Play Audiobook Sample
In the Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.04) - 300 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
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.
Download and start listening now!
"Very interesting book about an atheist girl who goes "undercover" to Jerry Falwell's church and befriends evangelicals and ultimately goes on a mission trip with them to Alaska. Although Welch spends a little too much time saying how "nice" evangelicals are and glosses over the times she witnesses their sexism, homophobia, and exclusionism, this is still a really captivating read. I wouldn't say I learned anything from this aside from maybe respecting people even if they have views that I might consider crazy - because they would consider my views crazy. If evangelicals were more open to getting to know non-evangelicals then I don't think a book like this would even need to exist."
— Zach (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Excellent prose with a laudable purpose: to promote understanding of evangelical Christians…An engaging, personal look at one variant of Christian fundamentalism.”
— Library Journal -
Welch offers excellent prose with a laudable purpose.... An engaging, personal look at one variant of Christian fundamentalism.
— Library Journal -
“Memorable…A genuinely inquisitive memoir about the complicated nature of religious belief.”
— Kirkus Reviews
In the Land of Believers Listener Reviews
-
" I think this it's probably more important for (some) Evangelicals to read this book than the intended audience (non-"believers). Great perspective on evangelism from an outsider's perspective. "
— Alaina, 2/10/2014 -
" An interesting exploration of a particular evangelical world; I appreciated the author's sensitivity to a culture other than her own, and her willingness to explore her own assumptions about evangelicals... I did not expect myself to empathize as much with her experience as I did. "
— Sweisiger, 1/27/2014 -
" Excellent book! There was no Christian bashing or sneering. It was an honest attempt by an atheist to understand the mindset and motivation of evangelical Christians. "
— Tracy, 1/11/2014 -
" Gina Welch writes this book as an outsider of the Evangelical movement, taking on an ambitious task of joining Thomas Road Baptist Church (aka Jerry Falwell's church) to learn about the movement. During her journey, she learns volumes about what Evangelicals are like and what makes them tick. As someone who considers himself a part of non-believer faction (as does the author), I found her efforts to go above and beyond what I would have expected someone to go through to learn about something so foreign to them. She goes as far as to go on a mission trip to Alaska during the story. This book was both refreshing and reassuring of some of my own thoughts about Evangelicals. "
— Jairy, 1/8/2014 -
" Definitely an interesting look at evangelicals. I loved that the author was able to write from the viewpoint of an "outsider" and unbeliever but tried to experience it as fully and as real as she could. I thought she was very fair in her descriptions. Coming from a different religious background I found it to be informative. Almost makes me wish the author would choose to do this "experiment" with some of the other religions also. "
— Patty, 1/8/2014 -
" Even for "my year of" books, being an Evangelical seems like a weird conceit. "
— Leila, 12/30/2013 -
" A nuanced view of Evangelical Christianity. "
— Rachel, 12/20/2013 -
" I wanted to like this book more than I did. I couldn't help but compare it to The Unlikely Disciple. The author didn't seem to have any emotional connection to anyone she met, and it was hard to have any kind of emotional connection with this book. "
— American, 11/15/2013 -
" This gives Gina Welch's personal experience as well as what she learned as she joined an Evangelical church. I enjoyed some of her insights about the church, but never really connecting w/ the memoir experience. Plus, she alluded to poor tipping habits, but never really addressed the WHY. "
— Melanie, 11/12/2013 -
" Not a lot of new perspectives here, even for those unfamiliar with the evangelical church. The author impersonated a born-again believer to infiltrate Thomas Rd. Baptist Church and write about Christians as an insider. The deception diminished the few positives of the book, at least for this reader. "
— Melissa, 8/16/2013 -
" #45 for 2010. "
— Craig, 6/17/2013 -
" Interesting seeing how a non-churched person sees the church. Very interesting how far Welch went to see what it is all about. "
— Randine, 11/1/2012 -
" Having grown up as a Southern Baptist, I was curious to see how someone else would experience evangelicals. Interesting story, true to many of my recollections about the culture that is so alien to many Americans. "
— Genie, 6/3/2012 -
" The author, a secular Jew from Berkeley, joins Jerry Falwell's church to see what the world of evangelicals is really like. Surprising conclusions. "
— Karla, 9/22/2011 -
" A book club read that I had recommended after seeing her interviewed on Morning Joe. It is an intriguing read about the author going undercover as a fundamentalist Christian in Fallwell's church. Very interesting. "
— Amy, 6/18/2011 -
" Very interesting so far. It's always interesting to find out what outsiders think of the evangelical community. It's also kind of life being a fly on the wall at Jerry Falwell's Church without actually having to go there. (I wouldn't last long there.) "
— Lou, 5/1/2011 -
" Pretty interesting book. Her writing gets dry at times and she is rather sanctimonious. But I did enjoy her insight and perspective. "
— Deb, 3/19/2011 -
" I really liked this book, it was a very interesting perspective and while I didn't always agree with the author or the premise of it, she was always pretty respectful and it definitely made me think about and consider how others 'see' my church or my life. Would definitely recommend it. "
— Becky, 1/17/2011 -
" Read this book with a Group of women with very diverse religious background. Made for really interesting dinner conversation. "
— Jessica, 11/12/2010 -
" An axcellent "thriller". Will she be sucked into the religious mire or will she be able to identify "feeling x" for what it really is? "
— Rodney, 10/16/2010 -
" I wanted to like this book more than I did. I couldn't help but compare it to The Unlikely Disciple. The author didn't seem to have any emotional connection to anyone she met, and it was hard to have any kind of emotional connection with this book. "
— American, 9/10/2010
About Gina Welch
Gina Welch, a 2001 graduate of Yale University, teaches creative writing at George Washington University. She has also taught writing at the University of Virginia, American University, UVA Young Writer Workshop, and WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her writing has previously appeared in Meridian, Time Out New York, and Playboy.
About Judith Brackley
Judith Brackley is an author and voice talent who worked in radio for twenty years as an announcer, program director, and producer for commercial broadcast outlets and NPR affiliates. She has numerous radio spots, industrial voice-overs, and narrations to her credit.