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02
Pub Day Book Review: IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS by Gina Welch
2010 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published March 2, 2010 by Metropolitan Books
When Gina Welch, a lifelong atheist from Berkeley, California, moved to Charlottesville, Virginia for graduate school, she began encountering evangelical Christians on a regular basis for the first time in her life, and for the first time in her life, she found herself dealing with deep feelings of intolerance. Welch was so struck by her reactions to the Christians that she couldn’t help but try to make sense of them and their significance in American culture. Who were these people who believed so passionately that their beliefs were the only way? What really lay beneath the surface of their polished, pious, always-smiling countenances? Why did they hold so much power in American culture, and who, really, was their leader Jerry Falwell?
Welch realized that she, a secular Jew who knew virtually nothing about Christian practices and theology, couldn’t just walk into an evangelical church and expect to get answers. She would be seen as an outsider, a project, a potential convert, a soul who needed saving, and she would only get to see what they wanted to show her until she was willing and ready to make a decision for Christ. So she made an entirely different bold decision and, rather than dismissing a group she found indescribably unbelievable, went undercover at Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In the Land of Believers is Welch’s chronicle of the almost two years she spent attending services, participating in the EPIC young adult ministry, socializing, traveling, and building relationships with TRBC members. It is neither an exposé of nor an attack on evangelicals, and Welch’s intent is far from malicious. In the Land of Believers is essentially an ethnology, an exploration of the social and cultural underpinnings of a group one can only truly understand by becoming a part of it, and Welch is a sort of embedded reporter cum anthropologist. She learns the language, sings the songs, gets “saved” and baptized (though in action only—there’s no change of heart happening here), and even goes on an evangelism mission trip to Alaska.
Welch embarks on her journey into the heart of evangelical Christianity with the intent to create understanding and the hope of promoting tolerance. She wants to know what makes evangelicals tick, to find common ground, and to use her experiences to help others bridge the cultural gap and get along with this outspoken group that clearly isn’t going anywhere. While she does criticize some evangelical practices and positions (including rampant homophobia, regressive ideas about the role of women, suspicion of the educated, and the use of the threat of hell to scare children into getting saved), she also emphasizes the common humanity, the strong, supportive communities, and the good intentions that drive their seemingly strange and divisive behaviors.
While Welch is certainly not the first writer to take this approach to understanding evangelical Christians (in fact, Kevin Roose was undercover at Falwell’s Liberty University writing The Unlikely Disciple at the same time that she was at TRBC), her version of it is the most successful one I’ve found because she really does enter the experience as a true outsider with fresh eyes, and she stays long enough to form lasting relationships (Roose was only at Liberty for a semester). The ethnological aspects of In the Land of Believers are intelligent and insightful, and Welch’s reflections on her struggle to understand how she could come to feel deeply attached to a group of people whose fundamental tenets she finds unbelievable and occasionally frightening are fascinating.
In the Land of Believers is a book for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of evangelical Christians (or just a really great read). It is a portrait of a community that is at once unique in its position atop the evangelical movement and stereotypical in its practices and beliefs, and it is a call for greater tolerance from both sides of the line. As a reader who grew up in mainline Protestant churches but who hasn’t practiced for some time and now find myself living in the south and surrounded by people who regularly inquire as to whether I’ve found Jesus, I saw bits of my own experiences within the pages of this book. But I think there’s something here for everyone, religious or not, and even evangelicals would do well to read this book, see themselves from the outside, and gain an understanding of how secular people experience them.
This is a remarkable, informative, fresh perspective on a topic that is familiar and a cultural movement that is undeniable and unavoidable. Welch is fair, kind, and balanced (perhaps I should say “fair and balanced?”) in both her presentation of TRBC’s members and her exploration of what it means for her own identity that she comes to love many of them, to mourn Dr. Falwell’s death, and to continue singing church songs long after she leaves. In the Land of Believers will probably land Gina Welch on many a prayer list, but I’m hopeful that it will put her on many “to-be-read” and “best of” lists as well. 4.5 out of 5.
Learn more about Gina Welch and In the Land of Believers by visiting her website and blog, following her on Twitter (she’s friendly and gives great book recommendations!), and checking out her column The Moral Story at True/Slant.
Hey, FTC: I received a review copy of this book from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.
I’m an IndieBound affiliate and will receive a small commission if you purchase In the Land of Believers through one of my links….but really, I don’t care where you buy this book, as long as you read it. Because it’s good!
Related posts:
- Become a BELIEVER [Go see Gina Welch at Fountain Bookstore!]
- There's More on Craigslist than Ikea Furniture [guest post by Gina Welch, author of IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS]
- Books That Make Me Grunt Approvingly (The Bare Necessities—Gina Welch)
- The Book Lady’s Best of 2010: Memoir
- Book Review & Giveaway: In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, M.D.
I’m a big believer that we will only experience peace at home and around the world when we come to an understanding of one another’s religions. This will definitely be a must-read for me.
I couldn’t have said it better, Susan.
“now find myself living in the south and surrounded by people who regularly inquire as to whether I’ve found Jesus…”
LOL!!! OMG, are we living parallel lives?!
We moved from CA to TX a 1 1/2 years ago and what I find troubling is that people are awfully willing to pray for us, but don’t want to associate with us because we’re not Christian enough.
This book sounds really interesting. Have you read The Faith Club? Another great read.
Wow, this sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Rebecca, I will take your point that Welch’s experiment is much longer than Roose’s, and thus the feelings associated with it are necessarily different (and deeper). I hadn’t considered that.
Lovely review.
As someone who routinely squints her eyes at organized religion in total confusion and finds herself inadvertantly shying away from religious discussions of any kind, I feel like there would be a lot in this book for me to consider! Great review; if I’m feeling brave, I’ll look for it.
Don’t get me wrong—I loved Roose’s book, too. But where his felt like an “I did a weird thing for a year so I could write about it” story, this book felt more academic, analytic, and intentional to me. I think it’s kind of apples and oranges, but the comparison is unavoidable because of their subject matter and the overlap in their timelines.
@Rebecca:
I’ve traded comments with Gina on True/Slant, and I’ve been looking forward to her reviews. The LA Times review was considerably less forgiving of Gina’s “Judas kiss” approach, and cast her as something of a “villain”.
As for her objective, I’ll have to read her book to see if she achieved what she wanted with her approach. In my experience, evangelicals are never more “filtered” than when they’re around other evangelicals–one observer called this the “stained glass masquerade”.
Any thoughts?
Gina is very aware of what she calls the “ethically dubious” aspects of her project….but she quotes Joan Didion (to whom I’m happy to defer) on the idea that writers are always selling someone out, and I don’t think she’s any more of a villain than any of the myriad of other writers who have gone undercover in hard-to-crack cultural groups. Given that the book is far from the expose (or the blatant shooting-fish-in-a-barrel mockery) it could easily have been in the hands of a lesser writer, I really don’t think the villain label applies. But of course, it’s fun for reviewers to vilify writers and kick up some controversy.
My own short-term experience in an evangelical church during my teen years tells me that you’re correct that evangelicals are filtered around each other, juggling constant concerns about appearing properly pious, but they are far more filtered with perceived outsiders. What Welch saw may have been filtered, but it is far less so, in my estimation, than it would have been if she had, say, been upfront about her identity and set out to interview Thomas Roaders.
Having spent over a dozen years in evangelical churches, calling us “organized” seems generous at times. Fortunately for us, we aren’t called to build a bureaucracy.
Chris, hi! I’ll be eager to hear what you think once you see my book for yourself. Yes, the LA Times review was sharply worded, and I was disappointed to find that the reviewer didn’t connect with the way I processed and confronted my own ethical transgressions. In the book as in life, I tried to be fully accountable for all that I’d done, but perhaps having transgressed in the first place was unforgivable in her view.
So did you find him yet? Check under the couch? I’ve never had that experience but I have to say that would annoy me to no end.
As someone from another country, I find this aspect of American culture befuddling. Where did it come from?
The book sounds interesting Rebecca.
Read the book, Chris! It is interesting, and I think it would be a great window into this huge piece of American culture for a reader from elsewhere.
Also, no. I think he might be behind the fridge, but I’m afraid of what else I’ll find if I look back there.
I really enjoyed your review of this book. As a liberal Christian, I’ve grown weary of books about evangelicals because it is so hard to leave one’s opinions at the door. I’ve added this one to my list!
That sounds so interesting. I grew up in a religious household, but am not really a believer anymore. I thought I had been exposed to a lot of religion until I moved to Virginia- there are literally churches all over the place! Every block has one or two, it seems.
Have you read God’s Harvard by Hanna Rosin? I thought it was fascinating. And Rosin goes in always as a journalist, so there aren’t that many ethical issues. She meets regularly with students through 3-4 years, and it’s so interesting to watch how they change, as all college students do, but in such a one-focus environment.
Yup! I live directly across the street from an independent Baptist church and can count at least 4 others within walking distance.
Yes! That was Patrick Henry College, also in Virginia, I believe. And it was fascinating. I feel like we could compile a list of books like this. I don’t get tired of the discussion.
So strange that Welch and Roose were undercover at the same time!!! Funny if they had somehow “outed” each other! I really liked Roose’s book so I’ve got to check this out. I can see why people are so compelled to understand this branch of religion. It makes no sense to me either. Thanks for the great review.
Awesome, Jenners! I loved Roose’s book, too….but I think this one is even better, like its smarter, more mature cousin.
Excellent! This is exactly what I want! I was just at the bookshop with my sister saying I wished I could have a book that would be wry and informative about evangelical Christianity. Thanks for the recommendation!
[...] Filed under: Month-in-Review | Tagged: february reading wrap-up 2010 « Pub Day Book Review: IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS by Gina Welch [...]
I’m really looking forward to this one since I enjoyed The Unlikely Disciple so much.
I would love to do a book group that reads & discusses these 2 books at the same time….but I guess we’re kind of doing that here online. Will look forward to your thoughts!
[...] Reviewed In the Land of Believers A Common Pornography Dear American Airlines Alice's Adventures in Wonderland The Wordy [...]
[...] Books, a review of Gina Welch’s superfantastic exploration of evangelical culture In the Land of Believers, and a wrap-up of my February [...]
[...] on March 15, 2010 by Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog Two weeks ago, I reviewed Gina Welch’s In the Land of Believers, which chronicles the two years she spent undercover at Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist [...]
I just finished this book and really loved it as well. I think she is an amazing writer – I loved her descriptions and the narrative was so thoughtful and often really slyly funny.
[...] In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch: Review copy [...]
[...] Welch presents In the Land of Believers (my review here) at Fountain Bookstore, Thursday April 29th, 6:30pm. (My sister had to go and plan her wedding [...]
[...] is evident in my review of this book and in the fact that I invited Gina to guest blog here that I loved this [...]
I finally read this! (I don’t like to read reviews before writing my own)
One thing I would say re: Kevin Roose’s experience and Gina’s is that while Kevin was only there a semester he was living it 24/7 while Gina got quite a lot of breaks. I found that aspect interesting.
That’s a good point. I think I felt like Gina’s experience was more in-depth because it was longer, but you’re right that Kevin was really in it 24/7. And really, both of the books are great, and they make excellent companion reads for each other.
[...] Rating: 4/5 Why I Read It: Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog interested me in the book In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch. I haven’t found that book yet, but this one on the topic looked interesting, and was only a [...]
[...] of the year). It continued with my better-late-than-never discovery of Sarah Vowell. And then came In the Land of Believers and Flow and Just Don’t Fall (which I should have hated but ended up [...]
[...] weeks ago, I reviewed Gina Welch’s In the Land of Believers, which chronicles the two years she spent undercover at Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist [...]
I’m reading this book now and am feeling uncomfortable with the author’s dishonesty, Her pretending to convert, her deceiving some nice people who are kind to her and her going out to convert others to a religion that she doesn’t believe in leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I think that’s understandable, and she acknowledges the deception (and that it eventually takes its toll on her as well). While it can feel “icky,” she’s far from the first journalist to be dishonest in the name of getting the story. That doesn’t necessarily justify the deception, but it does put it in perspective.
I don’t know this book, just bothered me. I thought it raised some pretty tough ethical questions..and the writer did a pretty poor job of facing up to them. I thought the business of attempting to convert others to a view point you don’t yourself believe was cynical-especially to do that with children! And the baptism business seemed so disrespectful of a tradition that meant a lot to these people. I just found Gina Welch just a very self centered, and morally hollow woman.
Well, you’re entitled to that opinion, and you’re certainly not alone in it.
[...] Gina Welch is the author of In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelica…. [...]
[...] In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch: The memoir of a liberal agnostic Jew’s two years spent undercover at Jerry Falwell’s uber-conservative fundamentalist Christian church, this is not to be missed for those of us who are fascinated by religion and enjoy a juicy peek into life on the other side of the fence. Welch’s writing is thoughtful and balanced, and this is less an attack on an extremist group than it is a call for dialogue and can’t-we-all-just-get-along-ness. Pairs nicely with Kevin Roose’s The Unlikely Disciple. [...]