Exploring its vigorous hold on believers and its influence on American public life, Boone approaches the authority of fundamentalism through its discourse. She uses literary theory to explain how the Bible actually functions in sermons and other discourse. Emphasizing the critical problem of any appeal to the "text itself," the book demonstrates that the authority of fundamentalism is ultimately an authority of the text and of the interpreter, equally. Without the Bible, the preacher is powerless, but without the preacher's interpretations, the text loses its binding authority.

The book examines principles of interpretation with extensive reference to such literary theorists as E. D. Hirsch, Stanley Fish, and Edward Said. The sensitive juxtaposition of fundamentalism and literary criticism not only opens a new window on fundamentalists, but also provides insights that will unsettle partisans of other persuasions.