deconversion

The book that made me doubt my Christian faith

Many doubting Christians and apostate former Christians seem to enjoy the recent publications of anti-Christian polemics. Most of us are by now aware of the storm of debate caused by books from the likes of Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. I have not read any of these books. My tastes tend toward older, academic, lesser known books that I can check out free from the library or find in dusty corners of a used book store. And most of my Christian doubt was fueled by some very unlikely sources.

My slide away from Christianity began in large part to this seemingly innocent book, Let the Trumpet Sound – A Life of Martin Luther King, by Stephen Oates. I have always had questions and doubts about my faith, as most honest Christians do, but this book forced me to confront those doubts head-on, to take them from under the rug, and to seriously re-evaluate my beliefs in Christianity.

Early last year, I was convicted by my ignorance of some practical aspects of the world around me. I am educated, yet I knew next to nothing about the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. So I picked up this 500 page biography of Martin Luther King…

Continue Reading June 23, 2007 at 5:41 pm HeIsSailing 30 comments