Thread by @kkdumez

I've been following the horrifying story of the killing of Casey Goodson Jr by Baptist pastor/sheriff's deputy Jason Meade, a proponent of preemptive violence as "righteous release." Meade's actions & views seem extreme, but mainstream white evangelicalism isn't that far away. 1/

https://twitter.com/ryanmahoney5150/status/1342848922620989440

The idea that God gives righteous (masculine) protectors the authority to use violence to bring order is pervasive within conservative white evangelicalism, going back to the (highly racialized) law & order politics of the sixties. (This is the John Wayne part of Jesus & JW.) 2/

And the idea that "superior violence" is necessary is common w/in post-9/11 evangelicalism. My ch. on anti-Islamic rhetoric ("Why We Want to Kill You") shows how this works even (esp.) when based on fabricated threats. Also see white ev support for preemptive war & torture. 3/

Often unspoken, but clear if you look at context, is that white ev calls for aggressive masculine protectors largely apply to white men; black men and other people of color are generally seen as threats to order, thus legitimate targets of violence. See responses to BLM. 4/

Finally, white evangelical embrace of both the military and law enforcement run deep. For a glimpse at how this permates the culture of white evangelicalism, see this piece I wrote on Hobby Lobby merchandise: 5/ thedailybeast.com/if-you-want-to…

(And sorry about that paywall; here's a related piece that gives a glimpse.) 6/ patheos.com/blogs/anxiousb…

None of this means that Meade's actions aren't extreme. But it's important to recognize that there is a larger culture of conservative white ev that provides moral cover to this extremism. And that's one of the central themes of JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE. 7/7 bookshop.org/books/jesus-an…

Also if you can't access the WaPo article, here's really good local coverage from a couple weeks back: columbusfreepress.com/article/why-di…