On Fire for God - by Josiah Hesse (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

One part Educated, one part rebuttal to Hillbilly Elegy, On Fire for God explores the ways evangelical Christianity has preyed upon its followers while galvanizing them into the political force known today as the Christian right.

Exvangelical journalist Josiah Hesse grew up in the stifling working-class town of Mason City, Iowa, raised in the institutions of fundamentalist Christianity: a toxic mixture of schools, ministries, and religious camps that taught creationism, instilled sexual shame, and foretold horrific tales of the rapture. In the churches where he worshipped, pastors siphoned their flocks' wealth while preaching a doctrine of prosperity. Meanwhile, as economic struggles grew in the community, Hesse's fellow believers lambasted organized labor and shunned the social safety net, becoming an army for God against the evils of progressivism. Only upon escaping Iowa in search of something more would he consider the possibility that the world wasn't about to end and that he was woefully unprepared for a future he'd never believed would arrive.

Written in vivid prose, On Fire for God is both an unflinching memoir of religious trauma and survival and a stirring examination of the emotional, political, and sociological effects of the Christian right. Returning to his hometown in search of answers about his upbringing and the political forces at work in the region, Hesse calls into question prevailing theories about the disappearing working class that point to opioids, automation, or globalism as the culprits. His story of awakening and escape exposes how conservative Christian con men have, over generations, trapped working-class believers in an isolated bubble of racism, xenophobia, and self-imposed martyrdom, while stripping communities like his of their wealth and self-esteem. In On Fire for God, Hesse plumbs the depths of his own experience to illuminate, with deep feeling and piercing immediacy, what he describes as the socioeconomic tragedy of the American working class.

Review Quotes

"Might be thought of as the antidote to J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy. . . . Worthy of attention for its personal view of an 'American theocracy' in the making."--Kirkus

"An introspective memoir of a religious life. Recommended for readers interested in the impact of the religious right."--Library Journal

"Hesse is a wonderful writer, who narrates his own life with wit, intelligence, and sophistication, making what could have been an almost unbearable story something exceptional. Of all the books I've read about young people devastated by the fundamentalist religion they've grown up with, this one stands out."­-- Frances FitzGerald, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America

"On Fire for God is both a survival story and a cultural history, charting how the rise of Christian fundamentalism ignited a culture war that bound church to state. With vivid storytelling, Hesse shows how leaders exploited parents' deepest desires, ensnared a generation, and reshaped America's political landscape."--Stephanie Warren, The Strong-Willed Child and host of Focus on Your Own Family

"Hesse brings a sharp cultural eye and serious journalistic chops to the telling of his heart-breaking personal story. He logs decades of political, corporate, and religious exploitation of rural communities like his own, and reveals the poverty, isolation, trauma, and aggression it breeds. Brutal, punishing, and profound."­--Linda Kay Klein, author of Pure

"There is no book in print that I know of with the exception of Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale that so completely captures the utter depravity of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements' impact on ordinary Americans. But the Republic of Gilead that Atwood invented is nothing compared to the brutal reality Hesse exposes. We are living in a world shaped by voters who are themselves shaped by the apocalyptic theology and culture he lived through and documents, chapter and verse."-- Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy for God

About the Author

JOSIAH HESSE, author of Runner's High and the Carnality series, is a freelance journalist out of Denver, Colorado, covering everything from politics, science, and crime, to art, pop culture, and evangelical culture and theology. A regular contributor to The Guardian and Vice, his work has appeared in Esquire, Newsweek, Men's Health, and Politico, among other publications.