Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of American Evangelicalism

This is a book for folks whose commitment to Jesus has put them at odds with American evangelicalism. ―Shane ClaiborneSo many Americans today love their faith but have found their church doesnt love them back. They then leave seeking community elsewhere. Of all those personal stories few have ever been told by someone so far inside the powerful places of white evangelical Christianity. In this provocative tell-all David Gushee opens the door to the frictions and schisms of evangelicalism tells his own story of leaving and shows that you too can find a Christianity that is worth following.Gushee’s experiences begin with becoming a born-again Southern Baptist in 1978 and end with being kicked out of evangelicalism in 2014 for his principled stance on full LGBTQ inclusion. But his religious pilgrimage proves even broader than that as he leads his doctoral studies at Union Seminary in New York his dismay when the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary expelled female professors and fellow colleagues to his days as every evangelical’s least-favorite liberal and more.In telling his story Gushee speaks to those who have been disillusioned by American Christianity. As he describes his own struggles to find the right path at different stages of his journey he highlights the turning points and decisions that we all face. When do we compromise and when do we stand our ground? Is holding to moral conviction worth sacrificing friendship jobs and security? As he takes us through his sometimes-amusing sometimes-heartbreaking and always-stirring journey Gushee shows us that we can retain our faith in Christ even when Christians disappoint us.