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A review by ricefun
Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious by Chris Stedman
5.0
Stedman shares his own story of conversion and re-version in a humble and engaging way. He has chosen to act boldly and proactively in interfaith circles as a convicted atheist. In this book, he is sharing his own journey to atheism, and alongside, his deep investment in humanity, something he feels he shares with many atheists who are drown out by flashy, loud "new atheists" that spew a fundamentalism unhealthy to any person, of faith or not. When the label "faitheist" was leveled at him as an insult, insinuating that he was not a pure atheist, he chose instead to adopt that moniker for himself to represent his understanding of ways to better the world through dialogue and service. He is trying define atheism in constructive terms, instead of defining it as not-faith.
As a convinced follower of Christ, I do not agree with Stedman's religious worldview. However, like the conclusions my thesis work about prayer coverings brought me to, I agree wholeheartedly with Stedman that conversations with those who differ from our faith decisions are much more productive than assumptions about "them" as a group - this applies to a wide variety of groups we categorize with "us" and "them" language. When we humanize them, we find they may have more in common with us than we ever imagined. Or, at least we are less likely to with the destruction of all of "them."
Finally, there is a delightful Church of the Brethren cameo that makes an appearance in the last chapter. It really made me smile :)
As a convinced follower of Christ, I do not agree with Stedman's religious worldview. However, like the conclusions my thesis work about prayer coverings brought me to, I agree wholeheartedly with Stedman that conversations with those who differ from our faith decisions are much more productive than assumptions about "them" as a group - this applies to a wide variety of groups we categorize with "us" and "them" language. When we humanize them, we find they may have more in common with us than we ever imagined. Or, at least we are less likely to with the destruction of all of "them."
Finally, there is a delightful Church of the Brethren cameo that makes an appearance in the last chapter. It really made me smile :)