Friday, March 27, 2015

New Book Announcement: Salvation with a Smile



Very shortly, I will begin a series of blog posts and announcements in anticipation of the publication of my next book, Salvation with a Smile: Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, and American Christianity

NYU Press will publish Salvation with a Smile in October. 

The first post will be a “big reveal” of the book’s cover, and subsequent posts, one per month for about 5 months, will discuss different aspects of the project from background research questions and research problems to the writing process, and a host of other topics. The posts will be on NYU Press’s blog “From the Square,” but I will cross-post or link them here at baldblogger.

Salvation with a Smile is the first critical, scholarly book-length study of Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church. Over the course of eight chapters, I explain how Joel Osteen became Joel Osteen and how Lakewood Church became the nation’s largest megachurch with over 40,000 members. This study is a deeply historical investigation of these questions, while in the book I also use oral history sources and ethnographic observation to develop a profile of Lakewood in contemporary times. I track the history of Lakewood from its origins with John Osteen and run the story up to the present, in which I examine Joel Osteen’s expert approach to televangelism and historicize the numerous critics who have spoken and written denunciations of the “smiling preacher.”  

Salvation with a Smile is a book 5 years in the making although, technically, I’ve been researching Lakewood since 2005; the early research appeared in my 2009 book Holy Mavericks. It was an immensely enjoyable, but at times grueling process of research and writing. Research travels took me back and forth across Houston to churches and local libraries, but I also accessed materials from archives in California, Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia. 

I am happy to be finished and excited to begin discussions about Salvation with a Smile. While we all wait for the book’s release, here’s a Houston History article I published in 2011, “From the Oasis of Love to Your Best Life Now: A Brief History of Lakewood Church,” which offers a partial preview of what’s in Salvation with a Smile.

Don’t hesitate to link to this post, “like” this post by mentioning it on Facebook, and tweet or retweet about Salvation with a Smile!

#swas, #salvationwithasmile

I am pleased to entertain requests for lectures and presentations based on my scholarly research in Salvation with a Smile. Feel free to contact me.

7 comments:

David said...

Great title!

Phillip Luke Sinitiere said...

Thanks, David. Appreciate the feedback. Moral Minority is a fantastic title too, catchy and memorable!

Unknown said...

Cannot wait for the book to hit my shelf! Congratulations, my friend.

Anonymous said...

THank for the useful share about "Salvation with a Smile".. Its really a interesting post..

Buy online essays

sameer said...


Really very useful and Informative information are provided here. Thank you so much for writing keep up like this.

Vidmate apk
How to hide whatsapp online status
TuTuApp APK
Instagram liker app
GPS Phone Tracker
video editing software

Susan said...

I am undeniably benefiting as much as possible from your site. You undeniably have some unprecedented information and unimaginable stories. Looking for some inspiration for your next trip? Find great vacation ideas and inspiration from Things to do with your source for the web's best reviews and travel ...

Esteban Ritchey said...

Thank you for sharing it. I really enjoyed reading it. That's fine. As well as being very attractive, it is also very interesting. I had to finish it. I see a lot. To help you make the right choice, I wrote an article about wheel decide. This is what you need when you ask someone to help you choose between two outfits or when you are making a big decision in your life.