Praise for 'Losing My Religion'

From the New York Times:

"There are many great books about finding God. But there are far fewer books, great or otherwise, about finding and then losing God. So 'Losing My Religion,' by William Lobdell, a former religion writer for The Los Angeles Times, feels powerfully fresh ... While Lobdell never entirely rejects belief in the supernatural, his humane, even-tempered book does more to advance the cause of irreligion than the bilious atheist tracts by Christopher Hitchens and others that have become so common. And Lobdell’s self-deprecating memoir is far more fun to read ...

From Christopher Hitchens, author of “God Is Not Great“:

“William Lobdell really and truly wanted to believe. When he came to realize that wanting and believing are two sides of the same coin, he decided to take the risk of basing morality on the modest of human reason and solidarity instead of on the self-defeating arrogance of faith."

From Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and author:

“This is the most intellectually honest and emotionally courageous book I have ever read, and it’s a page turner from cover to cover. The new atheist community will embrace it, of course, but I think all Christians owe it to themselves to read [it] … Lobdell is willing to go where few religious believers can. To find out where that place is you must read this book.”

From Librarything.com:

What would you do if you “discovered” one day that the rock upon which you had built your spiritual house, the the God to whom you had devoted your life and to whom you assigned thanks for all your good fortune, the greatest love of your life, never existed? William Lobdell takes his readers by the hand and walks us through his spiritual life; From it’s joyful birth, it’s often uncomfortable growing pains and maturity to it’s slow weakening and eventual demise. While focusing on his faith and his own spiritual path, the author joyfully throws himself into the role of a religious writer for a major newspaper, not apologizing for downfalls or weakness within the church but rejoicing in stories of perserverance and belief only to find that by the end of the journey he had lost his way. Confronted with the growing evidence of lives destroyed by sexual abuse, phony faith healers and greedy televangelists and the niggling doubts about why God always gets the credit but never the blame, Lobdell struggles to hang on until he can no longer maintain the facade, even for himself. Never bitter or judgmental, Lobdell explores the often misunderstood grief and sense of failure that accompanies the loss of faith. The personal disappointment, but also the sense of failing one’s friends and family who remain within the framework of faith. How do you tell your wife? Your minister? Your best friend? How do you tell your readers? “Losing My Religion” isn’t a recitation of the many evils of organized religion. It isn’t a push by the author to abandon God. It isn’t even a memoir so much as it is a love story, a tale of love found and love lost. (Five out of five stars.)

From Barry Minkow, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in San Diego:

"There is one theme to Bill Lobdell’s book and he uses the famous “if-then” proposition to prove that theme. That is, “if” God exists and has transformed the lives of people–especially we church people–”then” we should see Jesus like evidence of this transformation in the lives of professed followers."

Dr. Marvin Meyer, co-editor, “The Gnostic Bible”:

“Written with humor, honesty, and passion, this is a book that should be read by all those who seek to confront, as Lobdell has, the ethical scandals and theological challenges that have shaken Christianity to its core.”

The Rev. John Huffman, chairman of the board of Christianity Today:

Bill Lobdell has written a heart/mind/soul-wrenching spiritual autobiography. He has been inspired by followers of Jesus who have served their Lord with integrity. But he has also been devastated by observing, up-close, the ugly, sinful underbelly of a critical, self-serving institutional and individual religion. This is a must read filled with warnings and wake-up calls to those of us in leadership positions. I respect Bill for his honest reporting of his odyssey to this point and pray that someday there may be a future book, just as honest, with a grace-filled conclusion.

As the senior pastor of a church for the last 12 years, I wholeheartedly believe that every Christian who wants to equip themselves to do the Great Commission and not just talk about the Great Commission better think through the passionate and detailed account of Bill’s de-conversion. No longer can I offer the trite answer of “don’t judge a philosophy by its abuse” as Bill debunks that argument with his sincerity and transparency.

Not only do I love and respect Bill, I thoroughly learned by reading his book that I am also a contributor to his de-conversion in my apathy towards the hurting and the needy. No, the book did not harm my faith in the Lord Jesus, it just demonstrated that the Emperor has no clothes and that I am one of the emperors.

One last thing. The cover of Bill’s book says it all. It shows the picture of a candle with a barely lit ember. The optimist in me says that with that little light, there is still hope that Bill will once again regain the faith that he once held. That will depend largely on my love for him and Christ like behavior that is so absent from my life that I never knew of until I read this book.