Lies and misrepresentations have earned Washingtonians plenty of things — votes, jail time, illegitimate children. And for Gina Welch, a book deal. The 30-year-old creative writing teacher at George Washington University spent two years lying about her identity and beliefs in order to gain an outsider’s insider view of Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. The result: “In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of Evangelical America.” Welch sat down with The Examiner to explain why she believes her false witness somehow served a higher purpose.

Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?