Gabriel Krell

Blog: Jesus and John Wayne & The Gentrification of the Mind

March 21, 2024

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

• Helpful history facts for someone not in the know about development of evangelicism. It makes a good case that evangelicism is best understood not as a religious movement, but as a cultural one. Turns out it's more about the flock than the creed; what outsiders see as "hypocritical" behavior endorsing supposedly un-Christian candidates (and indeed, from powerful religious men themselves) has a long history and is perfectly internally consistent.
• As usual I enjoy reading about 70s women's lib. It's fascinating to me how so many conservative institutions didn't have strong opinions against abortion, the ERA, etc., until they realized that these things would help erode patriarchy, and the religious and moral justifications were created ad-hoc. At this point bathroom panic is old enough to make a convincing Presidential candidate.
• I did come away from the book feeling a bit discombobulated. I received it as more of a series of twists and turns of the evangelical movement, without strong reference points to explain why it was twisting or turning a particular way. Want to see more focus on the material side.

The Gentrification of the Mind: Witness to a Lost Imagination