meganpbell's review

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

This 75-year-spanning study by a Christian historian traces American evangelicals’ takeover of the Republican Party and shows how their highest values—militarism and masculinity, patriarchy and patriotism—turned a modest Jesus Christ into a macho John Wayne, and made voting for Donald Trump not a necessary evil, but a natural conclusion. As disturbing as it is revelatory, this book is a must read for anyone seeking to make sense of this political era.

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lisettemarie's review

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challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75


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pearlisarobot's review

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challenging dark informative tense fast-paced

5.0


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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

5.0

This book is full of triggers, so be forewarned before you read it. It filled me with shame for having voted for Reagan the first time I got to vote (I was only mimicking my parents’ votes, but still…). It also makes me wonder why the Islamic culture is the enemy when there are so many parallels in the White evangelical culture that run this country. The book also makes clear to me that everything wrong with the US is perpetuated by this same group.

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madscientistcat's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.75

Incredibly informative and impeccably researched. If you want to understand what evangelicals really are and how the community got to where they are now and why they’ve had their outsized impact on the US government, this is it. You will leave this book understanding that and also probably depressed and anxious. The definition of “thanks, I hate it.”

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elnelson's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.5


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jbrando28's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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effortlesslybookishbre_'s review

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
If you want an in depth analysis of how Evangelicalism doesn’t just affect those who have deconstructed from the faith, but every aspect of our lives from politics, pop culture, and even places we shop. This is a book you need to pick up  Kristin Kobes Du Mez dives deep into the world of Evangelicalism, and it’s leaders. Was this book difficult to read at times? Yes was it shocking the amount of power these people hold over so many aspects of main stream culture? Yes but it is well worth the read or listen to know just how Evangelicalism thrives. 

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emmeline_ahh's review

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informative medium-paced

4.75

this was equal parts cathartic and deeply infuriating. it’s like I grew up watching a show that I convinced myself was my favorite show ever and as I grew up I realized I don’t think I ever liked the show and then a book comes out about every actor who was in the show (the Grahams, the Falwells, TobyMac, Natalie Grant, the guy who wrote the Left Behind series, Ronald Reagan, Chip and Joanna Gaines briefly, the entirety of the Southern Baptist Convention—like it’s a deep cast you know) airing out all their dirty secrets except they’re not dirty secrets it’s just things they’ve literally said and stood for. also it’s like the show writers came out and stated for the record that I was never welcome to watch their show in the first place and also they hate me personally. even though I already decided I didn’t like the show and never really did and even though it’s information I suspected all along but never fully confirmed, it somehow still feels like it ruined my childhood? 

basically, if you have any sort of religious trauma including but not limited to being in a religious community and at the same time being a woman, being gay, existing outside of the gender binary, having a super toxically masculine dad/father figure, being a kid who got spanked, being someone interested in science, being someone who cared more about helping people than proselytizing them, being a pacifist—it hits a little (a lot) close to home and it will piss you off but it’s a really good read 

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readingbrb's review

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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