Biblical Porn

"The enthralling story of the rise and fall of Mark Driscoll, former pastor of the defunct evangelical megachurch Mars Hill in Seattle. . . . Johnson is a talented storyteller. . . ." * Publishers Weekly *
"The saga of Mars Hill Church and its founder/pastor/charlatan Mark Driscoll . . .  is treated to a thoughtful, scholarly dissection in this essential book by UW lecturer Jessica Johnson. It’s almost impossible to discuss Driscoll’s ignominious legacy without letting one’s language be infected by ideological zeal (guilty). That’s why Johnson’s ethnographic approach, which focuses on the shrewd process by which Mars Hill recruited, flattered, and manipulated its herd, with special attention paid to issues of class, race, gender, and socialization." -- Sean Nelson * The Stranger *
"With deep insight and an absence of judgment, Johnson interprets the driving forces behind Driscoll’s rhetoric, and the toxic effect it had on the believers who followed him." -- Claire Foster * Foreword Reviews *
"Johnson’s book reminds us that Driscoll was real, that Mars Hill did loom large over the Seattle skyline, and that Driscoll’s liturgy was just as creepy and harmful as we remember it to be, if not more." -- Paul Constant * Seattle Review of Books *
"This fascinating ethnographic study of Mars Hill, a 13,000-member megachurch led by Mark Driscoll, provides a thorough explanation of how toxic masculinity and militarism were turned into tools for growing an evangelical empire." * WATER *
"Biblical Porn is useful not only to scholars of congregations, but also to anyone who needs help understanding how shame, fear, and bullying, as well as hope, can co-exist and invest people into institutions that, to an outsider, look clearly harmful to them."  -- Rebecca Barrett-Fox * Reading Religion *
"Jessica Johnson’s Biblical Porn is a magnificent contribution to the field of anthropology, especially given anthropology’s affective turn in recent years. Moreover, it is a meaningful contribution to both religious studies and gender studies given its attention to evangelicalism in the America and masculinist studies. . . . Her attention to affect and affect theory, though, is what makes Biblical Porn stand out as an original contribution to all of these fields." -- Alejandro Stephano Escalante * Religion and Gender *

“Johnson draws from fields such as continental philosophy, critical theory, affect theory, feminist theory, media studies, cinema studies, and pornography studies in her work, and does so frequently and adeptly. Indeed, thanks to the skill of the author and the breadth of her readings, this book could almost be used as a survey of these fields.”

-- Jon Bialecki * Current Anthropology *
“Based on a decade-long study..., Johnson offers a theoretically rich and emotionally moving account of how sex served as a lynchpin in the church’s militarized theology, establishment of spiritual authority, and affective sense of belonging in the community.” -- Courtney Ann Irby * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
“Johnson’s candid reflection on the personal impact of her research demonstrates the affective impact of Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll, which she has captured and communicated disturbingly well. Her personal reflection is a welcome strand of this complex work which gives the reader a unique viewpoint. . . . Johnson’s work provides valuable insights, particularly in relation to the use of media technologies in recruiting affective labor.” -- Amy White * Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture *