This is a mixture of memoir and essays. This book looks at the close line between religion and cults. Some parts were more dense than others but it was interesting

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I received this as an ARC from Netflix.

This is a fascinating, well researched and carefully written book about leaving a high-control religion, and he writes it in a way that is personal but within a literary essay form that is impressively spare and distanced. This is one of the best books I've read that goes into trying to understand what happened, and the way he structures and releases information was very impressive.

I inhaled it - the writing was well paced and original. I've read many books and listened to various podcasts on this topic, and this is probably the most artful of the books I've read.

I think the only comment I would say (without spoilers) is that he could probably have done slightly more with the way he positioned his current job, as it worked well symbolically in the beginning, and I wanted to see it develop or become entwined in the story in a way it didn't fully do. But it didn't diminish the enjoyment and literary merit of the work.

I'll be writing a longer essay about the author, and am considering inviting the author onto my podcast to discuss how he wove the personal and the research.

'Immanuel' is a powerful work combining memoir, essay and reportage in which Matthew McNaught looks back on the independent evangelical church in Winchester he grew up in, and investigates its links with a Nigerian megachurch.

McNaught left behind the Immanuel community at the end of his teens and the community disbanded in the years that followed: some members, like the author, stepped away from Christianity altogether; others found new homes for themselves in more moderate churches; several, however, became involved in the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a charismatic megachurch in Lagos which boasts a weekly congregation of over 50,000 and attracts millions of visitors per year. McNaught and other ex-Immanuelites became both fascinated and concerned by what drew the people they had grown up with to devote themselves to this organisation, especially after former disciples started to level allegations including sexual abuse against its founder and senior pastor, TB Joshua.

McNaught draws heavily on the experiences of other ex-Immanuelites who share their perspectives openly. Central to the book are Dan Winfield, who grew up at Immanuel with McNaught, and his South African wife Kate, who met at SCOAN and became 'Junior Prophets' of TB Joshua; some years later, they left SCOAN (severing ties with Dan's parents and siblings in the process) and made public Kate's experiences of sexual abuse by TB Joshua, as well as other forms of control and manipulation. Their accounts of life at SCOAN frequently make for shocking reading, but rather than simply turning TB Joshua into a cartoon villain, McNaught really seeks to understand SCOAN and asks searching questions about what might drive seemingly rational, intelligent adults to submit to such an oppressive, destructive culture, as well as pondering what motivates TB Joshua and whether he still considers himself a servant of God.

McNaught approaches his subject matter with a rare generosity of spirit; in spite of his own ambivalent relationship with Christianity, he demonstrates an empathetic curiosity about those who have retained their faith and is never condescending about their beliefs. He is also deeply honest about his own feelings and experiences, and continues to show an affection for the community that shaped him whilst remaining clear-sighted about its flaws. One of the key ideas throughout this book is the way that churches are examples of super-organisms which offer meaning and value to those who are part of them. I think many of those who grew up in similar communities will identify with McNaught's reflection that "It was not so much the fire and fervour that I missed, but the putting out of chairs, the laying on of hands, the shared toil towards a common goal. More than the unity of our voices in worship, I missed the warmth in the rough edges: the sound of people falling slightly short of the notes they reached for."

Above all, this is a book which seeks to asks questions rather than offering certain answers, and it does so in lucid and insightful prose. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

The tagline "At what point does faith turn into tyranny?" is an enticing one. Add this to the fact that the author is the winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, and you have a great setup for a book.

Matthew McNaught left his evangelical upbringing behind in the early 2000s however many of his contemporaries remained in this community, with some even moving to Nigeria to serve TB Joshua. The book examines the space between where a religion becomes a cult and explores the far reaching ramifications of when when becomes the other.

I had some issues with the structure and thought some sections were a bit more meandering and less effective than others, but overall this was an engaging read.

An interesting read on a general topic I want to learn more about. I think this would have been a more interesting and compelling read to me if I had more knowledge already on religion. The authors writing was concise and well done. However, I did sometimes find I was losing interest at points but I think that was a me problem.