My guest this week is Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of a recent book called Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. We explored the definition of an “evangelical,” which apparently I was for the first half of my life (without realizing it), and themes of a patriarchal, male-centered, even toxic masculinity that pervades many evangelical circles. We also considered how it is that evangelical Christianity became so wrapped up in notions of patriotism, military strength, and other things that don’t necessarily come from the life and message of Jesus Christ. Even if a person comes to reject the teachings from their evangelical upbringing, it can be a real challenge to let go of the attitudes and assumptions that have been instilled in us from a young age, as I know from personal experience.

Kristin and I shared openly about our understanding of Christ, and the sadness that I certainly feel from the realization that we so often miss the central message of the Gospel—like somehow we just lost our way. And there’s a lot to grieve when we realize how much we squander when we pattern our identity as religious followers after the worldly way of doing things, and how it doesn’t seem to lead to something transcendent, like it could.

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