Read This Book! Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Every once in a while, a book comes along that doesn’t just inform you — it ruins you (in the best possible way). Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is exactly that.

And let me be clear — this isn’t a “feel-good devotional” you leave on the back of the toilet next to your Chicken Soup for the Christian Nationalist Soul. This is scalpel work. It cuts deep. It exposes. It provokes.

This book is a history lesson, a cultural gut-punch, and a theological intervention for anyone brave enough to ask: “How on earth did American Christianity start looking more like a gun-slinging cowboy and less like the suffering servant from Nazareth?”

Jesus and John Wayne: What's It About

Du Mez traces how American Evangelicalism — particularly in the last 75 years — didn’t just accidentally drift toward political power, toxic masculinity, and militant nationalism.

It was discipled there.

Through bestselling books, celebrity pastors, men’s conferences, right-wing politics, and — yes — John Wayne movies, generations of Christians were quietly (and sometimes loudly) taught that real Christian men were rugged, tough, dominant, and ready to “fight” for their faith...

Even if that meant trampling over the fruit of the Spirit to do it. Turns out, “turn the other cheek” got replaced with “make my day.” "Come as you are" has been replaced with "Come as I expect you to be."

Why It Matters (Especially Right Now)

I’ve been involved in Christian ministries for over 40 years. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the weird (like seriously weird). But the single most damaging lie American Christianity swallowed whole is this idea that Christlikeness looks like cultural dominance — not sacrificial love.

This book holds up a mirror. And if we’re honest — painfully honest — many of us aren’t going to enjoy the reflection. But that’s exactly why it’s so important. Because Jesus didn’t die to create a fan club of angry culture warriors obsessed, honestly, to a creepy level, with other people's sin. There is no salvation in "not sinning", yet that's the only message they hear from the Evangelical Right - because that's where the power lies. But Jesus, He called us to be a Kingdom people — humble, sacrificial, serving, loving our enemies, and laying down our lives — not stockpiling ammo and "owning the libs."

What I Loved

Du Mez carefully traces how influential leaders and organizations in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s — names like Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority, the Religious Right, TBN, The 700 Club, and Focus on the Family — didn’t just preach Jesus; they packaged Him. They recast Christ in the image of their own cultural and political priorities — a hyper-masculine, authoritarian figure who fit neatly into their vision for America. What began as faith-based influence slowly transformed into faith-fueled political power, blurring the lines between discipleship and domination, between Kingdom values and nationalistic agendas. And the result wasn’t just a politicized faith — it was a distorted one. Du Mez doesn’t rant — she reveals. She doesn’t attack faith — she defends it from the counterfeit versions we’ve created. And maybe best of all — this book doesn’t just call out “those people over there.” It invites us (yes, even us) to sit with our own complicity. To ask hard questions about the ways we’ve cheered for John Wayne while quietly ignoring Jesus.

Ouch. And amen.

Final Thought

If you’ve ever wondered why some Christians are quicker to boycott Disney than to care for the poor… If you’ve ever seen political rallies blend seamlessly with Sunday morning worship and thought, “This feels off…” If you love Jesus enough to let Him wreck your assumptions and reshape your discipleship…

Then Jesus and John Wayne belongs on your shelf — and more importantly — in your heart.

Buy the Book. Wrestle With It. Let It Change You.

I’m not saying this book will be comfortable. I’m saying it might be a necessary tool to help us untangle the real Jesus from the Jesus we've created in an American conservative image.

Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4j5G2QG Read it. Pray over it. Pass it on. Because the world doesn’t need more Christian cowboys. It needs more people who look like Jesus.