Book Review: ‘Star-Spangled Jesus’ tackles Christian Nationalism with humor

By Cassy Benefield | FaVS News Columnist

The Christian nationalist deconversion memoir has become its own literary genre, but April Ajoy found a way to make hers different. “Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith” delivers serious critique of Christianity enmeshed with political power while making readers laugh at the author’s descriptions of her evangelical Republican past.

Released by Worthy Publishing in October 2024, it veers off the well-traveled paths of lament common to such books and instead adds doses of humor to Ajoy’s “cringe-worthy” descriptions of her past, like when she calls herself a “Judgy McJudgy face.”

The comic side she brings to her tale of growing up evangelical and Republican and Christian nationalist and then not Christian nationalist works. It makes her awakening much less depressing than other books out there. But it doesn’t make the book any less serious in its critique of a Chrisitianity enmeshed with political power. 

Four parts, one journey

The book is divided into 17 chapters organized in four parts, which include: “Tenets of Christian Nationalism”; “History of Christian Nationalism”; “Tactics of Christian Nationalism”; and “Frontlines of Christian Nationalism.” She lays her foundation in part one, defining Christian nationalism using three descriptors: (1) America is the best, (2) being a “real” Christian means being an evangelical (not Catholic, mainline Protestant, etc.) and (3) morality should be mandated. 

She weaves the reality of these tenets with examples of her own past and how she was taught growing up. She also includes healthy doses of what she observed around her all her life. She does so carefully, in temperance and step by step so the reader understands and progresses in their recognition of Christian nationalism. 

For example, she illustrates how Christian nationalists will choose divisive culture war topics (abortion, gender-affirming care, any kind of LGBTQ+ rights, etc.), so when they receive pushback from the culture they can claim persecution — an “attack on ‘Christian Values,’” she writes. So then, they “can’t be held responsible for hurtful things [they] say and do if [they] can turn accountability into persecution.”

She was taught the “liberal gay agenda” — the “evil gay agenda” — would take over and remove God’s blessing from America. So, Christians needed to stand up and fight against that agenda to prevent that from happening. That “agenda” felt more like fighting against “those” people.

This matches my own 15-year walk in fundamentalist Christianity. Reflecting back, my thoughts also parallel Ajoy’s, when she writes, “It’s difficult to want a narrow-minded theocracy after you see the humanity in the people that the system would harm.”

Ajoy also asks herself why she would want to support legislating a belief system that someone doesn’t believe who would be obligated to follow or be punished if they don’t. Thankfully, she lands here because a couple humans close to her will need her support, a fact she reveals near the end of the book.

I can see this same belief extending today with the “trans agenda” and “those” people with their unique needs and challenges in society. This is not to say there are no just compromises that can be made in laws, like in the sporting world or in letting parents choose whether or not to allow their child to choose or not choose gender-affirming care at a young age. 

What I am saying is the trans community are now an additional “opponent” in a culture war needing to be controlled (legislated against their needs and challenges) to maintain God’s blessing. Of course, many on the Christian nationalist spectrum Ajoy describes don’t see it that way. 

Ajoy takes great care in presenting her experiences and her learning since then to show this is exactly what is taking place. And any group in the future could be next. Immigrants, perhaps?

Comedy as critique

All of these serious points are mixed with comedy, largely at her own expense but also at the expense of others, having observed her community thoughtfully for most of her life. This is where the strength of her book lies. The readability, structure, humor and “just-enough” teaching works very well.

If someone wants a deeper understanding of the history, tactics and frontline examples of Christian nationalism, this book will feel like a CliffsNotes version of much more in-depth books I’ve read on this same topic. 

This is not a bad thing, if this is all that the reader has the time and brain energy for. If this is you and you want to laugh out loud several times, I highly recommend the book. But if one wants a more in depth memoir-like peek into the movement, a good start would be Tim Alberta’s “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in the Age of Extremism.”

But that one left me very depressed when “Star-Spangled Jesus” allowed me to laugh and smile and say “atta girl” for yet another sister in the Lord, a much younger and funnier one, who saw what I saw in American Christianity and did something about it. And that gives me hope others will, too.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.

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