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Naomi BenaronRunning the Rift is the most recent winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, as awarded by Barbara Kingsolver. It's also an... Continue »
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The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America's Religious Fringe

by J C Hallman

The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America's Religious Fringe Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A hundred years ago, the writer and philosopher William James wrote The Varieties of Religious Experience, a seminal work that has inspired generations of scholars and eccentrics alike. James’s book argues that the religious spirit in man is best understood through the study of its most extreme forms. Varieties was a watershed effort: a bestselling portrait of history’s pluralism and a defense of the spiritual quest, in all its guises, against the era’s increasingly secular sentiments.

Today, with all the old tensions between skeptics and believers still in place, J. C. Hallman pays homage to James’s exploration of offbeat religious movements. But where James relied on the testimony and biographies of prophets and mystics, Hallman travels directly to some of America’s newest and most unusual religions, trekking from Druid circles in the mossy hills of northern California to the gleaming mother church of Scientology, from lurid satanic cellars in undisclosed locations to a professional-wrestling ministry in the fundamentalist heart of Texas. Along the way, he participates in a variety of rites and reports on a broad spectrum of beliefs. Eventually Hallman adopts James as his patron saint, spiritual adviser, and intellectual companion on the journey that will culminate in the creation of this book, a compelling combination of adventure and biography, spotted with hair-raising predicaments and rife with poignant portraits of unforgettable characters, including William James himself.

The Devil Is a Gentleman maps the spiritual contours of modern American pluralism and examines the life and legacy of one of its most profound architects.

Synopsis:

Hallman travels to some of America's newest and most unusual religions, trekking from Druid circles in the mossy hills of northern California to the gleaming mother church of Scientology, from lurid satanic cellars in undisclosed locations to a professional-wrestling ministry in the fundamentalist heart of Texas.

About the Author

J. C. Hallman, a graduate of the Iowa and Johns Hopkins writing programs, has published fiction and nonfiction in GQ and other national magazines. His first book, The Chess Artist, was published to wide acclaim. Hallman is currently a writer in residence at Sweet Briar College.

Product Details

ISBN:
9781400061723
Author:
Hallman, J C
Publisher:
Random House
Author:
Hallman, J. C.
Subject:
General
Subject:
History
Subject:
Religion
Subject:
Cults
Publication Date:
May 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
332
Dimensions:
9.46x6.48x1.17 in. 1.32 lbs.

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Product details 332 pages Random House - English 9781400061723 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , Hallman travels to some of America's newest and most unusual religions, trekking from Druid circles in the mossy hills of northern California to the gleaming mother church of Scientology, from lurid satanic cellars in undisclosed locations to a professional-wrestling ministry in the fundamentalist heart of Texas.
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