Summary

‘Old Demonology’ begins with the sub-section ‘James Malachai Greene Confessions.’ James is lying in bed with his wife, Anne, who asks if he wants to have sex, or is capable of wanting it. James lied to himself about his relationship with Anne; “things were not ‘idyllic’ and pastoral and perfect” (172). He believes he never truly understood her and attempts to convince himself “that it is normal to have that distance, for one-sided relationships to exist” (173).

Since James was a teenager, he had “the Call,” but back then it was “a fear of God, not a love, just that Old Testament awe of the Most High” (173). He became “the model Christian in the eyes of the congregation of First Baptist,” visiting the sick, teaching Sunday school classes, joined the usher board, worked on committees (173). When James left for college, he experienced “the intoxicating rush...