Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Even as the White House was tapping evangelical networks to drum up support for a military intervention in Nicaragua, some members of the administration were pursuing more clandestine avenues as well. In 1984, Iran had secretly requested weapons from the United States to use in its war with Iraq. Despite an arms embargo, Reagan was desperate to secure the release of seven American hostages held by Iranian terrorists in Lebanon. With Reagan’s support, the administration arranged for the shipment of more than 1500 missiles to Iran. Three hostages were released (but three more taken), and a portion of the payment for the arms sales was then diverted to support the Contras in Nicaragua. The NSC staff member responsible for this transaction was Oliver North. Thanks in part to an improperly entered bank account number, the entire scheme came to light, and in May 1987 North was called to testify before Congress.