"Prior argues that the imagination is a vital and neglected area of discipleship for today's church. She attacks the cultural cholesterol of ideas like improvement and sentimentality that sclerotize the evangelical imagination, and she invites us to enjoy a more healthy and biblical imaginative life. A crucial book for anyone who wants to bring every faculty--including the imagination--under the lordship of Christ."-- Christopher Watkin , Monash University; author of Biblical Critical Theory "Prior unmasks the often overlooked power of imagination. This important book identifies and assesses the evangelical subconscious that unknowingly fuels real-world action (or inaction). Readers are challenged to ask important questions to grasp the forces that shape us without our knowing."-- Walter R. Strickland II , Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary"If you think you've read everything on evangelical culture, think twice: The Evangelical Imagination will blow your mind! As well as encourage your heart to desire what is beautiful again.

Prior's writing is sharp, substantive, and engaging. She unmasks our assumptions about evangelical culture and shows us both the good and the bad of our inherited social imaginary. You need this book to remind you why you love the evangelical church and to inspire you to be an active culture maker for the kingdom."-- Jessica Hooten Wilson , author of The Scandal of Holiness and Reading for the Love of God "This important book is a loving examination of many of the received ideas, metaphors, and stories that evangelicals have inherited and that inform their worldview. Prior's examination of this history, this underlying imagination, in light of Scripture and the deepest truths of faith, offers contemporary Christians a chance for self-awareness, renewal, and hope."-- Malcolm Guite , author of Lifting the Veil: Imagination and the Kingdom of God "This eye-opening book calls on evangelicals to examine their fundamental assumptions and to shed their faith of unwanted elements more cultural and political than religious. It will also assist non-Christians, like me, whose image of the evangelical faith has been clouded by those same unexamined assumptions and unwelcome elements."-- Henry Reichman , California State University, East Bay (emeritus); author, Understanding Academic Freedom ; former vice president, American Association of University Professors.