Abstract
How did Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election and the support of Evangelical Christians, even though he was “immodest, arrogant, foul-mouthed, money-obsessed, thrice-married, and until recently, pro-choice” (254)? Kristin Kobes Du Mez offers an answer to that question in this book, utilizing her substantial research and knowledge of history, politics, gender, and religion. She is a professor of history at Calvin University, and specializes in women's history and religious history. She has authored A New Gospel for Women, and has written for publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Washington Post, and Religion & Politics.
In this book, Du Mez details the historical development of the patriarchal power and authority of militant masculinity among American Evangelicals. She argues that the path which led to upholding John Wayne as an iconic hero cowboy of rugged American manhood paved the way for Evangelical Christians, and particularly white Christian men, to support Donald Trump.
In the “Introduction,” Kobes Du Mez says that while the evangelical distinctives of the National Association of Evangelicals do not include political beliefs; yet, patriarchal power emerged as the evangelical charge in the 1970s “family values” politics. Evangelical pop culture became a power system of authority, and John Wayne was celebrated as a hero, despite his neither being an evangelical Christian nor his having lived a moral life. Kobes Du Mez maintains that this development of “militant evangelical masculinity” (12) in America is what led to the evangelical voter support for Donald Trump.
Chapter 1 describes how Theodore Roosevelt, who was elected president in 1901, reinvented himself as the “Cowboy of the Dakotas” (16). His Rough Riders cavalry in the Spanish-American War symbolized new American imperialism and masculinity. American Christians then began trying to reconcile this aggressive masculinity with traditional Christian views; and Kobes Du Mez gives an example of how even the evangelist Billy Graham was being rebranded as tall and masculine.
Chapter 2 points to the realignment of evangelicals to the Republican Party even though Billy Graham was a lifelong registered Democrat, as were many of the Southern Baptists in North Carolina at that time. The emerging evangelical militant masculinity identity was also influenced by the Vietnam War demolishing the myth of American greatness and goodness. In conjunction with this development, chapter 3 describes conservative evangelical femininity represented by women such as Phyllis Schlafly, who ran for Congress on the slogan, “A Woman's Place Is in the House” (66). Gender was placed at the center of the growing evangelical political identity when Schlafly's work was seen as “almost single handedly” (72) sabotaging the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Chapter 4 describes masculine authority as becoming the common ground even between the cultural evangelists and the fundamentalists. During this time, James Dobson, who was an author, child psychologist, and founder of parachurch organization Focus on the Family emerged as the champion of distinct gender roles. “Family values” became the mobilizing force behind evangelical politics as described in chapter 5. The Religious Right, which included Tim and Beverly LaHaye and Jerry Falwell, contributed to the reassertion of patriarchal authority. Falwell, leader of the Moral Majority, used militaristic language in battling for the rights of white families. As noted in chapter 6, the Religious Right found its political leader in Ronald Reagan. He was “fluent in the language of the Christian Right” (104), and fostered a nostalgia for the American past; and like John Wayne, he was a movie star playing war heroes in his movies. When highly decorated marine lieutenant colonel Oliver North became a hero of the Christian Right, it demonstrated that conservative evangelicals were increasingly accepting the perspective that the ends justifies the means by defining “the greater good in terms of Christian nationalism” (117). However, in chapter 7, while Oliver North was touted as a true American hero, his wife asked for a divorce because she was tired of living with a headstrong military leader. The Christian Men's Movement considered Christlikeness and manhood to be synonymous; yet, at about this time, many televangelist sex scandals erupted.
In Chapter 8, as the power of the Religious Right seemed to decline, there was a need to find a new heir to the presidency. While George H. W. Bush lacked the rugged masculinity of Reagan, he was elected and evangelicals were generally supportive of Desert Storm. In contrast, religious leaders were critical of Bill Clinton's administration, as he was a draft dodger, a marijuana smoker, and a Democrat. Moreover, his wife Hillary Clinton advocated for civil rights, children's rights, and anti-war liberalism. Chapter 9 describes a shift to a softer patriarchy, and the Promise Keepers movement focused on servant male leadership. Sports language became a milder alternative to military language, and the “tender warrior” (159) emerged as the blueprint for Christian manhood. Also manifesting at this time was a “purity culture” (170) focusing on female modesty.
Chapter 10 shifts to the new millennium of evangelical militancy, particularly after the September 11th attacks. Chapter 11 depicts some extreme examples of militant masculinity, such as with mixed martial arts in Xtreme Ministries, or God Men revivals with Brad Stine. The Christian homeschool movement helped to reinforce “biblical patriarchy” (189). Chapter 12 associates the military growth in Colorado Springs with the growth in the region as a central hub of American evangelism, especially with Focus on the Family and Ted Haggard's megachurch, New Life, being established there. Kobes Du Mez says that militant faith was further shaped through military influence.
Shifting fears from Communism to Islam is the focus of Chapter 13. With the invasion of Iraq during the War on Terror, President Bush became viewed as a warrior president. In the next election, chapter 14 describes Senator John McCain as a Republican war hero from a southern Baptist megachurch, and Barack Obama as a challenge to white evangelical values. When McCain picked Sarah Palin as a running mate, this raised the issue of gender in the elections. Then, for the 2016 elections, chapter 15 highlights that Donald Trump represented aggressive militant masculinity, while kindling fear of Islamic terrorism and promising to “Make America Great Again” (254). “He was the reincarnation of John Wayne” (271), as Du Mez argues. Chapter 16 cites other examples of the current“evangelical cult of masculinity” (277). Du Mez links patriarchal power to aggression and sexual desire, as evidenced in the many cases of sexual misconduct. In her “Conclusion,” Du Mez says that evangelicalism has been a cultural political movement; however, the transformation of “the Jesus of the Gospels into a model of militant masculinity” by the culture evangelists needs to be undone.
This book boldly addresses the controversial topics of religion, politics, gender, and race. Du Mez even includes a disclaimer that her analyses and conclusions do not necessarily reflect the views of the contributors. For example, many who have read James Dobson's books and listened to his Focus on the Family radio show could have the perspective that he really did care about the family. Thus, they might not agree with the author's statement that “family values politics was never about protecting the well-being of families … [but was] the reassertion of patriarchal authority” (88). Also, in order to support the author's views of evangelical politics, Billy Graham, as prominent representative of Evangelical Christianity, is portrayed as being politically-motivated. However, it can be argued that he truly was primarily concerned about evangelical faith distinctives related to the Bible, salvation, and working to spread the good news and reform society. Also, some associations made in the book do not prove a relationship between them. For example, the growth of Colorado Springs as a hub for American evangelicalism at the same time as military growth in that region does not necessarily mean that evangelicals purposefully worked to build up the military; or that the military, in turn, expanded the growth of militant faith, as indicated by the book. This growth could have been due to other factors, such as the state's business-friendly environment, lower cost of living, or available space for development.
While there may be differences in interpretations and perspectives, this book is able to consistently weave the theme of militant masculinity throughout its history of cultural evangelical politics. Because this book highlights negative effects of militant masculinity, some may object that it does not paint evangelicals in a very positive light. However, it does bring awareness to issues which the American Church should address, such as the rights of women, children, and minorities. Also, it would be useful to further investigate and address links between militant masculinity and the all too common occurrences of sex scandals. The truths of Scripture teach wisdom for living in such a way that the Church would reflect the light of Jesus into any darkness, through good deeds that bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16). If the teachings of the Bible are being corrupted or misrepresented to result in negative effects that dishonour the name of God, then the Church does need to address this. The Church will not be effective in carrying out the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to share the good news of the gospel if Evangelical Christians are viewed as modeling militant masculinity and submissive femininity.
Thus, this book is beneficial for American Christians, in general, to become more aware of some of the evangelical political and cultural influences, and of issues related to the rights of women, children, and minorities. Also, since there is a considerable amount of detail regarding American history and politics, this book would be useful as an academic text related to these areas. Also, because of its controversial topics and perspectives, this book would be effective for critical writing assignments and may spark lively critical thinking discussions as well. Whether or not a reader agrees with all of the author's arguments and perspectives, Du Mez writes in a winsome and readable style, provides solid historical information, and highlights some pertinent issues.