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Immanuel
Blending essay, memoir and reportage, Immanuel is an exceptional debut about community, doubt, and the place of faith in the twenty-first century.
At what point does faith turn into tyranny? In Immanuel, winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, Matthew McNaught explores his upbringing in an evangelical Christian community in Winchester. As he moved away from the faith of his childhood in the early 2000s, a group of his church friends were pursuing it to its more radical fringes. They moved to Nigeria to join a community of international disciples serving TB Joshua, a charismatic millionaire pastor whose purported gifts of healing and prophecy attracted vast crowds to his Lagos ministry, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). Years later, a number of these friends left SCOAN with accounts of violence, sexual abuse, sleep deprivation and public shaming.
In reconnecting with his old friends, McNaught realized that their journey into this cult-like community was directly connected to the teachings and tendencies of the church of their childhood. Yet speaking to them awakened a yearning for this church that, despite everything, he couldn’t shake off. Was the church’s descent into hubris and division separable from the fellowship and mutual sustenance of its early years? Was it possible to find community and connection without dogma and tribalism?
At what point does faith turn into tyranny? In Immanuel, winner of the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize, Matthew McNaught explores his upbringing in an evangelical Christian community in Winchester. As he moved away from the faith of his childhood in the early 2000s, a group of his church friends were pursuing it to its more radical fringes. They moved to Nigeria to join a community of international disciples serving TB Joshua, a charismatic millionaire pastor whose purported gifts of healing and prophecy attracted vast crowds to his Lagos ministry, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN). Years later, a number of these friends left SCOAN with accounts of violence, sexual abuse, sleep deprivation and public shaming.
In reconnecting with his old friends, McNaught realized that their journey into this cult-like community was directly connected to the teachings and tendencies of the church of their childhood. Yet speaking to them awakened a yearning for this church that, despite everything, he couldn’t shake off. Was the church’s descent into hubris and division separable from the fellowship and mutual sustenance of its early years? Was it possible to find community and connection without dogma and tribalism?
247 pages, Paperback
First published June 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 4, 2023
Matthew McNaught’s mix of memoir and essay builds on his background as a member of an evangelical group Immanuel based in Winchester in England. He later left the congregation and organised religion behind but remained fascinated with the fate of former, fellow believers, via YouTube videos he traced a connection between Immanuel and the ministry of a radical, evangelical preacher based in Lagos T. B. Joshua, who died in 2021. Following the links between Joshua and McNaught’s old friend from Immanuel, Dan, form the basis of this meandering piece which probes into faith and the rise of global, megachurches, extreme forms of Christian worship and cult-like abusive behaviours. However, I found the excess of anecdotal, descriptive material overwhelmed McNaught’s arguments and any attempts at a more analytical approach to thinking about fringe forms of Christianity. Although McNaught travels to Lagos and includes snippets from interviews and research into Nigerian Christianity, the resulting discussion felt fragmented and under-theorised. There’s also something suspiciously Western about McNaught’s reflections on the background to the rise of charismatic preachers like Joshua. For me this highlighted the danger of glossing over the specificities of the history of Christianity in countries like Nigeria, its roots in colonialist practices and the numerous strategies deployed by Nigerian believers attempting to hold onto more traditional forms of culture and belief, something writers like Scholastique Mukasonga have explored in a far more nuanced and insightful manner. McNaught’s account is clearly heartfelt and passionate and there are some haunting passages but I’m not convinced it's particularly productive or entirely coherent.
March 11, 2023
Somewhere between 3 - 3.5
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.
Thank you Netgalley and Fitzcarraldo Editions for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest 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.
Thank you Netgalley and Fitzcarraldo Editions for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
February 28, 2024
“Immanuel was the centre of the world once. Long after it imploded, its gravitational pull remains.” McNaught grew up in an evangelical church in Winchester, England, but by the time he left for university he’d fallen away. Meanwhile, some peers left for Nigeria to become disciples at charismatic preacher TB Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos. It’s obvious to outsiders that this was a cult, but not so to those caught up in it. It took years and repeated allegations for people to wake up to faked healings, sexual abuse, and the ceding of control to a megalomaniac who got rich off of duping and exploiting followers. This book won the inaugural Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize. I admired its blend of journalistic and confessional styles: research, interviews with friends and strangers alike, and reflection on the author’s own loss of faith. He gets to the heart of why people stayed: “A feeling of holding and of being held. A sense of fellowship and interdependence … the rare moments of transcendence … It was nice to be a superorganism.” This gripped me from page one, but its wider appeal strikes me as limited. For me, it was the perfect chance to think about how I might write about traditions I grew up in and spurned.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
June 8, 2022
Firstly I wish to thank the lovely people at Fitzcarraldo Editions for sending me a copy of this book with a request for an open and honest review.
This book is an investigation into the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and its exceptionally wealthy leader, TB Johnston.
The narrative is a pleasing amalgamation of an essay and a memoir. It is well written and researched. Though not always an easy read or a comfortable one, it is somewhat of a page turner in the fact that the subject matter is very intriguing.
The author has written a book that is confronting, very real and exceptionally well timed in a world where religion and politics and all that, sometimes, rather scary stuff abounds.
A book that is more than worth the time it will take you to read it. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in issues of this kind. Please be aware, however, that there are some difficult and confronting moments along the way.
This book is an investigation into the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and its exceptionally wealthy leader, TB Johnston.
The narrative is a pleasing amalgamation of an essay and a memoir. It is well written and researched. Though not always an easy read or a comfortable one, it is somewhat of a page turner in the fact that the subject matter is very intriguing.
The author has written a book that is confronting, very real and exceptionally well timed in a world where religion and politics and all that, sometimes, rather scary stuff abounds.
A book that is more than worth the time it will take you to read it. I recommend this to anyone who has an interest in issues of this kind. Please be aware, however, that there are some difficult and confronting moments along the way.
August 24, 2022
Compulsively readable and endlessly empathetic take on evangelical Christianity without losing sight of how ultimately, it’s a highly damaging and increasingly dangerous community to be in. But it also illuminates the ordinary longings that motivate people to embrace religion in such an extreme way, the reasons are obvious (desire for collectivity in an increasingly harsh and atomized world) but presented slowly and again, empathetically. The book does seem more about the Nigerian cult-version of SCOAN than the authors own upbringing in Immanuel, and though the two are related, it feels like the McNaught left a lot out. Probably to maintain his empathetic position but really we don’t hear much about Immanuel though we hear multiple times that it “went horribly wrong”. it seems like the Winfield’s journey to Lagos was contained to their family and the pastor. Spill the tea mcnaught!
May 3, 2023
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.
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.
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.
March 26, 2025
3.3 stars, very interesting insights abt SCOAN and immanuel, but i’d kind of trailed off elsewhere towards the end. i understand the need to get somewhere else before the book ends abruptly but it didn’t seem welded together very well. maybe the author was just unlucky with the timing of TB joshua‘s death and had it come a bit earlier he might’ve had more time and motivation to end the book more centered around that.
June 16, 2022
In Immanuel, Matthew McNaught delves into his evangelical Christian upbringing but also the lives of some of his church friends, who move to Nigeria to follow the charismatic, millionaire pastor, TB Joshua. It’s an affecting, important account of religious extremes and the agony of losing your faith. It’s well written with empathy and combines memoir, essay and journalism. I have no religious belief but found this work fascinating - a compelling read.
Many thanks to the publisher @fitzcarraldoeditions for the physical proof. All views are my own.
Many thanks to the publisher @fitzcarraldoeditions for the physical proof. All views are my own.
March 16, 2023
'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.
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.
June 10, 2023
In Dutch literature there is an abundance of novels on losing faith and leaving church, but most of it was written in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. What makes ‘Immanuel’ such an interesting read is that it focuses on an evangelical church in the 1990s, where faith became a much deeper community and personal experience compared to the austere and distant approach of the past.
Matthew McNaught was brought up in a Winchester-based evangelical church, Immanuel, and although he left he has remained fascinated by the pull such communities have on people. Some former members even moved to Nigeria to become ‘disciples’ in the massive and sect-like Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) led by the ‘prophet’ TB Joshua. McNaught also misses the sense of community and purpose, which he has struggled to replace ever since.
He is interested mainly in the question how intelligent and rational people can be pulled in so completely by evangelical communities, especially when there is so little hard evidence of God’s intervention and so much hard evidence of wrongdoing and deception (especially at SCOAN there is evident sexual and physical abuse, work place harassment, etc.)?
The book, a combination of memoir and essay, and I found it at its best when describing what it was like to be part of Immanuel. For me personally it was very recognisable. It is clear McNaught tries to write in a respectful way, possibly also because much of the book is based on interviews with ‘ex-Immanuelites’.
I would have liked more insight and more research into the answer to question of the pull of these churches. Clearly, poverty and the lack of opportunities play a big role, but that is not the case for everyone and other factors remain unexplored. Instead, the book remains very personal, which is probably why it is very readable and enjoyable, but ultimately not fully satisfacory.
Matthew McNaught was brought up in a Winchester-based evangelical church, Immanuel, and although he left he has remained fascinated by the pull such communities have on people. Some former members even moved to Nigeria to become ‘disciples’ in the massive and sect-like Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) led by the ‘prophet’ TB Joshua. McNaught also misses the sense of community and purpose, which he has struggled to replace ever since.
He is interested mainly in the question how intelligent and rational people can be pulled in so completely by evangelical communities, especially when there is so little hard evidence of God’s intervention and so much hard evidence of wrongdoing and deception (especially at SCOAN there is evident sexual and physical abuse, work place harassment, etc.)?
The book, a combination of memoir and essay, and I found it at its best when describing what it was like to be part of Immanuel. For me personally it was very recognisable. It is clear McNaught tries to write in a respectful way, possibly also because much of the book is based on interviews with ‘ex-Immanuelites’.
I would have liked more insight and more research into the answer to question of the pull of these churches. Clearly, poverty and the lack of opportunities play a big role, but that is not the case for everyone and other factors remain unexplored. Instead, the book remains very personal, which is probably why it is very readable and enjoyable, but ultimately not fully satisfacory.
April 15, 2023
This books spans the author’s experience of a Pentecostal church in Southampton in the 90’s-early 2000’s to later connections with a Nigerian mega Pentecostal cult called SCOAN. He lost his faith in the 2000’s but is not hostile to his former church members. Some of them were sucked into the orbit of the cult and moved to Nigeria.
The book is a bit unfocused. Threads are left open. Is the book about faith? Church life in the UK? Church life in Nigeria? A bit of all that, and mostly bafflement at who he was and wants to be now, but it holds back from being a full blown memoir as well. I would have loved to see any of the main emphases of the book taken to its end and thoroughly examined, but I think he was tired of the whole thing, not energetic enough about the subject to do that, and probably wanted to get the book off his to-do list, so I feel like it meandered a bit and then ended because time ran out.
But I don’t want to be overly critical, I really like the book. He is a good writer and seems like a nice man who is (like many of us) unsure about how his life has played out and what exactly happened back when he was younger. I learned a lot.
The book is a bit unfocused. Threads are left open. Is the book about faith? Church life in the UK? Church life in Nigeria? A bit of all that, and mostly bafflement at who he was and wants to be now, but it holds back from being a full blown memoir as well. I would have loved to see any of the main emphases of the book taken to its end and thoroughly examined, but I think he was tired of the whole thing, not energetic enough about the subject to do that, and probably wanted to get the book off his to-do list, so I feel like it meandered a bit and then ended because time ran out.
But I don’t want to be overly critical, I really like the book. He is a good writer and seems like a nice man who is (like many of us) unsure about how his life has played out and what exactly happened back when he was younger. I learned a lot.
June 16, 2023
We passed, from a distance, the elegant white monolith of the House on the Rock, the church in which Isaac served as a junior pastor. Led by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, an architect by background, the church catered to a largely young professional, cosmopolitan crowd. I'd attend a Sunday service there later in my visit. On the walls of its sleek foyer, framed portraits displayed an idiosyncratic lineage, ending with Pastor Paul. There was Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Nigeria's first Anglican bishop, Julius Nyerere, the Pan African leftist leader, and the arch-capitalist Henry Ford.
Oh, I had such a great time with this one! So compelling and often sinister, I genuinely think it could've been triple the page count and I would've happily read on and on. I loved how McNaught gave voice to so many people, while also managing to bring himself and his feelings and questions into it as well. Really enjoyed his voice, deep empathy and perspective, I hope he's developing other projects.
Oh, I had such a great time with this one! So compelling and often sinister, I genuinely think it could've been triple the page count and I would've happily read on and on. I loved how McNaught gave voice to so many people, while also managing to bring himself and his feelings and questions into it as well. Really enjoyed his voice, deep empathy and perspective, I hope he's developing other projects.
May 15, 2022
'At what point does faith turn into tyranny?'
An attempt of investigating the Lagos ministry, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), headed by the charismatic millionaire pastor, TB Johnson. Through the process, author Matthew McNaught reflected his past growing up at the revivalist Immanuel church, his faith and doubt in religion, interviewed his friends who abandoned their lives in England to become disciples at the SCOAN in Nigeria and returned back to the Western lives. Interesting to follow the journey of uncovering the dark secrets of the cult-like organisation, and the importance of how faith strengthens a community. A blend of essay, memoir and reportage.
An attempt of investigating the Lagos ministry, the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), headed by the charismatic millionaire pastor, TB Johnson. Through the process, author Matthew McNaught reflected his past growing up at the revivalist Immanuel church, his faith and doubt in religion, interviewed his friends who abandoned their lives in England to become disciples at the SCOAN in Nigeria and returned back to the Western lives. Interesting to follow the journey of uncovering the dark secrets of the cult-like organisation, and the importance of how faith strengthens a community. A blend of essay, memoir and reportage.
November 24, 2023
Absolutely fascinating - if rather disturbing - reading. In seeking to understand the religious abuse I suffered in my teens, it was very useful to find this book, recommended to me by a friend.
It was interesting to see where uncompromising faith in a revivalist narrative can lead, especially given that any failure to bring revival is attributed to human failings.
Very well written, and a thought provoking, sobering book. Only misses 5 stars due to a rather vague ending, but otherwise brilliant stuff, bravely written.
It was interesting to see where uncompromising faith in a revivalist narrative can lead, especially given that any failure to bring revival is attributed to human failings.
Very well written, and a thought provoking, sobering book. Only misses 5 stars due to a rather vague ending, but otherwise brilliant stuff, bravely written.
September 15, 2023
Fascinating!
As someone who grew up Pentecostal and deeply critical of the capitalist structure of prosperity gospel, it was intriguing to delve into the perspective of an ex-christian.
The most enjoyable parts of this book are undoubtably the transcripts of conversations with his friends Kate and especially Dan winfield who are probably too close to trauma to write an account of their own.
As someone who grew up Pentecostal and deeply critical of the capitalist structure of prosperity gospel, it was intriguing to delve into the perspective of an ex-christian.
The most enjoyable parts of this book are undoubtably the transcripts of conversations with his friends Kate and especially Dan winfield who are probably too close to trauma to write an account of their own.
September 29, 2024
I thought this would be a super interesting read - there is definitely a story in how this cult leader came to prominence and successfully manipulated people internationally for so many years, but this ain't it.
There's nothing here beyond surface level observations and navel gazing, and the author just kind of meanders without a point most of the time.
I really dig the all-white cover stock though, it looks very cool! That's really the best thing this book has going for it unfortunately!
There's nothing here beyond surface level observations and navel gazing, and the author just kind of meanders without a point most of the time.
I really dig the all-white cover stock though, it looks very cool! That's really the best thing this book has going for it unfortunately!
May 2, 2025
I enjoy talking to people about how and why they left religion. There’s something cathartic about hearing the grapple between intergenerational community, familiar traditions, old friends, internal dissonance. And sometimes a familiar grief/anger/shame beast can be briefly sighted.
This book has elements of those conversations while also detailing a very unfamiliar cult drawn from Pentecostal Christianity. Page turning cult intrigue with gentle reflection on what draws people together and apart.
This book has elements of those conversations while also detailing a very unfamiliar cult drawn from Pentecostal Christianity. Page turning cult intrigue with gentle reflection on what draws people together and apart.
August 4, 2024
A Deeply Moving Tragedy
Emmanuel by Matthew McNought is a gripping tale that immerses readers in a world of profound tragedy. The story of Emmanuel is a tragic journey filled with profound loss and sorrow, masterfully depicted through McNought’s evocative prose.
Emmanuel by Matthew McNought is a gripping tale that immerses readers in a world of profound tragedy. The story of Emmanuel is a tragic journey filled with profound loss and sorrow, masterfully depicted through McNought’s evocative prose.
July 30, 2024
Such an interesting exploration of faith and religion and what happens when it turns to tyranny at the example of SCOAN
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews