First-time author Welch offers excellent prose with a laudable purpose: to promote understanding of evangelical Christians. In order to gain this understanding herself, Welch, a nonpracticing Jew, spent two years attending Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church, even joining a missionary trip to evangelize in Alaska, all the while concealing her identity as an unbeliever (she reveals the truth to her church friends at the end of her time with them). However, this is the record of "a journey to the heart of evangelical America" only if one considers Falwell to be at or near that heart—a claim most evangelicals would reject. Balmer (American religious history, Barnard Coll.; God in the White House), a well-known author on religious topics, provides a brief history of American evangelicalism with an emphasis on its genius for adaptability. He considers the rise of the religious Right to be a faulty adaptation and urges evangelicals to change course. VERDICT Welch's book offers an engaging, personal look at one variant of Christian fundamentalism. Her book may be useful for public libraries seeking to balance less benign assessments in their collections and will give fundamentalists a sense of how they may be perceived by kindly outsiders. The political argument of Balmer's final chapters, while worth serious consideration, is frequently marred by a sardonic tone and will appeal primarily to readers whose views already align with the author's.—Lisa Richmond, Wheaton Coll. Lib., IL
Ever since evangelical Christians rose to national prominence, mainstream America has tracked their every move with a nervous eye. But in spite of this vigilance, our understanding hasn't gone beyond the caricatures. Who are evangelicals, really? What are they like in private, and what do they want? Is it possible that beneath the differences in culture and language, church and party, we might share with them some common purpose?
To find out, Gina Welch, a young secular Jew from Berkeley, joined Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church. Over the course of nearly two years, Welch immersed herself in the life and language of the devout: she learned to interpret the world like an evangelical, weathered the death of Falwell, and embarked on a mission trip to Alaska intended to save one hundred souls. Alive to the meaning behind the music and the mind behind the slogans, Welch recognized the allure of evangelicalism, even for the godless, realizing that the congregation met needs and answered questions she didn't know she had.
What emerges is a riveting account of a skeptic's transformation from uninformed cynicism to compassionate understanding, and a rare view of how evangelicals see themselves.
1100356967
To find out, Gina Welch, a young secular Jew from Berkeley, joined Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church. Over the course of nearly two years, Welch immersed herself in the life and language of the devout: she learned to interpret the world like an evangelical, weathered the death of Falwell, and embarked on a mission trip to Alaska intended to save one hundred souls. Alive to the meaning behind the music and the mind behind the slogans, Welch recognized the allure of evangelicalism, even for the godless, realizing that the congregation met needs and answered questions she didn't know she had.
What emerges is a riveting account of a skeptic's transformation from uninformed cynicism to compassionate understanding, and a rare view of how evangelicals see themselves.
In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church
Ever since evangelical Christians rose to national prominence, mainstream America has tracked their every move with a nervous eye. But in spite of this vigilance, our understanding hasn't gone beyond the caricatures. Who are evangelicals, really? What are they like in private, and what do they want? Is it possible that beneath the differences in culture and language, church and party, we might share with them some common purpose?
To find out, Gina Welch, a young secular Jew from Berkeley, joined Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church. Over the course of nearly two years, Welch immersed herself in the life and language of the devout: she learned to interpret the world like an evangelical, weathered the death of Falwell, and embarked on a mission trip to Alaska intended to save one hundred souls. Alive to the meaning behind the music and the mind behind the slogans, Welch recognized the allure of evangelicalism, even for the godless, realizing that the congregation met needs and answered questions she didn't know she had.
What emerges is a riveting account of a skeptic's transformation from uninformed cynicism to compassionate understanding, and a rare view of how evangelicals see themselves.
To find out, Gina Welch, a young secular Jew from Berkeley, joined Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church. Over the course of nearly two years, Welch immersed herself in the life and language of the devout: she learned to interpret the world like an evangelical, weathered the death of Falwell, and embarked on a mission trip to Alaska intended to save one hundred souls. Alive to the meaning behind the music and the mind behind the slogans, Welch recognized the allure of evangelicalism, even for the godless, realizing that the congregation met needs and answered questions she didn't know she had.
What emerges is a riveting account of a skeptic's transformation from uninformed cynicism to compassionate understanding, and a rare view of how evangelicals see themselves.
20.89
In Stock
5
1
In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church
In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church
FREE
with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription
Or Pay
$20.89
$21.99
20.89
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170717057 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
Publication date: | 04/26/2010 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
From the B&N Reads Blog