Professor Writes Book on History of Sex Scandals in Protestantism
By Brian Hiro
Suzanna Krivulskaya is a Cal State San Marcos history professor who specializes in the history of religion and sexuality.
It’s only natural, then, that her first book is about one particular way that those two topics have intersected in American life.
Jan. 17 was the publication date of Krivulskaya’s debut book, titled “Disgraced: How Sex Scandals Transformed American Protestantism.” The book is described by its publisher, Oxford University Press, as a “sweeping religious and cultural history of Protestant sex scandals in 19th- and 20th-century America” as Krivulskaya “investigates the cultural consequences of scandal, what demands the public made of religion in response to revelations of pastoral misdeeds and how Protestantism itself changed in the process.”
Krivulskaya, who has worked at CSUSM since 2019, says she’s thrilled that the book is out in the world.
“The project is the culmination of years of research, draft workshops in communities of deep thinkers, and revisions,” she said. “I hope that the topic will attract a broad readership, and I hope that they learn from the many fascinating stories I tell in the book.”
“Disgraced” originated as Krivulskaya’s dissertation during her time as a Ph.D. student at the University of Notre Dame from 2015 to 2019. In the course of her research for the project, she combed newspaper archives from the first half of the 1800s, which witnessed the emergence of human interest journalism. She then traced how the U.S. press covered the stories of ministerial downfalls through the late 1900s.
“It turns out that sex scandals have not been mere aberrations in the history of American religion. In fact, they have plagued churches since the birth of the modern press in the 1830s,” Krivulskaya said. “Initially, newspapers were hesitant to report on stories of ministers’ sexual transgressions because they wanted to protect the sanctity of Protestantism, which was the faith of the majority. But ministers kept getting caught up in scandals.
“By the end of the century, the press was on a crusade to expose all manner of hypocrisy among the nation’s leaders. Churches and religious institutions, in turn, strategized about addressing the crisis in their midst – to varying degrees of success. Scandals continued to propel newspaper sales and excite public sentiment, ultimately compelling Protestant institutions to attempt to handle matters internally to protect their reputations.
“By the late 20th century, a culture of secrecy and the rise of charismatic religious celebrities enabled tremendous abuses of power, as the scandals of multiple televangelists demonstrate. And, at the same time, scandal ceased to shock the public, thereby losing some of its generative potency.”
Krivulskaya says her goal is for readers to come away from the book with a deep understanding of the major developments in journalism, religion and sexuality since the 19th century. She also wants readers to feel inspired to hold religious institutions accountable in the wake of scandals.
“Finally, I hope readers have fun,” she said. “The stories I tell in this book are fascinating, and the characters are colorful and compelling. I hope my narrative does them justice, and I hope my readers get to know these historical figures in all their messiness and complexity.”
“Disgraced” is available for purchase on Amazon. It also can be bought at Oxford University Press for 30% off using the discount code AUFLY30.
Media Contact
Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306