White evangelical identity centers on patriarchy, gender difference, and Christian nationalism

Evidence

Although foundational to white evangelical identity, race rarely acts as an independent variable. For conservative white evangelicals, the “good news” of the Christian gospel has become inextricably linked to a staunch commitment to patriarchal authority, gender difference, and Christian nationalism, and all of these are intertwined with white racial identity. Many Americans who now identify as evangelicals are identifying with this operational theology—one that is Republican in its politics and traditionalist in its values. This God-and-country faith is championed by those who regularly attend evangelical churches, and by those who do not. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 16

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the ‘operational theology’ — the actual load-bearing content of white evangelical identity as distinct from stated belief.
• ADDENDUM: Ties directly into the reader’s stated central task: identifying ‘militant masculinity’ as the organizing center of a religious identity.
• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism conflates whiteness with Christian American identity — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 14; Christian nationalist leaders recruit nonwhite evangelicals to secure their demographic future. — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 308; White Citizens’ Council propaganda fused white supremacy, nationalism, and Christianity — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 556 (+6 more)