Via RichardDawkins.net, a fantastic well-written exerpt from Matt Tabbi’s new book The Great Derangement about his incognito plunge into a recruitment weekend for the mega-congregation of US pastor John Hagee. Hagee is the leader of ‘Christians United For Israel’ and speaks in extreme terms about end times prophecies and the second coming of christ.

The exerpt reminds me of Louis Theroux meetings with the weird on TV but where Theroux mostly tries to keep a certain distance and stay honest – at worst just not telling the whole truth – Tabbi goes all in, here from a group confession:

> “Hello,” I said, taking a deep breath. “My name is Matt. My father was an alcoholic circus clown who used to beat me with his oversize shoes.”

> The group twittered noticeably. Morgan’s eyes opened to tea-saucer size.

> I closed my own eyes and kept going, immediately realizing what a mistake I’d made. There was no way this story was going to fly. But there was no turning back.

> “He’d be sitting there in his costume, sucking down a beer and watching television,” I heard myself saying. “And then sometimes, even if I just walked in front of the TV, he’d pull off one of those big shoes and just, you know — whap!” Fringe Safari