Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash

by Richard Beck

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2019

Overview

"Saints and sinners, all jumbled up together." That’s the genius of Johnny Cash, and that’s what the gospel is ultimately all about.

Johnny Cash sang about and for people on the margins. He famously played concerts in prisons, where he sang both murder ballads and gospel tunes in the same set. It’s this juxtaposition between light and dark, writes Richard Beck, that makes Cash one of the most authentic theologians in memory.

In Trains, Jesus, and Murder, Beck explores the theology of Johnny Cash by investigating a dozen of Cash’s songs. In reflecting on Cash’s lyrics, and the passion with which he sang them, we gain a deeper understanding of the enduring faith of the Man in Black.

Product Details

• Title : Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash
• Author: Beck, Richard
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• ISBN: 9781506455594

About Richard Beck

Richard Beck is associate professor and department chair of psychology at Abilene Christian University. He earned his MS in clinical psychology from Abilene Christian University and his PhD in experimental psychology from Southern Methodist University. He is a blogger and the author of several articles and books, including The Slavery of Death; Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality; and The Authenticity of Faith: The Varieties and Illusions of Religious Experience.