Hope After Faith

An Ex-Pastor's Journey from Belief to Atheism

By: Jerry DeWitt

Narrated by: Jerry DeWitt

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Atheism's leading lights have long been intellectuals raised in the secular and academic worlds: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens. By contrast, Jerry DeWitt was born and bred into the church and was in fact a Pentecostal preacher before arriving at atheism through an extraordinary dialogue with faith that spanned more than a quarter of a century. Hope After Faith is his account of that journey.

DeWitt was a pastor in the town of DeRidder, Louisiana, and was a fixture of the community. In private, however, he'd begun to question his faith. Late one night in May 2011, a member of his flock called seeking prayer for her brother who had been in a serious accident. As DeWitt searched for the right words to console her, speech failed him, and he found that the faith which once had formed the cornerstone of his life had finally crumbled to dust. When it became public knowledge that DeWitt was now an atheist, he found himself shunned by much of DeRidder's highly religious community, losing nearly everything he'd known.

DeWitt's struggle for identity and meaning mirrors the one currently facing millions of people around the world. With both agnosticism and atheism entering the mainstream one in five Americans now claim no religious affiliation, according to a recent study the moment has arrived for a new atheist voice, one that is respectful of faith and religious traditions yet warmly embraces a life free of religion, finding not skepticism and cold doubt but rather profound meaning and hope. Hope After Faith is the story of one man's evolution toward a committed and considered atheism, one driven by humanism, a profound moral dimension, and a happiness and self-confidence obtained through living free of fear.

©2012 Jerry DeWitt (P)2013 Dogma Debate, LLC

A fantastic book, exquisitely read by the author!

Where does Hope After Faith rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is by far one of my favorite books I've listened to on Audible.

What other book might you compare Hope After Faith to and why?

I've heard of another book with a similar premise: Dan Barker's "Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists". I haven't read that one, so I can't say how similar it is. I would suspect that it's very different, as these are effectively autobiographies. Both books are probably quite unique.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was constantly finding myself being moved by this book, despite the fact that I can't truly relate to many of the experiences Jerry DeWitt describes. As someone who considered himself an atheist as far back as elementary school and who didn't grow up in a fundamentalist environment, some of the situations the author found himself in were utterly unfamiliar to me. But they're related in such a way that I felt like I understood at least some of what he was feeling at the time, and having the author himself reading the text only served to help with that.

Any additional comments?

It usually happens that the author is not the ideal choice to read his own work for the audiobook format. This is an exception. Jerry DeWitt did a fantastic job of narrating and very effectively used his voice to express the reflection, humor and/or heartbreak inherent in each chapter and scene. If the synopsis appeals to you at all, please buy this book.

Honest, sincere, deeply personal

A powerful story of recovery from religious indoctrination, and so much more. Jerry tells it like it was and is. For those of us indoctrinated into religion as children, challenging the faith often (usually) leads to painful choices within families and communities. Jerry chose reason and critical thinking over superstition and dogma. More importantly, his work is helping many others to do the same. What I most admire is Jerry's commitment to using his talents for interpersonal communication and motivation to help others see the light of reason. With this book and his many personal appearances, Jerry has shouldered an important role as a leading secular humanist voice. I recommend this book without reservation. Well done, sir!

Great book, but a little drawn out at times.

As a skeptic, I was really intrigued by this book. I feel like it was worth listening to, but the details of the authors journey did get a little monotonous at times. The book could have been simplified by taking out a lot of the very detailed every day experiences of the authors journey. Also, if you are not southern, the accent is a little much at times. I swear, if I hear pennycostal once more or steal instead of still ;)
Overall, I was encouraged by the book and certainly found myself in his story. I am so grateful for this man's story and as a progressive Baptist minister, I feel like it has impacted me in a very positive way.

Excellent Story, Excellent Presentation

If you could sum up Hope After Faith in three words, what would they be?

Journey for truth!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hope After Faith?

When Jerry could not pray with the woman who called her in the middle of the night.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jerry lost his job and family, just because of his personal beliefs. This was very sad and moving for me.

Any additional comments?

Coming out of fundamentalist Christianity is very difficult. Those who go through this instantly seek out other apostates for emotional support. While listening to this audio book, I felt like I was not alone.

compelling. interesting.

I was impressed with his honest desire to be true to himself in the ministry and his willingness to persevere despite poverty. That and desire for truth and sharing his truth carried over into humanism.

Enjoyed reading this book

This book hit home for me as a former believer. So many of Mr. DeWitt's experiences were very similar to my own. I'm glad that he was brave enough to write this book. Turning from ones long held beliefs is astronomically hard, and his story is told in such a way that the reader can feel the emotions, especially the agony that the author experienced as he came to accept that he did not believe in God anymore. Been there. Done that.

Seeking the Truth

If you could sum up Hope After Faith in three words, what would they be?

Seek The Truth

Have you listened to any of Jerry DeWitt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jerry was sitting on the couch and was told to leave his wife and son to follow the church and he had the realization of how the bible should be studied. The bible should be studied, its history, its authors, it characters. I get tired of being told, "because the bible says so". So!

Any additional comments?

This is my first review. I have listened to several of Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, the Bible and many others on audible seeking to solidify my own journey to finding the truth. I too was raised in the Christian Pentecostal world, as an adult looking back on my childhood, I felt tortured, lied to and rob of peace-of-mind. You're going to burn in hell!

In today's world with the unlimited access of information there is no reason that the truth about religion and all that goes with it cannot be dismissed. The god of life after death is the only god we haven't dismissed....but we will.

This is a great book that demonstrates that when you seek the truth that we all will come to the same conclusion. There is no god. Many people, good people, get caught in the god delusion but never question what they believe and therefore will never be free to really understand and enjoy life.

This is a great book for the believer and non-believer. If you are on the fence about what you believe, if what you reason and what you were taught about a religious beliefs never seem to line up, read this book!

inspirational and relatable for the ex-Christian

This is a very inspirational and relatable personal story through faith, doubt, and freedom from religion through rational thought. I highly recommend this for former Christians and doubting Christians.

Eye opening journey of faith in reverse.

Obviously sincerely written and offered. I was rather amazed at the naïveté of the author but having never walked in his shoes or lived among Pentecostals, must trust is his revealed experience. A comforting book for me as a new atheist.

Laugh, cry, and grow with this man

I've trusted few preachers in my time -- often calling them snake oil salesmen. Well, Jerry DeWitt writes a powerful narrative and let's us into his life. He didn't want to deceive people, or steal their money. He wanted to share his faith and earn a decent living for his family.

Jerry's story is powerful and you'll laugh and cry aloud. He has that amazing southern pastor's voice that even makes my skeptical atheist heart patter differently when he turns on the charm delivering a homily.

This is the story of an honest man in a dishonest profession. This is the story of an honest, humble man of faith discovering modern science and learning where religion falls flat. Most of all, it is the story of a believer who believes himself all alone in a sea of doubt ... Until he reaches out.