James M. Ault

A fascinating participant-observer in-depth study of a fundamentalist Baptist church from the mid-80s. Among other things Ault identified several important traits:

- family-based networks
- reciprocity
- an oral tradition (despite being a 'people of the book')
- offering plate democracy
- gender-defined domains

This book will help towards an understanding of the resilience of the Christian fundamentalist movement.

James Ault's magnificent new documentary gives a firsthand account of global Christianity. Ault's work introduces people we come to care about and would love to have us our neighbors.

Ault was a sociologist working on the film "Born Again," looking at a Baptist congregation in Worcester, Massachusetts. Then he converted. He thinks that fundamentalism and liberal Christianity can be reconciled, which certainly makes me question his scholarly perceptiveness. I suggest reading this critically.

These are some of the "folks" who got George Bush re-elected. This engrossing and illuminating (and non-partisan) look at Xtian fundamentalists could arm us for '08. KNOW YOUR ENEMY!
-- Liz