New York Times bestselling author and Calvin University Professor Dr. Kristin Du Mez will deliver two lectures on Christian nationalism and the “evangelical reckoning” on Feb. 6 as part of the Christian Studies Annual Lecture Series sponsored by the Staley Foundation.
Du Mez, a professor of history and gender studies, will present her first lecture, “Jesus, John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning” at 3 p.m. on Feb. 6, and will speak on “Christian Nationalism and American Democracy” at 7 p.m. Both lectures will be held in Butler Chapel on Campbell’s main campus.
Each spring, the Department of Christian Studies hosts a scholarly presentation sponsored by the Thomas F. Staley Foundation and the Staley Distinguished Scholar Lecture Program. The purpose of this series is to bring top experts to the campus from different fields of study in religion, biblical studies, church history, biblical archaeology, church and state studies, Christian theology, ethics and related disciplines.
The lectures are always open to the public and intended to stimulate academic inquiry, learning and practical application.
“Jesus, John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning” traces the evolution of American evangelicalism as a religious, cultural and political movement to the present day. “Christian Nationalism and American Democracy,” explains how to interpret surveys, statistics and the spectrum of commitments among American Christians and examines what this means for the fate of democracy.
Du Mez holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame, and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion and politics. She has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service and Christianity Today, and she has been interviewed on NPR, CBS and the BBC, among other outlets.
Her most recent book is “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.” Her book is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last 75 years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism.