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Childish Things  By  cover art

Childish Things

By: Dave Warnock, Jennifer Wachtel Kates
Narrated by: Dave Warnock
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Publisher's summary

The Jesus movement of the '70s was a heady time. It was a time of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. It was a time of the Doobie Brothers telling us that “Jesus Is Just Alright with Me”, and Norman Greenbaum singing about a “Spirit in the Sky”. It was a time when Jesus was going to return any day, according to the best-selling book The Late Great Planet Earth. It was a time of the Rapture, Armageddon, and the Antichrist.

Dave Warnock’s faith took root during this intoxicating era, and soon he was speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and praying for legs to grow. That raw, emotional faith grew into a mature Christian lifestyle over the next three and a half decades, including pastoral roles on three different church staffs, where the innocence of Dave's early faith evolved into staff meetings, budgets, and carefully planned worship services. Dave's spiritual journey included vocational, financial and personal struggles, and an increasingly frustrating search for God's involvement.

But what if it’s not true? What if there’s not an active God doing things for his people? What does a man do when he pauses and reflects on a life lived in this kind of faith, and finds, upon examination, that the God he dedicated his life to has never been there?

By 2011, Dave had come to the conclusion that he no longer believed in a personal God and he rejected his lifelong faith. In 2019, he was diagnosed with ALS.

©2022 Dave Warnock (P)2022 Dave Warnock

Critic reviews

“Raw, open, honest - I can’t imagine the courage it took to write this book, but it is a story you will not be able to put down until the last page. I hope this has a healing influence on anyone who reads it.” (Dr. Darrel Ray, president and founder of Recovering from Religion, author of The God Virus and Sex & God, founder of the Secular Therapy Project)

“You will need a fire extinguisher as you read Dave Warnock’s journey. The pages blaze with courage, intensity, drama and heartbreak - and sometimes real fire. This candid revelation of behind-the-scenes ministry has no come-to-Jesus moment. Just the opposite.” (Dan Barker, co-president of Freedom from Religion Foundation, author of Godless and Life Driven Purpose)

What listeners say about Childish Things

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Honest. Brutal. Beautiful.

To give your life, your heart, your soul to a cause that you later realize is false. To have the courage to face that fact unflinchingly. To rebuild your life with grace and purpose.
This should be a depressing, angry story. But it's not. And the performance is astonishing.
Glad I took the trip with Dave.

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Humbling to say the least.

As a former Evangelical Christian who also grew up with a childhood friend's father who had ALS, this hits close to home. Aside from my bias, Dave's story and delivery is engaging, which kept me wanting more even when I reached the end. Thank you Dave. You're an inspiration to say the least.

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Not a feel good book

This is not a feel good book. It is a raw story of deconstructing faith. It spoke to me like no book ever has.

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Amazing

I've read a lot of atheist deconversion stories over the last 2 decades, but Dave's is by far the best. His is the only story that has repeatedly made me get choked-up... And not just at the end, but at various points along the way. I'm so very happy that I got to read this before ALS has caught up to him. I will be recommending his book to everyone I can.

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A very personal and touching story of finding who you are

A very compelling story. So personal, thoughtful and moving. It was told like a story rather than a book about deconstructing from Christianity. It was interesting and refreshing to have this kind of perspective.
But it wasn’t sin or the numerous tragedies that occurred in his life or to people around him that eventually lead to Dave’s deconversion it was questioning and studying. Something we should all do with our deeply held beliefs. I love the message that Dave gives with this book and his work. Live life on your terms and die with dignity when you’re ready.

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Dave's Story was so relateable- highly recommend

Dave Warnock's story of coming out of "the faith" was so relatable that I couldn't stop listening. It is a long tale, and wonderfully read by the author in this audiobook version. I think this made a much bigger impact than having someone else narrate.

So many touchpoints brought back memories of the struggle to navigate the realization that I no longer believed in a god that I so fervently had clung to and raised my children with. I had not been raised in a religious family, but came to feel like my own family that I started with my husband would not be legitimate unless we embraced god into our lives and our every day experience.

Listening to Dave's struggles as he designed his life around a church life and the sacrifices he made to do so was very challenging, but so honest that he creates a visual for you that anyone who has done this can see how we lose our "selves" for the sake of our faith in a god that never answers.

One of my own children, who at one time we thought was destined to be a pastor, gave me insight and permission to talk about this unraveling of my faith and I am very grateful that I didn't have to mourn the loss of my children due to walking away from my religion. However, I have mourned a relationship with an adult child due to mental illness and Dave's authentic telling of this experience of grieving relationships- and especially with living children- is on point. At one point, he sings to his daughter and it brought me to tears as I so related to loving a child this much and then experiencing the loss of them in my life as they are still living.

I'm inspired by Dave's story and highly recommend his book and look forward to the next.

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Honest, heartbreaking, and triumphant.

I’m so glad Dave wrote this memoir. I feel honored to have been let inside this incredible man’s life. He’s a wonderful storyteller, and his journey resonated deeply with me.

His faith cost him much, and his change of faith even more. Yet he rises from the ashes a joyful, triumphant man at peace. His story will stay with me for a while.

He apologizes at the beginning for the audio quality due to his ALS. That apology is unnecessary. I loved hearing his words in his own voice. (I did find that I preferred to speed it up just a tad.) I highly recommend this book.

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Beautiful

Deeply personal and touching from cover to cover. Bravo to Dave for telling your journey! Wonderfully written and read.

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Relatable, Compelling

Dave’s story was so compelling and relatable. Anyone who has “left the fold,” so to speak, will find themselves in this book. Well written and performed. I wish Dave the best in his journey.

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Dave's Journey

Dave provides a deep and rewarding look at his life. A wonderful emotional journey.

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