How Did We Get Here? Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions: Part Two

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions Part Two written by the Hobbit on 6/2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog. 

Know Before You Read

Book: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
Author: Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Genre: History, American history, Christian history
Length: 365 pages
Age suggested:18+
Release Date: June 23, 2020
Themes: Militant masculinity, toxic masculinity, Christian nationalism
Warnings: This book might be a difficult read if you are not sure if nationalism or toxic masculinity are issues in the church. It might be triggering if you have suffered church abuse or rejection as well.

*Find our first post on this book HERE that covers chapters 1-7. This post covers the second half of the Jesus and John Wayne Book*

Quick Jesus and John Wayne Summary

Over fifty years, a belief was fostered that pervades a majority of white evangelical thinking – our churches and country’s flourishing depend on aggressive male leadership. Du Mez traces how this has happened, the horrific effects of pervasive abusive patterns within the church, and the impact this has had on American culture at large. It’s a fascinating read and I kept asking myself how these views have impacted my beliefs and actions.

Find more information on the book, why to read it and our discussion questions for Chapters 1-7 right here.
We also want to note that Kristin Kobes Du Mez has a reflective discussion guide with videos for Jesus and John Wayne on her website as well. Find that right here.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions and Chapter Reviews Part 2

Chapter Eight: War for the Soul

As the book notes, the 1980’s were a time of success – but perhaps too much success. “Conservative evangelicals had learned to trade on a sense of embattlement. When liberals, communists, feminists, or secular humanists seemed to be winning, supporters dug deep into their pockets.” The previous chapter showed the way that some foreign policy issues helped provide this, but as the threat of communism continued to diminish this became less of an option. The Clinton presidency led to calls to fight for the soul of the nation. Even as this was happening, moderating forces were looking to other concerns for evangelicals – global issues such as fighting poverty, for instance.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Eight

1. By this time (late 1980’s to early 1990s), we see parachurch organizations defining the evangelical movement as a whole, being driven by celebrity figures. The fall of some of these celebrity figures had a large effect. To what extent is the current evangelical movement influenced by celebrity figures rather than local church communities?
2. This chapter emphasized the need for an “enemy” to drive support (especially financial support). Does this sound like an honest attempt to discuss truth or is it more manipulation? Can you evaluate when you might have been influenced by this mentality?
3. Did (at least many) of the celebrity-type figures involved in the events in this and previous chapters believe that the ends they were pursuing justified whatever it took to accomplish those ends? Is this a Biblical view?

Chapter Nine: Tender Warriors

This was one of my favorite chapters, as I experienced a great deal of it. The 1990s saw the emergence of the Promise Keepers movement. It marked a change in the previous patriarchal fixation of conservative evangelicals. Promise Keepers could promote this – but it also could promote a much more egalitarian approach. Servant leadership – sacrifice, compassion – became a common phrase in men’s meetings. Promise Keepers was one of the few Christian organizations at the time to openly address racism. The concept of a “Tender Warrior” became a way to soften the harshness of previous militant masculinity. However, two movements took off in the 1990s that would eventually push conservative white evangelicals back towards the right – the formation of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW – Notable names Piper and Grudem) and purity culture (Notable names McDowell and Harris).

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Nine

1. There has been quite a bit written in the past few years about the detrimental effects of purity culture. How did this affect you and/or your family?
2. How familiar are you with the term “servant leadership”? How have you seen the term used?
3. Du Mez notes that when Promise Keepers began a focus on racial reconciliation, they lost contributions and attendance. What does this tell you about differing conservative evangelical attitudes toward race in the ‘90s? Today?

Chapter Ten: No More Christian Nice Guy

As the new century dawned, attitudes began to harden away from the “tender warrior” and back towards a militant masculinity. This chapter highlights John Eldredge, whose popular book “Wild at Heart” was published in 2001. The book, which presents a thoroughly militaristic, patriarchal masculinity as being God’s one and only design for men, became a huge seller. And Braveheart was used even more frequently than John Wayne to describe Christian manhood. Many similar books followed. All of these followed the same pattern of defining God’s only vision for masculinity and feminity, like “Captivating”. And in 2001 we had the 9/11 tragedy, which was used to underscore the militant themes.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Ten

1. How familiar are you with the term “servant leadership”? How have you seen the term used?
2. Du Mez notes that when Promise Keepers began a focus on racial reconciliation, they lost contributions and attendance. What does this tell you about differing conservative evangelical attitudes toward race in the ‘90s?
3. What are some of the problems – for men and for women – of defining one “Biblical” model of masculinity?
4. Why do you think “Wild at Heart” was so popular?

Chapter Eleven: Holy Balls

One source of constant militant patriarchal teaching has been the Christian homeschooling movement. Although it has had several strands through the years, specific voices – Du Mez mentions the continuing influence of Bill Gothard plus the voice of Doug Phillips – moved many homeschoolers in this direction. The second, and major part of this chapter covers Mark Driscoll (as a reference here we will note the current podcast series on the rise and fall of Mars Hill, which covers him in some depth). Driscoll had (still has) misogynistic views and while he was eventually disgraced for spiritual abuse, he caused a lot of damage along the way. The chapter concludes with Doug Wilson as an example of how Christians with differing views united in an effort to push a militant patriarchal viewpoint.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Eleven

1. Given that a lot of what Mark Driscoll said was “pushing limits”, how did he build a megachurch and become a leader in so many national groups? What lessons does this have?
2. Christian homeschooling is still very popular. If you have had any experiences with it, what were they? Did you see any of what is mentioned in this chapter?
3. Doug Wilson had extreme views – even more so than Driscoll, for instance. His views on race and gender roles were clearly on the fringe. Yet he was accepted by some of the most revered evangelical leaders – who, as noted in this chapter, were willing to defend him as being mainstream. Is this scary?
4. Do you know some of the main theological and social views of the influencers/leaders you follow?

Chapter Twelve: Pilgrim’s Progress in Camo

This chapter opens with going back to James Dobson and Focus on the Family, which became a base for the religious right. Its headquarters were in Colorado Springs – a major city for Christian organizations. The chapter then focuses briefly on a major Colorado Springs megachurch – New Life Church. Du Mez then turns to the attempts by the religious right to indoctrinate the military, particularly apparent in Colorado Springs at the Air Force Academy. The religious right would look to the military for examples of militant masculinity. This is turn led some evangelical ex-military leaders to promote their own version of militant masculinity – which, post 9-11, was increasingly racist, especially Islamophobic.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Twelve

1. One of the quotes at the beginning of this chapter dealt with the biggest fear that presidents of Christian colleges had during this time. Not enrollment, not staff – but that James Dobson would turn against them. How does it make you feel to realize that one leader exercised this much unchecked power?
2. The New Testament uses military metaphors, but the concept of a militant “warrior for God” is not one of them. How did this image become so pervasive in places like New Life church, as seen in this chapter?
3. As the chapter notes at the end, a cycle was set up. Militant patriarchal evangelicalism was exported to the military, and in turn, military leaders began offering their own brand of militant evangelical faith back. A large part of this was Islamophobia, which reinforces that this brand of faith needs an enemy to stay relevant and keep support. What other “enemies” are garnering attention today?

Chapter Thirteen: Why we Want to Kill You 

The evangelical publishing industry, which had already made millions pushing gender-specific books, pushed titles denouncing the Muslim menace. One of the saddest episodes in the book is related in this chapter. Islamophobia continued to be a major fear tactic, and several “Ex-Muslim terrorists” became prominent in evangelical circles. These were eventually discredited (the stories were largely fabrications) – but evangelical leaders continued to allow them to speak. Why? Militant masculinity needs an enemy to fight. Not all were on this bandwagon but the most influential voices (Dobson, Mohler are named) The end of this chapter carries us through the Bush presidency, as leaders on the Christian right were becoming alarmed over influence once again declining.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Thirteen

1. One dilemma of publishing is that, as a publisher, you are looking for books that will sell. You therefore will push books and authors regardless of content. While this is true (and an issue) within all of publishing, it is especially a concern with the Christian publishing industry. Do you think the publishing industry needs to be more discerning in what they put out or is it the responsibility of the readers/consumers to be more discerning? Why?
2. The book mentions several “Ex- Muslim terrorists” who were very popular in evangelical circles – and who, it turns out, were not “ex-Muslim terrorists”. What does this say about the gullibility of Christians? Why are we so prone to not check things like this out – when it affirms our opinions?
3. Du Mez concentrates a lot on leaders. For instance, as mentioned in the prior question, prominent leaders were quick to accept “ex-Muslim terrorists” – some continuing their support even after their credentials were proven to be false. How much are we influenced by celebrity pastors, authors, musicians?

Chapter Fourteen: Spiritual Badasses

The 2008 presidential election left evangelical leaders in a quandary. Some could support neither candidate. In particular, James Dobson railed against both. Both the influence of some of the older leaders appeared to be waning, as 24% of white evangelicals voted for Obama. But this gave those supporting militant masculinity an enemy and helped to reinvigorate the movement. New voices joined. Du Mez mentions Eric Metaxes and Duck Dynasty (note – I find Metaxes to be significantly more troubling). Fears of the Muslim faith continued and were mixed in with other culture war issues. This sets the stage for 2016.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Fourteen

1. “Although white evangelicals and black Protestants shared similar views on a number of theological and moral issues, the black Protestant tradition was suffused with a prophetic theology that clashed with white evangelicals’ Christian nationalism.” Discuss this and how much you see this in churches in your community.
2. “Race has always been central to the formation of white evangelicals’ political and cultural identity, and so it’s not surprising that evangelical opposition to the first African American president would reflect a belief in his “otherness”. Race, religion, and politics have always been entangled in America. Where have you seen politicians using race as an issue? Where have they played to religion and race? (An excellent resource to look further into this is Mark Noll’s God and Race in American Politics)
3. One of the authors mentioned in this chapter is said to make clear that Jesus was not Mr. Rogers – he was a “spiritual badass”. How do you view Jesus? What are some things in the four gospels that relate to why this is a very warped picture? Note – the TV series “The Chosen” has, through season 2, done a very good job of portraying Jesus. Although it is a fictional drama.)

Chapter Fifteen: A New High Priest

The 2016 presidential campaign was clear for many evangelicals on one thing – a woman could not be President. This was a major strike even before Hillary Clinton’s positions were examined and before prior voting patterns – white evangelicals usually voted Republican- were considered. The Republican field was crowded, and several candidates received some support. They eventually came together behind Donald Trump. Why? Du Mez notes that the Religious Right had been stoking fears for over 50 years. It was their lifeblood. Evangelicals therefore wanted, as Du Mez says, “a protector, an aggressive, heroic manly man who wasn’t restrained by political correctness or feminine virtues…” Early and strong supports of Trump included familiar names like Falwell and the pastor of First Baptist in Dallas Robert Jeffress. Although some evangelical leaders dissented, by the election over 80% of white evangelicals supported Trump. This support continued through his presidency. In sum, white evangelicals did not betray their values – hyper-masculinity as a core value over love and service.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Fifteen

1. “For decades, the Religious Right had been kindling fear in the hearts of American Christians.” We have discussed elements of this before in the questions to Chapter Twelve, but in light of what you have read since then, how important is the use of fear to the religious right? More importantly, what does the Bible say about fear and the use of fear?
2. Du Mez notes that we are longing for a mythical Christian past. How good are most churches at teaching history? What has just looking at the past 100 or so years in this book taught you about how we tend to idealize the past? (There are a many good Christian historians – like Mark Noll. A great article showing how Braveheart – mentioned several times in Jesus and John Wayne – is distorted history can be found at The Daily Beast. June 20, 2021.  https://www.thedailybeast.com/bravehearts-warped-history-has-been-suckering-evangelicals-for-a-quarter-century )
3. Why is the concept of a women president (Or vice president) so concerning to white evangelicals? How widespread is this view throughout Christianity?

Chapter Sixteen: Evangelical Mulligans: A History:

Evangelical support for Trump continued to grow – but, given that a clear hierarchy of power that could only be exorcised by militantly masculine men had been, for years, presented as Biblical truth, this was not surprising. However, cracks within this model began to show prior to the 2016 election. Mark Driscoll was removed from his church leadership positions, as were other prominent leaders, for abuse of power. Regardless, white evangelicals continued to show support for men who projected a “Biblical” image of masculinity but were morally challenged.  Sex scandals began as well. Du Mez lists a history of these from 2006 to today – and that in all of these cases church leaders tried to minimize victim’s concerns and protect abusers in various ways. It is a powerful indictment of the result of the militant patriarchy that had developed over 50 years.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Chapter Sixteen

1. The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, a podcast series by Christianity Today, examines the fall of Mark Driscoll in much more detail. Why did many prominent Christian leaders support Driscoll? How does this tie into evangelical celebrity culture?
2. The middle of this chapter, dealing with abuse cover-ups and denial of victim’s accounts, is deeply disturbing. How do you think your church would react? Do the work and wroship spaces you participate in have resources for abused people? How are victims treated?
3. The final paragraph of this chapter is sobering. Du Mez says that her research has led her to conclude that the fringe is not the fringe – it has been incorporated into the mainstream. How influential have the leaders she names here been, in your experience? Is she correct that mainstream white evangelicalism is, for lack of a better word, corrupted?

Conclusion

Du Mez starts her conclusion with a reference to the song, “Jesus and John Wayne” and notes that for many evangelicals there is little that separates the two. This Jesus was fashioned over 50 years to fit specific goals and values. Militant masculinity became a core evangelical doctrine and helped conflate politics and religion. Du Mez makes the important point that American white evangelicalism is not defined by theology – it is a cultural and political movement. Its theology is influenced by its culture, rather than culture being influenced by theology. And the evangelical subculture is a strong consumer force. There are some who do not fit into this mold, and those who have walked away, but Du Mez sees little hope that there will be large-scale changes.

Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions – Conclusion

1. Think about your shopping, reading, and listening to music over the prior month. How much has been shaped by the evangelical subculture? Why is it so pervasive? And what, in those experiences, was it teaching?
2. Du Mez is fairly pessimistic about prospects for the future. She closes the book with the following: “What was once done might also be undone.” Not can be, or will be, but might. How do you feel about the future of the evangelical church? The American church in general?
3. What steps can you take to understand your theology and consumerism as it relates to religion?

Closing thoughts and Comments

This book was a wake-up call for me. I had never realized what some popular leaders had really said. “I lived and breathed these teachings, and they will shape me in ways I don’t understand even 20 years after rejecting them intellectually.” Du Mez recounts being told this in the conclusion. While I was not as influenced as many by these teachings, they did affect me, and, as the quote says, I still see things pop up that need to be rooted out. I suspect many others are in a similar situation.

We noted at the beginning that the militant patriarchal teachings are not dominant in all evangelical churches, but that these teaching have found their way into almost all of them. Likewise, a theologically robust evangelicalism will reject many of these teachings as being non-Biblical, but as Du Mez (and others) have said, white evangelicalism today is more about being part of particular consumer culture and political movement than it is about theology. “Despite evangelicals’ frequent claims that the Bible is the source of their social and political commitments, evangelicalism must be seen as a cultural and political movement rather than as a community defined chiefly by its theology.”

Thanks for reading our Jesus and John Wayne Discussion Questions. Before you go, check out these other posts

-Jesus and John Wayne Book Discussion Questions Part One

-Chosen TV Show Discussion Questions Season One and Season Two

-A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Lessons from Mr. Rogers

-C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce Review and Discussion Questions

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