Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Review By: Jane Ciabattari, More magazine - December 31, 2008

"Susan Campbell's fundamentalist girlhood in the rural Missouri Ozarks left her yearning for Jesus but troubled by a church that relegated women to the sidelines. In her heart-felt memoir, Dating Jesus, she describes growing up in the 1970s in the Church of Christ, where she was taught that holiness is 'entirely masculine' . . . Her writing is striking for the compassion with which she views her younger self, a fledgling believer confined in a cage of man-made rules."

Review Ms. - November 15, 2008

"This fond memoir of growing up a rebellious tomboy in a fundamentalist church that expects women to be pious, subservient and, above all, quiet tells what it feels like to have Jesus as your boyfriend-and what happens when you want to break up with him."

Review Hartford Courant - December 14, 2008

"Dating Jesus is a mesmerizing, funny, impressionistic memoir of a spiritual and thoughtful person, one has spent her life wrestling with religion, the meaning of faith and her feelings for the Divine."
Review By: Taylor Chaplin Orci, BUST - February 1, 2009
"Campbell's wry wit and ability to break down Scripture crown her the Sarah Vowell of feminist theology. A must read for anyone who's wrestled with coming to terms with women's social roles in her own faith."

Review Mother Jones - January 1, 2009

"Rarely has a genuine feminist emerged from the modern evangelical movement. An exception is Susan Campbell."

Review

"In her youth, Susan Campbell was the class virgin, the sophomore homecoming princess, and the perennial smarty-pants winner of her fundamentalist church's Bible Bowl. But she was also a scrappy little outfielder and a self-described Missouri hillbilly whose budding feminism led her to question why girls and women should be content with second-class spiritual citizenship. That isometric push of irresistible force against immovable object followed Campbell into adulthood and is both the engine and the energy that drives her remarkable memoir, Dating Jesus. Simultaneously wisecracking and scholarly, both heartfelt and hilarious, Campbell's story gives testament to a 'Christ-haunted' life that rejects the chauvinistic dictates of religious dogma and insists on fairness and equal footing for all. Amen to that. I loved this book!"

-Wally Lamb, author of The Hour I First Believed

"Engaging . . . seductively simple . . . intellectually honest . . . totally informed . . . affectionate and respectful . . . this confession of faith is all these things, and more too. I loved reading it, and I continue to enjoy savoring it."

-Phyllis Tickle, author of The Divine Hours

"While it may be true that Jesus loves all of us, Susan Campbell is clearly His favorite. Her writing cuts to the quick and slices to the bone, thereby cleaning and healing old wounds for every woman who's struggled to find acceptance within, and without, conventional religion. Driven by anger and longing, but sustained by grace and joy, she offers the gift of her own journey to faith without sentimentality and with unmatched honesty and wit. An essential book."

-Regina Barreca, author of Babes in Boyland

"Dating Jesus resists easy answers-or glib categorization. Susan Campbell is too bright-and funny-for that. From fundamentalist Christianity to why baseball trumps softball, from an exploration of Title IX to footnotes steeped in scripture (and the occasional 1970s TV reference), this book entertains, educates, and surprises."

-Lindsey Crittenden, author of The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray

"Throughout this captivating memoir, I felt the presence of the spirit of Jesus merging with the feisty spirit of a fundamentally faith-full follower, guiding her through and beyond religious rigidity with liberating grace."

-Miriam Therese Winter, professor of spirituality and feminist studies, Hartford Seminary in Connecticut

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 215 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807010669
• ISBN-13: 978-0807010662
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Broken Off Sword: Still Inside, January 4, 2009

By	John K. Currie - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I, too, emerged from a Midwest Fundamentalist upbringing---although more urban than that of Susan Campbell. I thought the primary thrust of her book would indicate great overlap with my roots. As I read her fine book, I found that not to be the case.

I learned from her book that a female raised in Fundamentalism has a DOUBLE DOSE of rules and regulations. Males raised in Fundamentalism still have the advantage of MALE PREROGATIVE. I believe that this male prerogative makes it easier for some males to break out of Fundamentalism---yet there are many males who wish to stay within Fundamentalism in order to benefit from male domination and male dominion.

I applaud Susan's ability to take a frank look at her Fundamentalist roots. She does so with mixed feelings. She wants to abandon much of that culture----yet at the same time she has a nostalgia for the close community and music from her Protestant Fundamentalism. I think her description of Fundamentalism as a sword that pierced her---with a broken piece of that sword still residing within her---will resonate with many who have a Fundamentalist background.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an engaging approach, December 24, 2008

By	kim harty "mayzie dog" (Bar Harbor, ME) - See all my reviews

What a delight to read Susan's book. What could be a dry subject is made engaging with Susan's personal style. She intercepts thought provoking ideas and historical perspectives with her witty sidebar comments. I especially enjoyed the final chapter where she pulls all of her history together and attempts to make some final conclusions, if that is at all possible. This book should be a must in all religious and feminist studies classes. It encourages the reader to look at their own belief systems.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fundamentalist to feminist, January 18, 2009

By	Linzi (CA) - See all my reviews

Dating Jesus is memoir of growing up as a girl in a fundamentalist Christian church. Susan Campbell was radically involved with her church - teaching youth groups, organizing buses to worship services, "knocking doors." But she runs into increasing difficulty of finding an acceptable place of her own within the church; as a woman, many positions are simply not open to her. The book chronicles her growing frustration that "if all believers are urged to stay on the straight and narrow, there seems to be an especially narrow road built for women."

Despite this, the tone of the book is never bitter or mean-spirited (as many recent publications about fundamentalist Christians have been). Campbell recounts her experiences and growth both with respect and an easy humor. And it's clear how much thought she has put into her faith - how well she knows her way around the Bible and around its rhetoric. As a feminist Christian, I really appreciated Dating Jesus. Not because it offers a solution to reconciling feminism with faith (if there is one), but because it adds a meaningful perspective to the discussion, going back to the Bible to discuss how women were treated and should be treated in the church. A very thoughtful and well-written book