That the United States is in a time of great cultural upheaval is no secret. Corporations are weakening their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Colleges and universities are doing the same, often due to government pressure. And the Trump administration’s policies in this realm have led to some extreme outcomes, like the Department of Defense banning observances of Black History Month. At the same time, our society is collectively renegotiating the meaning of manhood, with some prominent voices trying to recover a more “traditional,” dominant masculine identity and others continuing to warn about the dangers of toxic masculinity.
In Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, Angela Denker ventures into these contested spaces to help readers understand what is going on. Trained as both journalist and pastor, she utilizes each skill set to illuminate how certain forms of Christianity are helping to radicalize young White men in ways likely to affect our society for decades, if not generations, to come.
“Told again and again [by traditionalist evangelical leaders] that they are the dominant sex, created to rule over and have dominion over not just women but the earth, the land, its animals, and all things on earth — it’s often a rude awakening for young, White Christian men when they enter the world and find that most created things are not interested in being ruled over by them,” Denker writes.
Lacking the training and tools to develop relationships rooted in love, mutuality, and respect, these men are left “cast[ing] about for role models who fit the Image of God they’ve been taught about: a strong and violent masculine man who rules over everything in his presence.”
Through this interpretative lens, the appeal of White male cultural and political figures who operate unencumbered by traditional norms becomes more intelligible. They denigrate entire groups, putting their raw power and lack of accountability on display. In doing so, they represent an idealized form of masculinity that has deep roots within American Christianity.
To be clear, Denker is not celebrating this. Instead, through stories and interviews she provides convincing evidence of both the individual and collective problems this creates. Too many young White men are angry and alienated. They face serious mental health challenges. There’s a gap between their expectations and the opportunities available to them. It’s a complicated and combustible mix of privilege, depression, and repression that leads them to search in the wrong places for meaning and purpose.
“The path away from a masculinity whose violence and emotional vacuity is literally killing people and destroying lives every single day … is not an easy one,” Denker acknowledges. “It involves a refusal to look away from the carnage of many of our traditional teachings about masculinity, especially within the church and conservative culture. But it also involves a stubborn willingness to engage with conversations about the well-being of young, White Christian boys and men, offering them positive and healthy ways to be gentle, vulnerable, to express their emotions openly, and to build intimate and honest relationships with others.”
Disciples of White Jesus demonstrates both the need for such efforts and argues for prioritizing that work. While the book more than stands on its own, it can also be read as a companion of sorts to two other volumes.
Most obviously, it pairs well with her previous book, Red State Christians. Taken together, the two projects demonstrate the importance of Denker’s work in listening firsthand to those who are often talked about but dismissed (or even disparaged). She remains a critical interpreter, but she understands that one cannot accurately critique until one has listened and comprehended.
Second, reading Denker’s latest book frequently drew me back to Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne. Both tackle the complex interaction of race, masculinity, Christian faith, and traditional social norms. While Du Mez expertly unpacks the history of how we arrived at this moment, Denker helps us see the contemporary landscape more clearly by placing herself on the ground with those who embody what has been wrought.
In bravely wading into complex cultural and religious waters, Denker is cultivating a valuable conversation within both church and society. We’re grateful that she has agreed to send a signed copy of Disciples of White Jesus to a lucky paid subscriber of A Public Witness. So if you haven’t already, upgrade your subscription today to ensure you’re eligible for the random drawing.
You can learn more in this week’s episode of Dangerous Dogma as Brian Kaylor spoke with Denker about her book. You can listen to the audio version here (or subscribe in your favorite podcast platform), and you can watch the video version here.
As a public witness,
Beau Underwood
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