I want to take a moment to introduce you to a book that just came out a couple of weeks ago, especially given our recent conversations on this blog: From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls
From the introduction (written by Watts):
This volume focuses on people who have lived in … conservative churches and have moved away from them. These are the stories of the why and the how. Why did they move and how did they make it through? Some may laugh or dismiss the transition out of these conservative churches, but it is nothing to laugh at. If it goes wrong, the victim will be as militant an atheist as they were once militant Christians. If the transition is handled sloppily, it may result in severe emotional trauma.
From Fear to Faith is a memoir of a spiritual and intellectual journey from fear and shame to a renewed embrace of Scripture and the God behind it. Watts and Milam have collected compelling stories from a number of fellow travelers who model this journey.
They give voice to a growing phenomenon in conservative Christian culture of disenchantment with conventional and apologetically driven answers to difficult and pressing questions posed by Scripture, modern culture, and the intersection of the two. The stories in this volume will be an encouragement to those struggling with their own transition from familiar yet dissonant surroundings to unexplored but inviting spiritual and intellectual territory.
The broader vision of the volume is a call to build cultures of trust, where Christians can feel that they will be honored and valued for taking the risk to ask honest questions rather than being dismissed, marginalized, or ostracized. Too many are growing dissatisfied with the status quo, and are looking for language to move on. This volume will help them on their way.
