Star-Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy

Wow. This book was fantastic. It was informative, compelling, humorous and easily-digestible, while giving me a lot to think about.

In this book, Ajoy describes her own religious upbringing, which she recognizes in hindsight was in line with Christian Nationalism, and what life experiences lead her to reexamine her beliefs. While I grew up in a Christian household, much of her specific Christian upbringing was different from my own, but I related SO much to her political evolution.

I want to be clear, this book is NOT anti-Christian. Ajoy describes how her faith and her understanding of Jesus lead her away from the extreme, hateful and nationalistic beliefs she grew up with and proudly professed herself in her youth. She managed to put into words much of what I have seen and experienced with the Christian Nationalism movement and the thoughts and fears I’ve had.

I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it. It was entertaining while being powerful and eye-opening. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

I devoured this book. I have followed April on TikTok for quite some time so it was almost like a BTS look at the life behind her videos and her catalyst for making them. As someone who grew up in the evangelical south and have had my own reckoning with my faith, I found it encouraging to hear someone else be vulnerable about their own journey.

I've been a follower on social media of the author for quite some time now. What I really go out of this book is a solid background on the MINDSET of the Christian Nationalist and the foundation of their worldview. And the difference between us mainline/secular Christians and folks that have melded politics and religion.

While this is one of many books tackling the topic of Christian nationalism, I appreciated April Ajoy’s lighthearted writing style over a serious subject matter. It reads like part memoir, part cry for change. I enjoyed it.

April Ajoy goes through her time as an evangelical and shows how many evangelicals fall into the alt-right, ultra-patriotic side of politics.

I think I was confused about what this book wanted to be. It wasn't exactly a memoir. It wasn't exactly a deep dive into alt-right evangelicalism. It wasn't really a research or investigative piece. I think it needed to fall more into one of those categories for me to enjoy it more. I like April's voice and I've enjoyed other media she has created but I think the book tried to do too many things. Overall, the information was good and the anecdotes were interesting. I just wanted it to be approached differently.

Books about christian nationalism tend to be very heavy to read. Rightly so, as it is a very serious topic. April Ajoy’s Star Spangled Jesus threads the needle between treating this topic with the seriousness it deserves while providing levity to the reader by including quizzes and references to a political memes. Star Spangled Jesus feels part memoir part confessional and lends an outreaching hand to any deconstructing evangelical who is reflecting on their church experience and thinking “What was I thinking?”

I would recommend this book if you have liked:
📖 Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobez Du Mez
📖 The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr

"Star-Spangled Jesus" offers a compelling and personal exploration of the Christian nationalist movement in America. Author April's engaging writing style, combined with her firsthand experiences, makes this book accessible to readers of all backgrounds - especially as a non-American.

The book's unique blend of memoir and analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the movement. April's journey from within the Christian nationalist fold offers valuable insights into the mindset and rhetoric of its adherents. Her ability to identify and critique the common talking points of Christian nationalism is particularly enlightening.

While the subject matter is serious, April's humour and personal anecdotes make the book enjoyable to read. Her use of humour to address difficult topics is both refreshing and effective. The book's exploration of the intersection between Christian faith and nationalism is thought-provoking and timely with Project 25.

April's ultimate message of hope, grounded in the life and teachings of Jesus, is inspiring. Her emphasis on love, justice, and mercy provides a powerful counterpoint to the divisive rhetoric of Christian nationalism.

Overall, "Star-Spangled Jesus" is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the Christian nationalist movement. It is a well-written, thought-provoking book that offers a unique perspective on a complex issue.

I felt so seen by Ajoy's memoir. Her insights were informative with just the right amount of humor and an approachable writing style. This is a must read for Americans.

Christian Nationalism really is a thing. I didn't call it that growing up though. April Ajoy writes about her experiences growing up in Christian Nationalism. And how she was able to escape its clutches.

The rise of Donald Trump and Project 2025 have brought Christian Nationalism into the foreground. It's more than being a Christian and living a Christ-centered life - it puts America above all nations. Nowhere in my Bible does it even talk about America (maybe that's in the Bible DJT is hawking!). Sure, we should love our country. Sure we should be patriotic. Sure we should try to win souls for Jesus. But putting all of those together - on steroids - has gotten us where we are. Jesus also taught us to have compassion for others, respect for those not like us, feeding the poor, etc. Jesus didn't tell us that we should be violent or that He was a republican.

April's journey is like others, but she injects humor and vulnerability and kept me reading. I would really recommend this book to everyone - be informed.

This was given to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very extensive history revealing the influences of Nationalism on much of American Christianity, from the perspective of a former Christian Nationalist.
This is a great book for TikTok fans of the author, who already support and enjoy her point of view.This book would be good for a discussion, specifically between friends who are also working through analyzing their own Christian faith, as there are many points (and memories) that are brought up and can be revisited and looked at from a (perhaps) different perspective. For the discussion, I would recommend starting the book by reading the Final Thoughts, and then start at the beginning of the book to get a better idea of the author's heart.
Taken as a simple memoir, this book earns 3 stars for me.There aren't a whole lot of books out there (that I have seen) that take on this type of experience (analyzing one's Christian faith and parsing out the faith vs. politics vs. culture thing), so kudos to April Ajoy for writing about her experience. I don't question her experience at all, having grown up in the faith, and I know that it is far different from many other people's experiences and deserves to have a voice. I do wish that it was a little less "conversational" in tone, and feel that it gets a little bogged down with the number and length of examples. I come from the perspective of someone a little bit older than the author who was raised in a Christian conservative upbringing and who has also grown in her faith, separating the Christian faith and what the Bible says from what American politics and culture say you have to do. I too thought it was a "glitch in the Matrix" when Donald Trump first ran for president.  Some of the points, though, could be just as easily taken from a far left point of view and/or a non-Christian's view. Much of the book could make anyone not familiar with the Christian faith believe that all Christians are bonkers. Truly, we are not all this way.
I would be interested to see another book from her in the future, in a non-election year, and read more of what she has to say.  
This book hasn't given me more hope for this future election, unfortunately. Rather, it made me feel even more aware that we as a nation are even more divided than before.  I feel that we need to have more understanding for each other, and also have compassion as well. We need to figure out how to work together, rather than pointing the finger and saying, "Look what they did!", and "Look what I'm not doing anymore!"  Being published this close to the election, I guess I was hoping for something different. An acknowledgment of where some of us have come from, yes, but also how to move forward and influence those around us for Christ (and not 'Chrisitan nationalism'.)

One book that I have read recently that more closely helps me in my own walk and has some similarity is Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor by Caleb E. Campbell.

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to pre-read this book. I don't know April personally, but I follow her on social media. This book was excellent! It is so much like my own story (as a pastor's daughter as well, homeschooled, outspoken girl, etc). I loved hearing her process out of Christian nationalism. I love her humour, and all the random tidbits that were the norm to us kids/teens in the 90s! Reading it and thinking "omg! Me too! Oh yeah, I forgot that!" So many of us from that generation were affected in similar ways, and this book highlights so much of that. It's a great read! I highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Star-Spangled Jesus is a good memoir about religion, patriotism and faith but April Ajoy treads common ground of books such as Educated.

I listen to April on The New Evangelicals podcast and I always enjoy her takes, so when I heard she wrote a book, I had to read it!
This book explores MANY topics very well. It’s written like she’s just having a conversation with the reader- at points a goofy, straight-forward, quite funny conversation. As infuriated as I am by the state of American, I appreciated this book and felt slight hopefulness that there are people out there who found themselves in the thick of Christian nationalism and “woke up.”
I’ve already been recommending this (tiptoeing around my evangelical friends & family) but still hoping any of my own talking points or recs will shine through someday. Highly recommend.

I was really hopeful for this book. There are many frustrations with those who synchronistically aligned the ideas of following Jesus and the American way. This book unfortunately feels more like a bash session then an actual helpful tool.

It's safe to say that April Ajoy's "Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith" won't find among its fans the cultishly allegiant supports of a certain former president striving to once again return to the office.

It's safe to say that "Star-Spangled Jesus" will find few fans among those who attend churches where an American flag sits alongside the pulpit or who belong to faith-based non-profits where the Pledge of Allegiance is a regular tradition.

Fundamentalist Christians? Nah, they probably won't like it. Pentecostals? For the most part not. Anyone who sings "God Bless America" and truly means it? Again, probably not.

Truthfully, I doubt that "Star-Spangled Jesus" will sway too many people's opinions for or against Christian Nationalism, though I'd imagine it will provide a safe haven for those who've wondered but have dared not express that wonder.

For those who don't know Ajoy, she's a content creator and podcast host who often uses humor to shine a light on toxic Christianity, including Christian Nationalism, and the frequent weirdness that is American Evangelicalism. Raised in Christian Nationalism, though she'd likely not have defined it that way back then, she grew up an evangelist's kid and would eventually work in conservative Christian media.

Ajoy is still a Christian (Yes, she is.). However, these days she's using her platform to expose the dangers of Christian Nationalism and to work toward a more inclusive faith. Those platforms now include this book, "Star-Spangled Jesus," a title just as provocative as Ajoy herself and a title guaranteed to trigger the easily triggered Christian Nationalist community.

Ajoy immerses us in her world from childhood forward. She shares stories both humorous and poignant about everything from performing her original song "America Say Jesus" on the Jim Bakker Show to participating in Jesus Marches to cringe-worthy Youtube videos to supporting Mitt Romney and being utterly devastated when Obama was elected.

She was, in her eyes, just being a good Christian - Republican, faithful, conservative, and committed toward a fully Christian America.

As Ajoy writes, one senses almost embarrassment at that past now and in the days, weeks, months, and years as she began to see cracks in her faith and questions began to arise.

Truthfully, I found "Star-Spangled Jesus" more poignant than funny. I'm not on TikTok and don't often find soundbyte humor to be funny. Ajoy's humor is more relational, more of a "been there, can't believe I said that" kind of humor. It's funny in more of a chuckling way and in a way that feels familiar and incredibly personal. I was more deeply touched by "Star-Spangled Jesus" and the journey Ajoy traveled to become the Christian she is today including marriage to Beecher and being the parent of two young children.

"Star-Spangled Jesus" explores many of the benchmarks of what has become commonly identified as Christian Nationalism - Christian media, product boycotts, Satanic panic, and end-times theology all being exploited to empower the Christian Nationalist narrative. Ajoy simply yet beautifully connects the dots of Christian Nationalism - in some ways, Ajoy humanizes much of what Andrew L. Whitehead brings to life in his recent book "American Idolatry."

Together, the two authors illuminate how nationalist thinking has penetrated into the tapestry of church life and America's political landscape.

"Star-Spangled Jesus" is many things - a call-to-action, an emotionally resonant memoir, a guide, and much more. Ajoy humorously and pointedly illustrates the damage of Christian nationalism both intimately and universally and invites us into a healthier way of living as Christians that is, as she points out, also more theologically sound.

On a personal note, it was near the end of "Star-Spangled Jesus" that I found myself impacted in a profound and unexpected way by "Star-Spangled Jesus." As Ajoy was winding down her time with us, she shared stories about her current life and her marriage to Beecher. As she painted a portrait of who Beecher has become once freed of the confines of toxic Christianity, I heard myself mumbling quietly "That's me."

"That's me."

I began crying, a suddenly realization of a long-quiet truth suddenly sitting before my eyes undeniably. Why had this never occurred to me before? I had, perhaps, chalked up my differences to being disabled and physically unique. I had, perhaps, wanted so desperately to believe in the masculinity that society long denied me as a disabled male with a body that fails to perform like that of many others.

I just knew that for the first time this description, these words, made sense and they felt as if suddenly I had something I could hold on to and embrace.

In recent years, I'd come to realize I'm asexual. Finally admitting this has been immensely freeing, however, for the first time all the dots became connected and I realized that I am, in fact, non-binary. It doesn't change anything for me, not really, because it's undeniably always been who I am. I've just never been able to connect the dots.

So, yeah. I guess I'm finding my true faith after all.

I follow the author on Instagram so when she announced the book, I was crazy excited to read it and while filled with great information. It is so boring and slow moving.

I recommend "Star-Spangled Jesus" to anyone interested in Christian nationalism. This book is a helpful introduction to the Christian nationalistic movement in America, especially those with an evangelical background. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks the threats of Christian nationalism are being sensationalized. "Star-Spangled Jesus" is a mix of a memoir and a breakdown of April's experience with Christian nationalism, and a challenge to the reader to oppose Christian nationalism and its harmful rhetoric.

About 2 pages into the book and I knew I was going to enjoy reading it. April provided a helpful "are you a Christian nationalist" quiz. Hilarious. April has an engaging, honest, impactful writing voice. I can hear her coming through the page. I personally found her humor, jokes, and hyperbole to be an entertaining way to engage in such thoughtfully demanding subject material. Coming from an evangelical background, it was amusing to read this book and realize many of her statements weren't hyperbolic and that she is describing very real concerns from the perspective of a former Christian nationalist. April tells the reader at the start, she copes with humor, and 99% of the time it lands and makes her point.

It was really troublesome to see so many of the trite Christianese phrases and arguments I grew up with explained in the context of Christian nationalism. April helped me realize just how common the rhetoric of Christian nationalism is in evangelical spaces. I wouldn't describe my upbringing as Christian nationalist. Yet, so many of the arguments and perspectives April discussed are ones I was taught in Sunday school, in youth groups, at church camp ect. This book was also heart wrenching to read, because I learned how to identify Christian nationalist talking points, and I realize how I've engaged in that same rhetoric in the past.

Throughout it all, April has found hope in the life and words of Jesus. I think this is what inspires me the most. Reminding people of the life and words of Jesus is perhaps the most helpful way to thoughtfully engage with those who are Christian nationalist. Love God, love others. Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly.

As nationalism becomes more and more prominent, it becomes increasingly important for books like this to highlight how destructive and unChristian nationalism actually is

Thanks to NetGalley and Worthy Publishing for the ARC!

April Ajoy’s "Star-Spangled Jesus" is a rambunctious, TikTok-style takedown of Christian nationalism, offering readers a glimpse into a life redirected away from evangelicalism.

I mention Ajoy’s social media presence because it feels key to understanding the book. The tone is acerbic but earned, and Ajoy finds an effective balance between her own story and outside research, although I wish she leaned more heavily on the memoirish parts of the book. The author’s approach here is admirable, as she never succumbs to the tendency to rewrite her own history—to suggest that she always “saw through” her nationalistic beliefs. Instead, she is very forthright about how deeply she held them, and the result is a self-forgiveness that allows for genuine self-examination. It also makes "Star-Spangled Jesus" stand out from its peers because it flouts the sociological detachment that characterizes many similar books.

I found "Star-Spangled Jesus" to be really resonant because I share a lot of the life experiences Ajoy describes. She grew up in the world of Target boycotts and "Adventures in Odyssey" and "Left Behind." She describes crying for two days after Obama’s election; I remember that I was convinced it was the beginning of the "end times." It’s an embarrassing belief system to reflect on, but Ajoy is remarkably gracious and forceful in her calls for accountability. She still identifies as religious, and she accepts that there are conservative people who aren’t nationalists. Regardless of whether or not that’s a tenable argument, it reflects the humility that prevents the author’s critiques from becoming self-promoting.

Despite the book’s strengths, I found myself struggling to get through parts of it. Parts of "Star-Spangled Jesus" form an excellent memoir. The problem, however, is that the other parts—the analytical, research-based parts—really drag because they don’t add anything to the discourse that hasn’t been done better elsewhere. It may not matter if this is the only book someone reads on the subject, but I think Ajoy excels at describing the real-world impact Christian nationalism has on an individual’s life, and every move away from that focus feels like a loss.

My other critique is a matter of taste, so take it accordingly. I know humor is subjective, but I found every attempt at it really grating here, as it’s about as sophisticated as “NOT” jokes. You know what I’m talking about—where someone makes a blatantly wrong statement and follows it with an emphatic “NOT,” and that’s the joke. If that description feels unclear, in response to a pastor saying people should preach from the constitution, Ajoy writes: “You know, because the Bible says ‘In the beginning was the constitution,’ or something.” It’s a terminally online sensibility, and the humor feels reflective of our collective cultural burnout—the fatigued, obligatory need to point out absurdity that has grown humdrum over the past decade. It’s tired. I’m tired. We’re all tired. If you’re a fan of Ajoy’s TikTok account or SNL’s Trump sketches, it’ll probably work for you, but I found it cringeworthy.

All in all, "Star-Spangled Jesus" is an excellent addition to the conversation on the pervasiveness of Christian nationalism, and I greatly appreciate April Ajoy’s conviction and skill in writing it. This feels like a perfect book for people who need to read personal narrative to grasp the significance of an issue.