Militant masculinity connects religious and secular conservatism

Evidence

Although Wayne occupies a prominent place in the pantheon of evangelical heroes, he is but one of many rugged and even ruthless icons of masculinity that evangelicals imbued with religious significance. Like Wayne, the heroes who best embodied militant Christian masculinity were those unencumbered by traditional Christian virtues. In this way, militant masculinity linked religious and secular conservatism, helping to secure an alliance with profound political ramifications. For many evangelicals, these militant heroes would come to define not only Christian manhood but Christianity itself. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 25

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the book’s load-bearing term ‘militant Christian masculinity’ and specifies that its heroes are defined by being unencumbered by traditional Christian virtues.
• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism’s abortion stance stems from its male-authority ideal, not piety — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 253