April Ajoy

As the daughter of an influential Pentecostal preacher, author April Ajoy grew up in a household dedicated to saving sinners from the pit of hell. As an adult, she worked as a producer on The 700 Club and made a name for herself on social media with her full-throated defenses of conservative ideals. But tragic events like school shootings and the January 6 insurrection led her to doubt some of the Republican Party's strongly held positions concerning American exceptionalism, the Second show more Amendment, and the anointing of Donald Trump as God’s own man. She researched, pondered, and cried, and in the end her former belief system fell apart. Ajoy now makes a distinction between the authentic teachings of Jesus and the politicized tenets of Christian Nationalism.

Ajoy’s book, Star-Spangled Jesus, tells an engaging, humorous story of overcoming a lifelong case of cognitive dissonance. Highly recommended. show less

A very funny, loving, and relatable book about slowing realizing the harm Christian nationalism does and deconstructing that tangled patriotic faith. I've followed April for a while on social media and have only known her post-deconstruction, but my upbringing was very similar to hers as far as beliefs go, so it's affirming to see another person on the same path.

4.5. An excellent and clearheaded presentation of the threat of Christian Nationalism from someone who was once inside the movement. Bravo for standing up and realizing there's more than one way to look at the world. And thank you for putting laughter into such a touchy subject.

Once the book gets going the author shares her personal experiences of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian family. You can see her development of her personal viewpoint on life. Her personal stories show the power of religion and how it can keep you imprisoned or can free you. I learned what it is to be a Christian Nationalist. This movement focus on being an American patriot at the expense of truth or understanding. The main push is to have a Christian government and nation.