The months between finishing a manuscript and the book’s publication can be agonizing ones. Even limiting myself to new releases, the list of books that connects to themes raised in Jesus and John Wayne is long, and impressive.įirst, a bit of background. Having had the opportunity to speak to an array of audiences, I’ve been asked on a number of occasions to recommend further reading. Kudos to my editor for helping me out at critical junctures. Reflecting on this list, I can’t help but think back to the challenges I faced in weaving together all of these themes into one coherent narrative spanning the last century of American evangelicalism.
It is a book about white evangelicals and, in many ways, it is also a book to white evangelicals It is a work of history, but it is also framed by an implicit theological critique. It is also about purity culture and sexual abuse and male headship and “biblical womanhood.” It is about militancy and militarism, guns and war, islamophobia and white supremacy. It is a book about American politics and the fate of American democracy. One of the reasons I’ve had so many opportunities to talk about the book is because it touches on so many interconnected themes. We’re three months out now from the release of Jesus and John Wayne, and it’s been a whirlwind of remote talks, podcasts, interviews, and even a couple of documentary film crews.