A Jew among the Evangelicals

A Jew among the Evangelicals

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.

Published August 2006 by Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky.

“Kudos to Pinsky for offering nuanced reporting instead of stereotypes.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“I absolutely loved this book! It’s a fascinating page-turner that gives a uniquely fresh perspective on Evangelicals. Only my good friend Mark Pinsky, the award-winning journalist, could write such an insightful overview of this growing branch of Christianity. As a Jew living in the Bible belt, he has seen us from both the outside in and from the inside out.” 
— Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, May, 2006

Articles about the Book

washingtonpost

Assemblies of God defies denominational decline 

The Assemblies of God, a denomination rooted in rural and small town America, appears to have leaped into the 21st century with dramatic results. – Washington Post  – August 9, 2013

Religion News Service

Joel Hunter pays a price for political activism 

LONGWOOD, Fla.  (RNS)  There’s a price to pay for becoming the voice of moderate conservatism and coalition politics. Even more so for refusing to march in lockstep with the Republican Party. (read more)

The “E” Word Reviewed by Steve Thorngate
There are few words thornier than “evangelical.” It’s a broad category that includes fundamentalists; it’s also a reaction against fundamentalism. (read more)


Southern Jews and evangelicals: Coming together

…for the past ten years, while covering evangelicals as part of my beat, I have learned more from them and about them outside my newspaper office. At Boy Scouts and PTA meetings, in my doctor’s office, in my neighborhood and in the grocery line, I have come to understand this complex tribe of believers as people, rather than as talking heads — or subjects of my stories.” — Mark I. Pinsky Editorial for USA Today August 7, 2006

At Trump’s Right Hand

With Paula White’s elevation to a position of power in the White House, the prosperity gospel has achieved its highest level of national exposure.

by Mark I. Pinsky

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2006

A Jew Among the Evangelicals: A Guide for the Perplexed by Mark Pinsky (Westminster John Knox Press, $14.95, August 2006) has been named one of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the bible of the publishing industry. It is one of ten books selected in the religion category.

Books in contention for the best books list are those that received one of the magazine’s coveted starred reviews, indicating a book of outstanding quality. “We receive approximately three thousand religion and spirituality books each year, and that number is growing” says Jana Riess, PW’s Religion Reviews Editor. Of those, we can review several hundred in the magazine, and star only a small number.  For 2006, we had 55 starred religion books competing for ten slots on the best books list.”
The Publishers Weekly starred review of Pinsky’s book remarked “…it is Pinsky’s treatment of evangelicals in politics that distinguishes his book from countless other journalistic forays into the land of mega churches…Kudos to Pinsky for offering nuanced reporting instead of stereotypes.”

In A Jew Among the Evangelicals, Pinsky, longtime religion reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, writes of his “curious journey” from “nice Jewish boy from Jersey” to professional observer of evangelical Christianity. He examines the hopes, fears, and motivations of this influential subculture, and breaks down some of the stereotypes about them. It’s a surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of an unpredictable, multifaceted group.
Mark Pinsky is also the author of the bestseller The Gospel According to The Simpsons, and The Gospel According to Disney, both published by Westminster John Knox Press.