kobes Du Mez’ book is one that can help jolt us to the reality of what we have made and become. For many of us, reading Jesus and John Wayne might feel a little like that. She returns home with a bruised face and bruised pride to reflect on her sins. Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Revelation” begins with a holier-than-thou character having a book, along with her sin, thrown in her face.