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The Thread® - Books and Literary News
Kelly Gordon

A new book explores how the subculture of white Christian women shapes America

Side-by-side image of a bright, orange-red book cover called "Live Laugh Love" with a silhouette of a woman's face, next to an author portrait of a woman in a black top and glasses.
Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez' new book, "Live Laugh Love," reveals the often hidden world of white Christian women.
Book cover courtesy Liveright | Author photo courtesy Jen Van der Heide

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Kristin Kobes Du Mez wrote her last book about the politics of evangelical hypermasculinity. This book focuses on Christian women and how their culture shapes economic and political values.

When Kristin Kobes Du Mez’ book “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation” was published in 2020, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon for the way it connected evangelical hypermasculinity with support for President Donald Trump.

Now, Du Mez is back with a follow-up — but this time, she’s focused on Christian women.

“I wanted to look at the popular religious culture that shapes Christian women's lives: Christian radio, Christian publishing, romance novels, mommy blogs, influencers, multi-level marketing companies, Mary Kay, Lularoe, all of these fun things. Hobby Lobby, right? Joanna Gaines. So I thought it was going to be a fun book,” she said.

“In the end, it was not. In the end, what I ended up uncovering was just how economic and cultural and political values are embedded inside these seemingly fluffy products that actually also help us understand how we got to our political moment today."

In “Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made,” Du Mez traces the roots of modern Christian femininity to 19th century holiness theology — a type of Christianity that promises happiness if you totally surrender to God. And that's reflected by a subculture that subtly reinforces the ideals of prosperity and purity.

By revealing this often hidden world, Du Mez hopes to make some sense out of our current moment.

She will be in Minneapolis Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church for a conversation with Rev. Angela Denker about the book hosted by Magers & Quinn Booksellers. Tickets are free but RSVPs are required.