Josiah Hesse with On Fire For God
Schedule
Thu, 22 Jan, 2026 at 06:30 pm
UTC-06:00Location
2629 Beaver Ave Ste S1, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50310 | Des Moines, IA
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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, his family history, 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. Instead, his story of awakening and escape exposes how conservative Christian conmen have, over generations, trapped working-class believers in an isolated bubble of racism, xenophobia, and martyrdom and stripped communities like his of their wealth and self-esteem, leaving behind a passive, low-wage workforce unable–and unwilling–to demand better. 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.Josiah Hesse, author of Runner’s High and the Carnality series, is a freelance journalist out of Denver, Colorado, covering everything from politics, science, and crime, to art, pop culture, and evangelical culture and theology. A regular contributor to The Guardian and Vice, his work has appeared in Esquire, Newsweek, Men’s Health, and Politico, among other publications.
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Where is it happening?
2629 Beaver Ave Ste S1, Des Moines, IA, United States, Iowa 50310Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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