My Kentucky-born grandfather came of age during the era of Operation Dixie. The son of Appalachian furniture manufacturers, he spent most of his life as a member of a Southern Baptist Church. And he simply loved to tell jokes about the religious world he inherited. “If you ever have to go fishing with a Southern Baptist,” he would say, “make sure he brings a friend. Because if you go fishing with one Southern Baptist he’ll drink all of your beer. But if you go fishing with two Southern Baptists you’ll have all of the beer to yourself because they won’t drink in front of each other for fear that the preacher might find out.”
I was reminded of my grandfather’s sense of humor as I read Elizabeth Fones-Wolf and Ken Fones-Wolf’s wonderful new book. It seems to embody so much of their approach to the study of religion. In the...