Reasons to Believe

One Man's Journey Among the Evangelicals and the Faith He Left Behind

Description

From a veteran journalist and former 60 Minutes producer comes an intimate portrait of evangelicals, one of the most influential forces in America today, and the story of how this lapsed believer came to terms with his faith.

"In 2003, while on assignment for 60 Minutes, I interviewed a couple for a piece on the Left Behind series, the bestselling Christian novels about the apocalypse. At the end of that meeting, they asked me a question: would I be left behind? In other words, had I accepted Jesus as my savior or would I go to hell? This book represents the answer to that question."

Born again at age sixteen, John Marks later abandoned his faith. In Reasons to Believe he attempts to cross a deep cultural barrier to understand those who now condemn his way of life. He grapples with the message that millions of evangelicals attempt to deliver to their fellow citizens every day and speaks at length with missionaries, political activists, theologians, Christian musicians, and filmmakers—the rich and powerful, the poor and broken, and the pastors who have turned small congregations into megachurches.

This is familiar and often comforting territory for Marks, and he still has a profound understanding of what it means to be an evangelical. In Reasons to Believe he presents this world from the inside out.

About the author(s)

After writing for U.S. News & World Report for a decade, John Marks became a producer for Morley Safer at 60 Minutes. Marks is the author of three novels; Reasons to Believe is his first work of nonfiction. He is a Texas native and a graduate of Davidson College, and has an MA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. He lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Reviews

“Courageous investigative journalism...a memoir of startling self-reflection…Marks writes with unfailing intelligence, insight, and deep compassion.” — Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Marks gives us a stunning glimpse of American evangelicalism in all its variety.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A penetrating view into what has been the dominant strain of Christian faith in America in recent decades.” — Brian McLaren

“Marks tracks his former born again faith with a ruthless critical eye.” — Darcey Steinke

“Illuminates a world that most people think they know... will reshape your views of the future of faith.” — Bruce Feiler

“For an intelligent, first-person tour through the large American evangelical landscape, readers could not do much better than John Marks’s REASONS TO BELIEVE.” — U.S. News & World Report

More All Other Nonfiction