Josiah Hesse -- "On Fire for God"
Category: Literary
Date and Time
- Wednesday, May 20, 2026 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Location
Boulder Bookstore
1107 Pearl St
Details
Josiah Hesse will speak about and sign his new book, "On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right - a Personal History," on Wednesday, May 20th at 6:30pm, at Boulder Bookstore. Tickets for this event are $5 (plus a small processing fee) and are available on Eventbrite.
About the Book:
Exvangelical journalist Josiah Hesse grew up in the stifling working-class town of Mason City, Iowa, raised in the institutions of fundamentalist Christianity: a toxic mixture of schools, ministries, and religious camps that taught creationism, instilled sexual shame, and foretold horrific tales of the rapture. In the churches where he worshipped, pastors siphoned their flocks’ wealth while preaching a doctrine of prosperity. Meanwhile, as economic struggles grew in the community, Hesse's fellow believers lambasted organized labor and shunned the social safety net, becoming an army for God against the evils of progressivism. Only upon escaping Iowa in search of something more would he consider the possibility that the world wasn’t about to end and that he was woefully unprepared for a future he’d never believed would arrive.
Written in vivid prose, "On Fire for God" is both an unflinching memoir of religious trauma and survival and a stirring examination of the emotional, political, and sociological effects of the Christian right. Returning to his hometown in search of answers about his upbringing and the political forces at work in the region, Hesse calls into question prevailing theories about the disappearing working class that point to opioids, automation, or globalism as the culprits. His story of awakening and escape exposes how conservative Christian con men have, over generations, trapped working-class believers in an isolated bubble of racism, xenophobia, and self-imposed martyrdom, while stripping communities like his of their wealth and self-esteem. In "On Fire for God," Hesse plumbs the depths of his own experience to illuminate, with deep feeling and piercing immediacy, what he describes as the socioeconomic tragedy of the American working class.
IMPORTANT TICKETING AND EVENT INFORMATION
Tickets are $5 (plus a small processing fee).
A coupon good for $5 off a copy of "On Fire for God," or a purchase on the day of the event is included with your ticket. You will receive this coupon at the event.
