A Jew Among the Evangelicals: A Guide for the Perplexed [Paperback]

Mark I. Pinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2006

In this insightful and accessible book, religion journalist Mark Pinsky takes the curious reader on a tour of the fascinating world of Sun Belt evangelicalism. Pinsky, religion reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, uses his unique position as a Jew covering evangelical Christianity to help nonevangelicals understand the hopes, fears, and motivations of this growing subculture and breaks down some of the stereotypes of evangelicalism.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. What's a nice Jewish boy doing at a Baptist church on Sunday? This is not the first line of a joke, but the raison d'être of Pinsky's account of American evangelicalism. Pinsky (The Gospel According to the Simpsons) is a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, and his beat—religion in the Sunbelt—draws him into close contact with evangelical Christians. Here, he examines evangelical pop culture and asks hard questions about evangelicalism's attitudes toward Judaism. But it is Pinsky's treatment of evangelicals in politics that distinguishes his book from countless other journalistic forays into the land of megachurches and Veggie Tales. Pinsky shows that evangelicalism is much more politically diverse than is often acknowledged. To illustrate, Pinsky takes readers to Calvin College, where a furor erupted when President Bush was invited to speak at graduation; many of the faculty and students at this decidedly evangelical school were appalled, and some boycotted commencement rather than give tacit approval of a president they disdained. Pinsky charts a growing evangelical environmental movement and shows that though many people who believe in a literal six-day Creation are evangelicals, many evangelicals do not hold to creationism. Kudos to Pinsky for offering nuanced reporting instead of stereotypes. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Mark I. Pinsky is the author of The Gospel according to The Simpsons (with Samuel Parvin), The Gospel according to Disney, and A Jew among the Evangelicals. His writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He appears frequently in national media discussing religion and culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (August 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664230121
• ISBN-13: 978-0664230128
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Longtime religion writer Mark I. Pinsky (b. 1947)was a free lance writer before working for 25 years for the Los Angeles Times and Orlando Sentinel. His primary specialties are religion, politics (Sun Belt evangelicals) and popular culture (The Simpsons, Disney, South Park, etc.) "You can find God in the funniest places -- and where you least expect."
Since leaving the Sentinel in 2008, Pinsky has concentrated on books, free lance writing (USA Today, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, etc.), college lectures around the country, and adjunct teaching at the University of Central Florida. He has held numerous fellowships, including Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School, University of Cambridge (Templeton) and Duke University Divinity School.
For the moment, he is trying to figure out how to make his first three books available online(he owns the electronic rights), and to find a publisher for his latest nonfiction book, "Unfinished Business: The True Story of an Appalachian Cold Case Murder." His literary agent is Gail Hochman, of Brandt & Hochman. This book represents a return for Pinsky, who covered numerous capital murder cases, including serial killer Ted Bundy and Green Beret Capt. Jeffrey MacDonald.