Book Review

Riders for God: The Story of a Christian Motorcycle Gang, by Rich Remsberg (University of Illinois Press, 2000).

Chad DeMars

 The traditional and stereotypical image of the “one-percenter” biker is that of the heavily tattooed, beer drinking, and possibly drug using, big white guy riding a customized Harley with his “old lady” on the back. In Riders for God: The Story of a Christian Motorcycle Gang Rich Remsberg, through a collection of oral history interviews, examines just how much of that image carries over into the world of the Unchained Gang and the Ellettsville House of Prayer. As the title indicates, the Unchained Gang is a Christian motorcycle club that is made up mostly of former one-percenters.  While the Unchained Gang stands in sharp contrast to the stereotypical image of the motorcycle club, Remsberg’s interviews bring out the fact that some of their former lives carry over into the Christian lifestyle.

Remsberg provides a short introduction laying out the influence that Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels and Danny Lyon’s The Bikeriders had on his work. The goal of Riders for God is to provide insight into a world that is difficult to access—much like Thompson’s work.  Unlike Thompson’s work, however, the story is told by the members and those associated with them directly rather than through the author’s eyes.  While Remsberg does tell the reader that there has been some editing for readability, the substance of the conversations has not been changed.  The interviews throughout the book are from a variety of perspectives including from men, women, leaders, members, and even prospects.

One of the clear breaks that the Unchained Gang has from outlaw biker society is their rejection of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.  Along with traditional Christian values of abstinence outside of marriage, monogamy within marriage, and in general, living a good life, the additional work of active witnessing and ministering at biker rallies and prisons and the Pentecostal nature of the services in a sense continues the rebellious nature of these bikers.  The members speak in tongues, exercise demons from members, and have prophetic experiences on a regular basis.  Rather than being the one-percent of outlaw bikers, they are in a sense the one-percent of American Christians. 

While there is more to the break between the outlaw biker and members of the Unchained Gang than simply being Pentecostal Christians, there are several ideological similarities that Remsberg manages to point out over the course of the book. One that stands out is the continued dominance of men over women.  While the men do not discuss the issue, there are a few things that bring the issue to the surface. The most obvious is the fact that almost all of those who were interviewed were men.  In these interviews, women seldom come up and when they do, it is more of a side note than an important part of the narrative.  Examples include mentioning a breakup with a woman or getting married again.  To be sure, some members discuss the spiritual strength their wives give them, but this is not the dominant aspect of any of the interviews.  

Remsberg does ask those women interviewed about the different aspects of male domination between outlaw bikers and the Unchained Gang.  Where the typical image of women in “outlaw” clubs is to view them as property and as objects, often attached to a single biker or shared among club members, in the Unchained Gang women talk about the inequality they experience.  For example, the interview of Nancy and Shalom (pp. 218-233) discusses preferential treatment of male prospects, the difficulty of becoming a full member if you had other commitments like work and children, and of being excluded from certain outreach ministries because they were single.  They also discuss the nature of Pentecostal worship and how it lends itself to male domination.  The traditional values and strict interpretations of scripture place men in a position as head of the family, making it even more difficult for people coming out of a culture of not simply male dominance, but often of the complete absence of female participants. 

The second most obvious attitude that remains with the Unchained Gang from the outlaw biker world is that of the need for loyalty and respect.  The repercussions for disrespect and disloyalty do not lead to violence, but anger is still clearly present.  While Remsberg was researching this book, there was a break in the club, and several members established a separate Christian biker club, the Freedom Riders.  The club has identical rockers (a lower part of a motorcycle club’s colors) incorporated into their patch, but has nearly severed ties with the Unchained Gang and the House of Prayer.  When asked about the group, the six-time president of the Unchained Gang and spiritual leader of the group, Pastor Larry, calls the Freedom Riders “a stench in God’s nostrils” and that “God’s not in it at all” (p. 246).  While Pastor Larry does give reasons for his feelings on the issue, the fact remains that a sense of betrayal of the club and a disrespect of the colors exists.   Remsberg does include some interviews that suggest the issue was resolved to a degree, but the schism prevails. 

Overall, Riders for God does what it sets out to do in that it provides insight into a world most of us do not have access to. What is perhaps missing from the book is more commentary. Where Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels can be criticized because it presents a history of the club almost completely through the author’s eyes, not enough of Riders for God is through Remsberg’s.  The inclusion of photographs and the questions directed at those interviewed are Remsberg’s major contributions rather than analysis of the events and interviews. This does not, however, detract from the book’s value as a tool for learning about Christian bikers.  While it is more a collection of primary documents and photographs than an academic monograph, Riders for God is a valuable contribution to the literature on motorcycle culture.

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