New York Times: Bestsellers List (2026) 
Bestseller List in Hardcover Nonfiction and in Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction September 23, 2026
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 23, 2026
Kristin Kobes
Historian / Writer / Speaker
Professor of History, Calvin University
Senior Democracy Fellow, Public Religion Research Institute
Writing and In-the-Media
Latest Books
Featured In-the-Media
Interview: National Public Radio, All Things Considered, “You Know the Phrase ‘Live Laugh Love,’ But Do You Know Its History?” 
Inteview by Juana Summers September 14, 2026 All Things Considered You know the phrase "Live Laugh Love," but do you know its history? : NPR NPR's Juana Summers talks with Kristin Kobez Du Mez about 'Live Laugh Love: The Secret…
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 15, 2026
Baylor University, The James Vardaman Lecture (2026) 
Mark and Paul Hurd Welcome Center | Fudge Family Auditorium901 S University Parks Dr.Waco, TX 76706 The James Vardaman Lecture ft. Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez | College of Arts & Sciences | Baylor University Beth Allison Barr, the James…
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 14, 2026
Christian Women Say They’re Not Political. Their Living Rooms Disagree 
Exerpts: In truth, the politics of white Christian women cannot be reduced to a single issue. Rather, their voting patterns reflect an underlying cultural worldview shaped less by formal political organizing than by the products they buy and the culture…
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 1, 2026
University of St Andrews, School of Divinity, Smith Lecture, “The Secret History of Christian Women: Purity, Power and the End of the American Century” 
March 11, 2026 Buchanan Lecture Theater St Andrews, Scotland Each semester, an outstanding female scholar from any sub-discipline of Divinity is invited to St Andrews to deliver the Smith Lecture in memory of Agnes Lewis and Margaret Dunlop (both née Smith),…
Kristin Kobes Du MezMarch 11, 2026
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Thulin Lecture, “An Evening with Kristin Kobes Du Mez” 
Thulin Lecture: An Evening with Kristin Kobes Du MezFrom Jesus and John Wayne to Live Laugh Love: The Religious Roots of our Current Moment When: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., Tuesday (February 24, 2026)Where: Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana,…
Kristin Kobes Du MezFebruary 24, 2026
Whitworth University, Weyerhaeuser Speaker Series, “Live Laugh Love: White Christian Women and the World They Made.” 
October 22, 2025 Cowles Auditorium Presentation / Weyer Center Christian Faith The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning is pleased to welcome Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times bestselling author and professor of history at Calvin University. Kobes…
Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 22, 2025
Emory University, Chandler School of Theology, Pastoral Leadership in an Age of Christian Nationalism. “Jesus and John Wayne and the Evangelical Reckoning.” 
September 24-25, 2025 Atlanta, Georgia In a time when Christian nationalism is gaining both cultural and political traction, the work of pastoral leadership requires renewed theological reflection, moral clarity, and prophetic courage. Candler is hosting this set of four public…
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 24, 2025
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, South Central Synod of Wisconsin. 
September 14-15, 2025 Madison, Wisconsin
Kristin Kobes Du MezSeptember 14, 2025
University of Colorado: The Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life. “Jesus and John Wayne: Evangelical Masculinity, Family Values Politics, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism.” 
Ent Center for the Arts Chapman Auditorium Drawing on her New York Times bestselling book, author Dr. Du Mez explains how the study of evangelical popular culture makes clear that recent political events do not represent the betrayal of evangelical…
Kristin Kobes Du MezApril 15, 2023
Baylor University. Leadership Speaker Series. “Ceilings & Mazes: Exploring the Intersection of Gender, Faith, & Leadership.” with Dr. Beth Allison Barr
Baylor Student Life Division In support of equipping students towards “Leadership for the Common Good”, thought leaders are invited to Baylor to discuss the intersection of their areas of expertise: postures of leadership to include character, virtue, and ethics, as…
Kristin Kobes Du MezFebruary 16, 2023
Harvard Radcliffe Institute Conference: The Age of Roe: The Past, Present, and Future of Abortion in America 
Session 3: American Public Life Aziza Ahmed, professor of law, Boston University School of Law Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history, Calvin University Daniel K. Williams, professor of history, University of West Georgia Moderator: Andrew R. Lewis, associate professor, School…
Kristin Kobes Du MezJanuary 27, 2023
Interview: NPR, Consider This, “The Road to Overturning Roe v. Wade,” with Michel Martin 
Earlier this week, a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court suggested that after nearly 50 years, the court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Almost as soon as abortions became legal, opponents…
Kristin Kobes Du MezMay 7, 2022
Interview: PBS, Amanpour & Co, “Kristin Du Mez: How Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith,” with Michel Martin 
The likely demise of Roe v. Wade has galvanized America’s evangelicals. Who exactly are they? And how do they influence politics? Kristin Du Mez is a professor at Calvin University and a historian of American Christianity. Her book "Jesus and…
Kristin Kobes Du MezMay 5, 2022
Interview: NPR, Morning Edition, “Sen. Josh Hawley Claims Masculinity is Under Attack. This Historian Disagrees,” with Steve Inskeep 
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to history professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her new Josh Hawley's claim that masculinity is under attack. For a complete transcript and to listen to the interview, visit Sen. Josh Hawley claims without evidence that…
Kristin Kobes Du MezNovember 11, 2021
Award Recipient: National Council of Teachers of English, George Orwell Award (2021) 
George Orwell Award 2021 Recipient: Kristin Kobes Du Mez Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (Liveright, 2021) Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s book Jesus and John Wayne unveils a rich and fascinating account of White, evangelical…
Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 21, 2021
University of Notre Dame, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, “Seminar in American Religion,” October 9, 2021 
At the fall 2021 Seminar in American Religion, Kristin Kobes Du Mez (Calvin University) will discuss her book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (Liveright, 2020). Commentators for this seminar are Emily Remus (University of Notre Dame) and Matthew Avery…
Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 9, 2021
Interview: The NPR Politics Podcast, “For White Evangelicals, The Identity is About More Than Religious Faith,” with Danielle Kurtzleben 
In the latest installment of the Politics Podcast book club, NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben interviews Calvin University historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. For the complete episode…
Kristin Kobes Du MezOctober 2, 2021
Washington Post, “How a book about evangelicals, Trump and militant masculinity became a surprise bestseller,” by Sarah Pulliam Bailey 
Excerpts: When historian Kristin Du Mez’s latest book, “Jesus and John Wayne,” came out in the summer of 2020, it received little attention from mainstream gatekeepers and reviewers. But the book, which explores evangelical fondness for former president Donald Trump…
Kristin Kobes Du MezJuly 16, 2021
