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

No what I expected, but in many ways better.

As a fellow former-believer I was surprised by how much of the book is the author telling his story from the perspective of a believer. I think this is actually a plus. Plenty of books are out there pointing out the problems with belief. But few get you inside the head of a believer as he transitions from belief to doubt to unbelief.

Nostalgia!!!

Jerry DeWitt's story resonates with me because I too am an ex-Pentecostal atheist. I loved the innocence of his zeal while a believer and it really lends credence to the fact that he didn't come to reason lightly.

An honest, human story

I grew up in the same Pentecostal movement as the author and so I can relate to his story very well, and he tells it in a way that is refreshingly unvarnished.

What a great guy!!!

This was such a great story, and being a former theist, it really hit home.

More much than an autobiography.

Much more than just an autobiography of a preacher turned humanist. I liked the book for the following reasons,

1) The listener quickly likes the author because of his obvious sincerity for the search for truth and his love of humanity and therefore it's easy to like the story since you will like the author
2) the book shows how tough it is to be a preacher in the rural south for a sincere believer
3) the backbiting within and between churches and church members is a background character through out.
4) I learned a lot about Pentecostals, their doctrines and their pettiness
5) the author writes the book without using the perfect vision of hindsight and writes the story as if his state of mind at the time was real (such as visions, faith healing and so on)
6) the author presents a step by step guide to his search for the perfect doctrine. His first questioning of his faith comes about after his grandfather passes away and faces eternal damnation just because he didn't embrace the right faith.
7) The author is sincere in his search and we the reader get all of the relevant steps and thought processes he uses in his journey which helps me understand why I believe the way I do
8) The first 2/3 of the book could be listened to by a true believer and she would not be critical at all of the book
9) The author does a marvelous job of reading his book and really adds to the experience with his southern accent and the cadence of a preacher when necessary. They did another thing I liked, whenever a woman was speaking in the story, the narrator would be female.

I found the book one of the most spiritual books I have ever listened to, and it has helped me understand why I believe the way I do and would recommend this audiobook to anyone.

Deeply Moving and Authentic

Would you listen to Hope After Faith again? Why?

Absolutely. Listening to his life story was like living through it. Jerry DeWitt's wonderful voice and soft Louisiana accent is great to listen to. Though the ride through his life is emotional, and at times I cried like a child, still I'd be willing to go for that ride again.

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

The final goodbyes to deceased loved ones, and where he finally recognized the sacrifices his wife made to allow him to do what he felt "called" to do.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was laughing at some parts, but absolutely sobbing at others. It was a true emotional roller-coaster ride in parts of the book.

Any additional comments?

I highly, highly recommend the audio version of his book. The fact that it was the author who read the book lent an emotionality that would not have been so strong otherwise. And believe me, that emotionality is strong.

The descriptions were fantastic. I could see and smell the old wood and dated, well-worn and impoverished interiors of many of the homes, hotels and churches that he visited during his ministry. I felt his hunger when they had no money for food. I felt his panic before he went on a plane back to a hostile church. When his heart sunk at what he encountered, mine did as well, right along with each of his descriptions.

It is obvious that this man, Jerry DeWitt, loved humanity and wanted to do everything in his power for others. That he is still doing so and still cares so much, is wonderful testament to his spirit and resiliency.

Sincere and heartfelt: reminds you to think

Former Pentecostal pastor Jerry DeWitt shares his painful and thought-provoking experience of traveling from the supernaturalistic depths of charismatic Christianity to secular humanist and atheist, against the backdrop of religious family and society in the Deep South. The story is both moving and disturbing, and DeWitt's charm and self-effacing style make it an easy book to listen to. It's one thing to be critical of religion in general: on the contrary, DeWitt helps us understand and even empathize with the Pentecostal worldview, while at the same time recognizing it for what it is: mythology and social construct. Highly recommended.

Inspiring!

This was a wonderful read. Jerry's story is as inspiring as it is courageous.

A heartfelt personal story you can really feel.

Sad, yet true reality. A story believers should really hear. Thank you Jerry and Dogma Debate.

His poor wife.

If you're looking for a book about the tension or interplay between sacred and secular, tradition and modernity, revelation and science, this is not at all that book. I wish I had read the review entitled "This may not be what you're looking for" prior to purchasing and reading this Audible book.

I was expecting the inward exploration of a person who comes to question long-held beliefs, who struggles to exchange those beliefs for something more mature and realistic. But this is not a story of intellectual or moral struggle. Instead, it's the story of someone whose social identity was forged in a southern USA form of religion, who belonged there but after years of frustration trying to rise within that subculture, felt he didn't belong. I would not be surprised if a few years from now an avenue to belonging within the church presents itself again, and the author writes another book about his return to faith.

It's still a human story, and while I feel for this fellow or anyone seeking to belong in this world, I really feel for his wife and child who needed him to exhibit maturity. Throughout the book, I kept thinking, "His poor wife. His poor wife."