Name: Faitheist
Price: 3040 NPR
Availability: InStock
Author: Chris Stedman

The story of a former Evangelical Christian turned openly gayatheist who now works to bridge the divide between atheists and thereligious The stunning popularity of the ?New Atheist? movement?whosemost famous spokesmen include Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and thelate Christopher Hitchens?speaks to both the growing ranks ofatheists and the widespread, vehement disdain for religion amongmany of them. In Faitheist , Chris Stedman tells his own story to challengethe orthodoxies of this movement and make a passionate argumentthat atheists should engage religious diversity respectfully. ? Becoming aware of injustice, and craving community, Stedmanbecame a ?born-again? Christian in late childhood. The idea of acommunity bound by God?s love?a love that was undeserved, unending,and guaranteed?captivated him. It was, he writes, a place to belongand a framework for making sense of suffering. ? But Stedman?s religious community did not embody this idea ofGod?s love: they were staunchly homophobic at a time when he wasslowly coming to realize that he was gay. The great suffering thiscaused him might have turned Stedman into a life-long New Atheist.But over time he came to know more open-minded Christians, and hisinterest in service work brought him into contact with people froma wide variety of religious backgrounds. His own religious beliefsmight have fallen away, but his desire to change the world for thebetter remained. Disdain and hostility toward religion was holdinghim back from engaging in meaningful work with people of faith. Andit was keeping him from full relationships with them?the kinds ofrelationships that break down intolerance and improve the world. ? In Faitheist , Stedman draws on his work organizing interfaithand secular communities, his academic study of religion, and hisown experiences to argue for the necessity of bridging the growingchasm between atheists and the religious. As someone who has stoodon both sides of the divide, Stedman is uniquely positioned

Faitheist

Faitheist

Paperback

About the Book

All Editions

Share Your Thoughts