I am curious enough to read Cathleen Falsani’s book. It sounds as if the guy who wrote “Losing my Religion” never really had it to begin with —i.e., you can’t lose what you don’t have.
Except for Lobdell’s book, they sound very interesting and worth checking out at the library–I try not to buy books unless I just have to read one and can’t get it from the library system (which is quite good here). I’m a fan of Hagerty’s balanced reporting and would read her book for that reason alone. Thanks for posting this Kendall.
I would have to agree wih Lobdell that watching the church is enough sometimes to help you lose your faith. However, it needs to be balanced against the story of A. N. Wilson, who a quarter century ago very publicly renounced his faith, but through the witness of ordinary believers has been restored to faith in Christ and membership of the Church of England.
I read and reviewed Lobdell’s book “Losing My Religion.” I recommend it as a learning experience for mature Christians and especially pastors. He definitely “had it to begin with” (#2), and he definitely rejected it later in life. The first 100 pages of the book read like one long testimonial for God’s working in his life, including several miraculous events in his life. These are later reframed as “coincidences” and this time in his life as a misguided journey of seeking a God who did not exist. However, objective readers will recognize that not only did God exist for Lobdell but was apparent in his life.
I am sympathetic though not justifying of Lobdell’s loss of faith. It occured as he was concurrently investigating horrendous events and actions in the Roman Catholic Church’s sex scandals, the fraud of tele-evangelists and was attempting to convert to Roman Catholicism and was working at the secular/liberal environment of the LA Times. In the face of these events, he threw up his hands and gave up the faith. His book concludes with a sloppy attempt to justify his actions and newly found atheism.
It is a sad story, but it is a story that should convict Christians of the demand to live the gospel daily as a witness of the truth of the gospel and to be living letters of it. However, I would not recommend that immature or new Christians read this as it is troubling due to the very good journalistic writing on the shortfalls of the church, especially the sex scandals.
Oh brother…
I am curious enough to read Cathleen Falsani’s book. It sounds as if the guy who wrote “Losing my Religion” never really had it to begin with —i.e., you can’t lose what you don’t have.
Except for Lobdell’s book, they sound very interesting and worth checking out at the library–I try not to buy books unless I just have to read one and can’t get it from the library system (which is quite good here). I’m a fan of Hagerty’s balanced reporting and would read her book for that reason alone. Thanks for posting this Kendall.
I would have to agree wih Lobdell that watching the church is enough sometimes to help you lose your faith. However, it needs to be balanced against the story of A. N. Wilson, who a quarter century ago very publicly renounced his faith, but through the witness of ordinary believers has been restored to faith in Christ and membership of the Church of England.
I read and reviewed Lobdell’s book “Losing My Religion.” I recommend it as a learning experience for mature Christians and especially pastors. He definitely “had it to begin with” (#2), and he definitely rejected it later in life. The first 100 pages of the book read like one long testimonial for God’s working in his life, including several miraculous events in his life. These are later reframed as “coincidences” and this time in his life as a misguided journey of seeking a God who did not exist. However, objective readers will recognize that not only did God exist for Lobdell but was apparent in his life.
I am sympathetic though not justifying of Lobdell’s loss of faith. It occured as he was concurrently investigating horrendous events and actions in the Roman Catholic Church’s sex scandals, the fraud of tele-evangelists and was attempting to convert to Roman Catholicism and was working at the secular/liberal environment of the LA Times. In the face of these events, he threw up his hands and gave up the faith. His book concludes with a sloppy attempt to justify his actions and newly found atheism.
It is a sad story, but it is a story that should convict Christians of the demand to live the gospel daily as a witness of the truth of the gospel and to be living letters of it. However, I would not recommend that immature or new Christians read this as it is troubling due to the very good journalistic writing on the shortfalls of the church, especially the sex scandals.