Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesĬulture has played a critical role in shaping and sustaining this rugged vision of Christian manhood. Moss as “a lack refinement, tact, sensitivity, taste or delicacy.” Others have observed how he has broken rules of civil political engagement.īut in my research on evangelical masculinity, I have found that Trump’s leadership style aligns closely with a rugged ideal of Christian manhood championed by evangelicals for more than half a century.Īs I show in my book “ Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation,” conservative evangelicals embraced the ideal of a masculine protector in the 1960s and 1970s in order to confront the perceived threats of communism and feminism.Īctor John Wayne. Scholars have commented on his crassness, defined by historian Walter G.

To many, it seems hypocritical that Christians who have long touted “family values” could rally around a thrice-married man who was accused by several women of sexual assault. White evangelical support for Donald Trump has long puzzled observers. As historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez demonstrates, American evangelicals have worked for decades to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism-or, in the words of one modern chaplain, with 'a spiritual badass.' Trump is hardly the first flashy celebrity to capture evangelicals' hearts and minds, having followed the path blazed by, among others, John Wayne, Oliver North, and Mel Gibson.The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. While we assume the religious right has pragmatic reasons for backing Trump, in truth he represents the fulfillment of evangelicals' most deeply held values. Yet in 2016 he won 81 percent of the white evangelical vote, and continues to rely on white evangelicals as his base of support. Summary: 'A scholar of American Christianity answers perhaps the most bewildering question of our time: Why are evangelicals 'the Donald's' most fervent supporters? Donald Trump is a libertine who lacks even basic knowledge of the Christian faith.

White evangelicals and john wayne