Evangelicals have been scandalized by their association with Donald Trump, their megachurches summarily dismissed as "religious Walmarts." In The Subversive Evangelical Peter Schuurman shows how a growing group of "reflexive evangelicals" use irony to critique their own tradition and distinguish themselves from the stereotype of right-wing evangelicalism. This is a close ethnographic study on the meaning and method of charismatic leadership from a megachurch case study in Canada. Entering the Meeting House -- an Ontario-based Anabaptist megachurch -- as a participant observer, Schuurman discovers that the marketing is clever and the venue (a rented movie theatre) is attractive to the more than five thousand weekly attendees. But the heart of the church is its charismatic leader, Bruxy Cavey, whose anti-religious teaching and ironic tattoos offer a fresh image for evangelicals. This charisma, Schuurman argues, is not just the power of one individual; it is a dramatic production in which Cavey, his staff, and attendees cooperate, cultivating an identity as an "irreligious" megachurch and providing followers with a more culturally acceptable way to practise their faith in a secular age. Going behind the scenes to small group meetings, church dance parties, and the homes of attendees to investigate what motivates these reflexive evangelicals, Schuurman reveals a playful and provocative counterculture that distances itself from prevailing stereotypes while still embracing a conservative Christian faith. Note: this in-depth study took place before it was revealed in 2021 that Cavey was involved in what a third party determined to be a case of clergy sexual abuse. This gives the background to Cavey's rise to megachurch fame and offers a history of the church and its Anabaptist subculture. The Subversive Evangelical provides a compelling portrait of an ironic religious orientation--an anti-Christian Christianity--that mixes subversion and deconversion to uphold religious orthodoxy while seeming to reject it. This book uncovers the sociological workings of an enormous multi-campus megachurch led by an overweight, unkempt, and self-deprecating pastor who kicks seriousness to the curb and insists that Jesus is a totally fun guy. This quirky, whimsical, and iconoclastic minister overturns established tradition by restructuring his church around "Those Who Hate Church." Given the increased number of disaffected white Christians walking away from organized religion, this book explains how an inventive and charismatic leader adopted and now orchestrates the performance of an unexpected and newly legitimated ecclesiology for contemporary evangelicals, one that is aggressively fighting for the continued relevancy of congregational faith in North America. Gerardo Martí, L Richardson King Professor of Sociology at Davidson College and co-author of The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity. A rigorous sociological, theoretical, and empirical ethnographic study of one of Canada's most witty, playful, and humorous evangelical leaders (and his congregation). Schuurman masterfully unpacks the place of charisma in a congregation's attempt to systematically distance itself from a popularized and stigmatized conception of what it means to be evangelical in a post-Christian Canada. A must read for scholars of religion and church leaders in Canada who wish to think carefully and critically about congregations and/or evangelicals. Joel Thiessen, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology Director, Flourishing Congregations Institute "Creatively written and engaging, The Subversive Evangelical is an important book and a pleasure to read."Sam ReimerProfessor of SociologyCrandall University A close investigation of a new wave of "reflexive evangelicals," whose playful critique of their own faith wins crowds. Series editor: Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme Advancing Studies in Religion catalyzes and provokes original research in the study of religion with a critical edge. The series advances the study of religion in method and theory, textual interpretation, theological studies, and the understanding of lived religious experience. Rooted in the long and diverse traditions of the study of religion in Canada, the series demonstrates awareness of the complex genealogy of religion as a category and as a discipline. ASR welcomes submissions from authors researching religion in varied contexts and with diverse methodologies. The series is sponsored by the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion whose constituent societies include the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, Canadian Society for the Study of Religion, Canadian Society of Patristic Studies, Canadian Theological Society, Société canadienne de théologie, and Société québécoise pour l’étude de la religion. Peter J. Schuurman is adjunct professor at Redeemer University, contributing editor to Christian Courier , and executive director of Global Scholars Canada. He l