Saints and Sinners: Walker Railey, Jimmy Swaggart, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Anton LaVey, Will Campbell , Matthew Fox (Vintage) [Paperback]

Lawrence Wright (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vintage | Publication Date: May 16, 1995

In this fascinating book about religion in America, one of this country's most probing yet sympathetic journalists puts forth stories not only of real grace but of despair, sexual scandal, and attempted murder.

Lawrence Wright's Saints and Sinners are Jimmy Swaggart, who preached a hellfire gospel with rock 'n' roll abandon before he was caught with a, prostitute in a seedy motel; Anton LaVey, the kitsch-loving, gleefully fraudulent founder of the First Church of Satan; Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whose litigious atheism sometimes resembled a brand of faith; Matthew Fox, the Dominican priest who has aroused the fury of the Vatican for dismissing the doctrine of original sin and denouncing the church as a dysfunctional family; Walker Railey, the rising star of Dallas's Methodist church, who, at the pinnacle of his success, was suspected of attempting to murder his wife; and Will Campbell, the eccentric liberal Southern Baptist preacher whose challenges to established ways of thinking have made him a legend in his own time.

By letting us listen to their voices and see the individuals in all their complexities, Lawrence Wright has written a richly fascinating book about the passions, triumphs, and failures of the life of faith.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Trenchant, fair-minded, gracefully written....Wright brings his subjects into sharp focus with plenty of perceptive details."

-- Cleveland Plain Dealer



"A very American struggle....[Wright] memorably articulates his battle...between doubt and belief." -- Newsweek

"An entertaining, and insightful account...vivid...beautifully rendered stories."

-- Chicago Tribune

From the Inside Flap

In this fascinating book about religion in America, one of this country's most probing yet sympathetic journalists puts forth stories not only of real grace but of despair, sexual scandal, and attempted murder.

Lawrence Wright's Saints and Sinners are Jimmy Swaggart, who preached a hellfire gospel with rock 'n' roll abandon before he was caught with a, prostitute in a seedy motel; Anton LaVey, the kitsch-loving, gleefully fraudulent founder of the First Church of Satan; Madalyn Murray O'Hair, whose litigious atheism sometimes resembled a brand of faith; Matthew Fox, the Dominican priest who has aroused the fury of the Vatican for dismissing the doctrine of original sin and denouncing the church as a dysfunctional family; Walker Railey, the rising star of Dallas's Methodist church, who, at the pinnacle of his success, was suspected of attempting to murder his wife; and Will Campbell, the eccentric liberal Southern Baptist preacher whose challenges to established ways of thinking have made him a legend in his own time.

By letting us listen to their voices and see the individuals in all their complexities, Lawrence Wright has written a richly fascinating book about the passions, triumphs, and failures of the life of faith.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Edition Unstated edition (May 16, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679761632
• ISBN-13: 978-0679761631
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A monopoly on Truth, April 23, 2007

By 

L. Stein - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saints and Sinners: Walker Railey, Jimmy Swaggart, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Anton LaVey, Will Campbell , Matthew Fox (Vintage) (Paperback)

Lawrence Wright (the journalist and author of "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11) back in 1993 (the date in my copy) undertook the task of comprehending the major religious forces in America and his feelings about religion. He did this by profiling 6 prominent religious leaders of the time and studied them, much as a scientist studies wild animals: with awe, with trepidation, and with emotion.

This is not the objective report I expected it to be. Nor is it a scathing indictment of Christianity and its leaders. It is a relatively balanced, incredibly insightful, and simple book about the natures of these 5 men and 1 women as Wright sees them and what they reflect of himself, American society, and humanity in general.

Even though Wright purports that he wrote this book in order to have a vehicle for his own religious/spiritual journey, he is usually quiet on the subject of himself. He wrote about the subjects in the same order as he interviewed/hung out with them and therefore we get a clear picture of his path without him saying much. However, when an idea of his mental state is needed he provides it and this makes the book much more than journalism. It paralleled my own mental state; in consequence I was much more connected to Wright and the religious leaders he wrote about. Therefore, the book changed me and it has the power the change other people.

I thought some of the profiles were more insightful than others, but in general they were amazing. He became a little too enamored with one of the figures and I thought that might have compromised his reporting despite it being one of the best profiles (and me liking the guy too).

The reason I gave it four stars was simply for the end. Up until the last five or so pages, I would have rated it a 3, as an interesting view into the heart of American religion. The ending completely changed that. I think I could read this book over again as if it were a novel. The characters are even more entrancing because they are real.

The religious figures profiled go in this order: Walker Railey, Jimmy Swaggert, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Anton LeVey, Will Campbell, Mathew Fox.

They are all Christians except for O'Hair, who was rebelling against Christianity mostly. I think he chose Christian leaders because they overwhelmingly represent the American population (especially in 1993) and because Wright was raised a Christian.

Interesting note: The new Pope (Benedict) is mentioned in the profile of Mathew Fox. Back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger he was Fox's ultimate foe. It sheds a little bit of light on the new Pope for those who don't know too much about him.

16 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hypocritical, April 23, 2004

By 

D. Hadley (The Inmost Dens) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saints and Sinners: Walker Railey, Jimmy Swaggart, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Anton LaVey, Will Campbell , Matthew Fox (Vintage) (Paperback)

This book consists entirely of articles this author wrote for (then recycled from) Rolling Stone, so if you may have read all of these articles/chapters already.
I picked it up thinking it would be an interesting study on fringe religious groups. Instead, the author interviews the religious leaders then stabs them in the back by defamating them. Take the Anton LaVey article, for example. The author claims LaVey's name was fake, he was not born where he claimed, he never met Marilyn Monroe, he never slept with Jayne Mansfield, etc. Yet he provides absolutley no evidence of this. Just word of mouth. Yet to this day many people believe Mr. LaVey did indeed live a lie. It's interesting that most people who read the article never question this.
Mr. Wright is no better than the people he supposedly exposes, and is at least as hypocritical. His lack of evidence severely taints his credibility.