Evangelical admiration for John Wayne rested on masculine ideal, not theology

Evidence

IT’S NO SURPRISE that men like Graham, Hamblen, and Boone gained celebrity status within this burgeoning evangelical culture. What’s more curious is the fact that John Wayne would, too. Unlike Hamblen, Wayne didn’t have a born-again experience. Unlike Boone, Wayne could hardly be called the poster boy of “family values.” Thrice married, twice divorced, Wayne also carried on several high-profile affairs. He was a chain-smoker and a hard drinker. Yet despite his rough edges, Wayne would capture the hearts and imaginations of American evangelicals. The affinity was based not on theology, but rather on a shared masculine ideal. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 74

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: the counterintuitive celebrity-worship of a non-religious figure proves the organizing center of evangelical identity was militant masculinity, not doctrine — the very evidence for Du Mez’s thesis could be used to contest the ‘strand vs whole’ question since Wayne appealed to a much broader American audience than just evangelicals.