Six Years in Heaven - Alex McCleneghan

“A True Story of Human Credulity and Unexampled Devotion, Embracing a Complete Expose of the Abominable Practices and Monstrous Professions of George Jacob Schweinfurth”

It is 1889 and in Rockford, Illinois, George Jacob Schweinfurth sets up the Church Triumphant, with himself as a new Messiah—Jesus reborn. Possessed of a strong mesmeric gaze and great personal presence, Schweinfurth is adept at persuading people, and especially young women, to join him in “heaven.” Schweinfurth’s “angels,” soon find themselves pregnant, giving birth to children supposedly conceived “without sin.”

Six Years in Heaven was first published in 1894. Written by a previously unknown writer, this extraordinary story of Schweinfurth’s church is a cautionary tale of the effects of religious fundamentalism and the power of cults.

The book is interwoven with a romance, telling the story of Clara and the attempts of her beau, Arthur, to save her from Schweinfurth. However, the true purpose of the novel is most likely to have been to expose the real-life scandalous goings-on within the Church Triumphant.