
God Land
A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lyz Lenz
-
By:
-
Lyz Lenz
About this listen
In the wake of the 2016 election, Lyz Lenz watched as her country and her marriage were torn apart by the competing forces of faith and politics. A mother of two, a Christian, and a lifelong resident of middle America, Lenz was bewildered by the pain and loss around her - the empty churches and the broken hearts. What was happening to faith in the heartland?
From drugstores in Sydney, Iowa, to skeet shooting in rural Illinois, to the mega churches of Minneapolis, Lenz set out to discover the changing forces of faith and tradition in God's country. Part journalism, part memoir, God Land is a journey into the heart of a deeply divided America. Lenz visits places of worship across the heartland and speaks to the everyday people who often struggle to keep their churches afloat and to cope in a land of instability.
Through a thoughtful interrogation of the effects of faith and religion on our lives, our relationships, and our country, God Land investigates whether our divides can ever be bridged and if America can ever come together.
©2019 Lyz Lenz (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Belabored
- A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women
- By: Lyz Lenz
- Narrated by: Natalie Peyser
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written with a blend of wit, snark, and raw intimacy, Belabored is an impassioned and irreverent defense of the autonomy, rights, and dignity of pregnant people.
By: Lyz Lenz
-
"Prisons Make Us Safer"
- And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration
- By: Victoria Law
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prisoners - a total of over two million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500 percent.
-
-
Leftist propaganda
- By Claude Bacchia on 04-21-21
By: Victoria Law
-
Tyranny of the Minority
- Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point
- By: Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?
-
-
Tyranny of the Minority
- By orders on 10-07-23
By: Steven Levitsky, and others
-
Stuck
- How Vaccine Rumors Start - and Why They Don't Go Away
- By: Heidi J. Larson
- Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vaccine reluctance and refusal are no longer limited to the margins of society. Debates around vaccines' necessity - along with questions around their side effects - have gone mainstream, blending with geopolitical conflicts, political campaigns, celebrity causes, and "natural" lifestyles to win a growing number of hearts and minds. Today's anti-vaccine positions find audiences where they've never existed previously.
-
-
Amazing book, terrible performance
- By liat bar stav on 04-07-21
By: Heidi J. Larson
-
Heretic
- A Memoir
- By: Jeanna Kadlec
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor’s son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth that lived under that conviction: she was queer and, if she wanted to survive, she would need to leave behind the church and every foundational building block she knew. Heretic is a memoir of rebirth. Within, Kadlec reckons with religious trauma and Midwestern values, as a means of unveiling how evangelicalism directly impacts every American--religious or not--and has been a major force in driving our democracy towards fascism.
-
-
Average story about faith and being LGBTQ
- By A. Sampson on 11-26-23
By: Jeanna Kadlec
-
Love Is the Way
- Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times
- By: Bishop Michael Curry, Sara Grace
- Narrated by: Bishop Michael Curry
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further.
-
-
Hopeful and grateful
- By Amazon Customer on 10-11-20
By: Bishop Michael Curry, and others
-
Belabored
- A Vindication of the Rights of Pregnant Women
- By: Lyz Lenz
- Narrated by: Natalie Peyser
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written with a blend of wit, snark, and raw intimacy, Belabored is an impassioned and irreverent defense of the autonomy, rights, and dignity of pregnant people.
By: Lyz Lenz
-
"Prisons Make Us Safer"
- And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration
- By: Victoria Law
- Narrated by: Melissa Moran
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to five percent of the global population, the United States has nearly 25 percent of the world’s prisoners - a total of over two million people. This number continues to steadily rise. Over the past 40 years, the number of people behind bars in the United States has increased by 500 percent.
-
-
Leftist propaganda
- By Claude Bacchia on 04-21-21
By: Victoria Law
-
Tyranny of the Minority
- Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point
- By: Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?
-
-
Tyranny of the Minority
- By orders on 10-07-23
By: Steven Levitsky, and others
-
Stuck
- How Vaccine Rumors Start - and Why They Don't Go Away
- By: Heidi J. Larson
- Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vaccine reluctance and refusal are no longer limited to the margins of society. Debates around vaccines' necessity - along with questions around their side effects - have gone mainstream, blending with geopolitical conflicts, political campaigns, celebrity causes, and "natural" lifestyles to win a growing number of hearts and minds. Today's anti-vaccine positions find audiences where they've never existed previously.
-
-
Amazing book, terrible performance
- By liat bar stav on 04-07-21
By: Heidi J. Larson
-
Heretic
- A Memoir
- By: Jeanna Kadlec
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor’s son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth that lived under that conviction: she was queer and, if she wanted to survive, she would need to leave behind the church and every foundational building block she knew. Heretic is a memoir of rebirth. Within, Kadlec reckons with religious trauma and Midwestern values, as a means of unveiling how evangelicalism directly impacts every American--religious or not--and has been a major force in driving our democracy towards fascism.
-
-
Average story about faith and being LGBTQ
- By A. Sampson on 11-26-23
By: Jeanna Kadlec
-
Love Is the Way
- Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times
- By: Bishop Michael Curry, Sara Grace
- Narrated by: Bishop Michael Curry
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further.
-
-
Hopeful and grateful
- By Amazon Customer on 10-11-20
By: Bishop Michael Curry, and others
-
Women Rising
- Learning to Listen, Finding Our Voices
- By: Meghan Tschanz, Carolyn Custis James - foreword
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fresh out of college, Meghan Tschanz left everything to join a mission trip around the globe, and quickly witnessed oppression experienced by women that she never thought possible. Over the next several years, she befriended women around the globe who had survived sex trafficking, female genital mutilation, and violence so extreme Meghan wondered at the women's survival. Through listening to their stories, Meghan started to notice a pattern - one that pointed to systems of injustice that harmed and held women back - systems, Meghan realized, she was often complicit in.
-
-
A book every white, American woman needs to read
- By Sara on 09-09-22
By: Meghan Tschanz, and others
-
Saving God from Religion
- A Minister's Search for Faith in a Skeptical Age
- By: Robin R. Meyers
- Narrated by: Robin R. Meyers
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this groundbreaking, inspiring book, Robin R. Meyers, the senior minister of Oklahoma City’s Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, shows how listeners can move from a theology of obedience to one of consequence. He argues that we need to stop seeing our actions as a means for pleasing a distant God and rediscover how God has empowered us to care for ourselves and the world. Drawing on stories from his decades of active ministry, Meyers captures how the struggles of ordinary people hint at how we can approach faith as a radical act of trust in a God who is all around us.
-
-
The logical and profound merging of God and quantum entanglement.
- By R. Cooke on 01-04-25
By: Robin R. Meyers
-
A Sin by Any Other Name
- Reckoning with Racism and the Heritage of the South
- By: Robert W. Lee, Bernice A. King - foreword
- Narrated by: Robert W. Lee, January LaVoy
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A descendant of Confederate General Robert E. Lee chronicles his story of growing up with the South's most honored name, and the moments that forced him to confront the privilege, racism, and subversion of human dignity that came with it.
-
-
Wish more people had this type of courage.
- By NCBigDog1 on 04-13-19
By: Robert W. Lee, and others
-
How We Fight White Supremacy
- A Field Guide to Black Resistance
- By: Akiba Solomon, Kenrya Rankin
- Narrated by: Jeanette Illidge, Vallea Woodbury, Je Nie Fleming, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many of us are facing unprecedented attacks on our democracy, our privacy, and our hard-won civil rights. If you're Black in the US, this is not new. As Colorlines editors Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin show, Black Americans subvert and resist life-threatening forces as a matter of course. In this audiobook, leading organizers, artists, journalists, comedians, and filmmakers offer wisdom on how they fight white supremacy. It's a must-listen for anyone new to resistance work, and for the next generation of leaders building a better future.
-
-
Brilliantly Necessary...
- By The Alchemist on 10-03-20
By: Akiba Solomon, and others
-
River of Fire
- My Spiritual Journey
- By: Helen Prejean
- Narrated by: Helen Prejean
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sister Helen Prejean’s work as an activist nun, campaigning to educate Americans about the inhumanity of the death penalty, is known to millions worldwide. Less widely known is the evolution of her spiritual journey from praying for God to solve the world’s problems to engaging full-tilt in working to transform societal injustices. Sister Helen grew up in a well-off Baton Rouge family that still employed black servants.
-
-
Very inspiring
- By quiltbrain on 09-05-19
By: Helen Prejean
-
Affirming
- A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality, and Staying in the Church
- By: Sally Gary
- Narrated by: Sally Gary
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is it like to discover that something you’ve believed all your life might be wrong? Sally Gary knew since her early adulthood that she was attracted to women. But as a devoted Christian, she felt there was no way to fully embrace this aspect of her identity while remaining faithful. Now, as she prepares to marry the love of her life, she’s ready to speak out about why - and how - her perspective changed.
-
-
Incredible Story
- By Larry on 03-22-21
By: Sally Gary
-
A Burning in My Bones
- The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message
- By: Winn Collier
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Encounter the multifaceted life of one of the most influential and creative pastors of the past half century with unforgettable stories of Eugene’s lifelong devotion to his craft and love of language, the influences and experiences that shaped his unquenchable faith, the inspiration for his decision to translate The Message, and his success and struggles as a pastor, husband, and father. Author Winn Collier was given exclusive access to Eugene and his materials for the production of this landmark work.
-
-
Thank you
- By Beth Spafford on 04-02-21
By: Winn Collier
-
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
- An English Professor's Journey into Christian Faith
- By: Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
- Narrated by: Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her late 30's, Rosaria encountered something that turned her world upside down - the idea that Christianity, a religion she had regarded as problematic, might be right about who God was. That idea seemed to fly in the face of the people and causes that she most loved. What follows is a story of what she describes as a train wreck at the hand of the supernatural. These are her secret thoughts about those events, written as only a reflective English professor could.
-
-
Love!
- By Aleta on 10-18-15
-
Pastrix
- The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
- By: Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Narrated by: Nadia Bolz-Weber
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heavily tattooed and foul-mouthed, Nadia Bolz-Weber, a former stand-up comic, sure as hell didn't consider herself to be religious-leader material - until the day she ended up leading a friend's funeral in a smoky downtown comedy club. Surrounded by fellow alcoholics, depressives, and cynics, she realized: These were her people. Maybe she was meant to be their pastor. Using life stories, Nadia uses humorous narrative and poignant honesty to portray a woman who is both deeply faithful and deeply flawed, giving hope to the rest of us along the way.
-
-
WoW wOw WoW
- By Deborah on 11-26-13
By: Nadia Bolz-Weber
-
Death to Deconstruction
- Reclaiming Faithfulness as an Act of Rebellion
- By: Joshua S Porter, John Mark Comer - contributor
- Narrated by: Joshua S Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This book is more than Porter's own story. It also invites those who may be in the deconstruction process themselves to consider the perspective of someone who was tempted to leave his faith—yet stayed. And it provides theological insight and pastoral support to those who worry that everyone is bailing out on the church.
-
-
Beautiful
- By Anonymous User on 05-10-23
By: Joshua S Porter, and others
-
Dear White Peacemakers
- Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace
- By: Osheta Moore
- Narrated by: Osheta Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Race is one of the hardest topics to discuss in America. Many White Christians avoid talking about it altogether. But a commitment to peacemaking requires White people to step out of their comfort and privilege and into the work of anti-racism. Dear White Peacemakers is an invitation to White Christians to come to the table and join this hard work and holy calling.
-
-
Dear White Peacemakers
- By J@YD944 on 05-21-22
By: Osheta Moore
-
Outlove
- A Queer Christian Survival Story
- By: Julie Rodgers
- Narrated by: Julie Rodgers
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Rodgers came out to her family as a junior in high school, she still believed that God would sanctify her and eventually make her straight. Wanting so intensely to be good, she spent her adolescent and early adult years with an ex-gay ministry, praying for liberation from her homosexuality. In Outlove, Rodgers details her deeply personal journey from a life of self-denial in the name of faith to her role in leading the take-down of Exodus International, the largest ex-gay organization in the world, to her marriage to a woman at the Washington National Cathedral.
-
-
Outstanding and courageous
- By Evangelino Nascimento on 10-27-24
By: Julie Rodgers
What listeners say about God Land
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Natalie K
- 07-13-21
👍
I finished listening to it in two sittings. it was a great quick listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-07-20
Lyz understands God Land.
As Lyz mentions in the book, many denizens of Middle America claim that outsiders don’t really know them.
Lyz puts in the work and provides the life experience to speak as and about being a citizen of “God Land”.
Whiteness, evangelical Chrsitianity, Midwestern identity, and the values entailed are explored in Lyz’s journalistic work.
As an atheist I wonder just how much humans have to experience before they leave the church.
But I imagine Lyz’s very real story and history will resonate with many seeking to find a place in modern Christianity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- betsy_rw
- 02-24-22
Healing.
This book was not only well written but from the heart at the same time as informative. That is a hard thing to do simultaneously! This author is a brave woman, who is trailblazing the way of people, especially millennial women, that are no longer getting their needs met in the church.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carrie Peterson
- 01-18-23
Such a thoughtful look at such an emotional thing
I found this to be a very intelligently assembled discussion on why still believe in something that seems to be actively excluding you. The writing is fast paced and smart and poetic all at the same time. Well worth the time!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!