About this item
The story of a former Evangelical Christian turned openly gay atheist who now works to bridge the divide between atheists and the religiousThe stunning popularity of the “New Atheist” movement—whose most famous spokesmen include Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens—speaks to both the growing ranks of atheists and the widespread, vehement disdain for religion among many of them. In Faitheist, Chris Stedman tells his own story to challenge the orthodoxies of this movement and make a passionate argument that atheists should engage religious diversity respectfully. Becoming aware of injustice, and craving community, Stedman became a “born-again” Christian in late childhood. The idea of a community bound by God’s love—a love that was undeserved, unending, and guaranteed—captivated him.
About the Author
Chris Stedman is a Minneapolis-based writer, speaker, and community organizer. He is the author of "IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives" and "Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious." Chris has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and PBS, and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Pitchfork, VICE, USA Today, The Huffington Post, The Rumpus, The LA Review of Books, and The Washington Post. He currently writes THREAD, a newsletter exploring the threads connecting online and offline life.The founding director of the Humanist Center of Minnesota, Chris was previously the founding director of the Yale Humanist Community and a fellow at Yale University, a humanist chaplain at Harvard University, and a content developer and trainer for Interfaith Youth Core. He currently serves as a fellow at Augsburg University and as the Network of ELCA Colleges and universities' 2020-21 visiting lecturer.Details magazine named Chris one of "five next-gen gurus who are disrupting religion's status quo" and Mic called him "the millennial who's busting every stereotype about atheists." In 2018 Augsburg University selected him for their annual First Decade Award, which recognizes alumni "who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the community" ten years after graduating.
