Hope After Faith

An Ex-Pastor's Journey from Belief to Atheism

De: Jerry DeWitt

Narrado por: Jerry DeWitt

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.

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.