They re-invent Jesus, not as a figure of peace & forgiveness, but in the image of a muscular militant warrior, wielding a sword, etc. Same mechanism as used by authoritarians like Putin, Mussolini, etc., in eras of social instability & economic distress. The leaders need the loyalty, and the money, but the rank & file need the sense of righteousness, protection & community. Their sense of persecution & the resultant militancy is stoked by evangelical leaders (usually a 'strong man') who seems to offer protection, but the militancy really comes first, and requires the rationale of persecution in order to be justified & sustained. culture, as exemplified by Hollywood figures they revere, like Wayne, Reagan divorcees, immoralists, (Trump), who can seem to defend the vision of Christian nationalism as they increasingly see themselves as beleaguered & persecuted on all sides (communists, humanists, secularists, Muslims) in a secular market-oriented & transactional cultural context.

'John Wayne' in the title alludes to the extreme emphasis on gender roles & exaggerated masculinity in the evang. (Not sure yet if she covers the heavy financial backing of Billy Graham & similar preachers by oligarchic business figures in California and especially the oil industry.) She stresses the fusion of show business and bible-crusading that took hold in the 1940's. The book's approach is increasingly valid as church attendance and familiarity with the tenets of the faith, theology & Biblical text are cratering, but the culture of consumption of 'Christian' media products (radio, TV, books, music, the 'gift' industry) is immersive. Only the evang's claim to define themselves according the their beliefs but in the US this is actually a cultural (& political) movement more than a theological one. phenomenon as a culture, or sub-culture, emerging in the late 20th C., not primarily as a theology. Author looks at the specifically *contemporary* evang.

Jesus and john wayne lyrics