Review: Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover

Published in Muse, Johns Hopkins University

Careful and timely study

In this careful and timely study, Martin explores themes of white Christian nationalism, militant anticommunism, and the use and abuse of power. Such subjects align The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism with the work of other scholars, like Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Anthea D. Butler, Andrew L. Whitehead, and Samuel L. Perry. Like these scholars, Martin describes the ways that white Christian nationalism shaped modern American identity. Martin writes about “the impulse to make whiteness and conservative Christianity the foundation and guidepost of American governance and culture” (p. 4). Rather than seeing more recent fusions of the Far Right and Christian nationalism as aberrations, Martin sees continuities. “If we draw back the curtain on the white evangelical attempt to take America ‘back’ for God,” writes Martin, “we find a partnership with the infamous J. Edgar Hoover, who worked diligently behind the scenes and at the forefront for nearly five decades”

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