Giving Up God

"""In Giving Up God, Sarah Henn Hayward moves from a binary world with rigid boundaries to a place much messier and muddier-sometimes literally-with room for big questions with no pre-packaged answers. Hayward's writing is compassionate, kind, and generous, and her work left this progressive Christian filled with wonder."" Cynthia Vacca Davis, author of Intersexion ""Sarah Hayward's debut gives us a tender yet provocative deconversion testimony. With great compassion and kindness for everyone still embracing faith, she yet raises all her questions and, yes, bold complaints without flinching: Where is God in moments of gross injustice? How could a universe-creator who is both all-powerful and all-good come up with the terribly flawed reality we all know?"" Stephanie Eagleson, writer of ""Autopsy of Abuse"" ""What stands out the most, though, is [Sarah Hayward's] courage to put everything at risk and ask the hard questions. The result is she discovers herself and who she may be in the world, as well as a deeper connection to the ones she loves and the universe. If you are deconstructing, questioning your beliefs, and your relationship to religion and the church, read this book for encouragement and validation."" David Hayward, aka NakedPastor, author of Flip It Like This! ""This book is something rare-a story about leaving religion that comes off as calm, healthy, and appreciative. It is a nice reminder that 'losing faith, ' whatever the negative connotations, is really about personal growth."" Tim Mathis, author of I Hope I Was Wrong about Eternal Damnation ""Sarah set out to write a book that would 'be a source of comfort and camaraderie for anyone who had a deep faith and has left it behind.' In Giving Up God, she did all of that and so much more. Though our experiences are different, Sarah beautifully articulated many of my own struggles and joys on this journey from evangelicalism to atheism."" Nicki Pappas, author of As Familiar as Family and Becoming Egalitarian ""Giving Up God is not a journey on some well-tread path traveled only by intellectual elites. Sarah's story carefully charts the everyday course for what is now a widespread movement. She helps us build a new narrative. It's a tribute to honesty and a more expansive notion of what is beautiful and good, both spiritually for the individual but also morally for society."" David Morris, author of Lost Faith and Wandering Souls ""Hayward brings the reader right along on this genuine, and often uncomfortable, process of discovery. Giving Up God is a bold and worthwhile read."" Julia Soplop, award-winning author of Equus Rising and Information Crisis: How a Better Understanding of Science Can Help Us Face the Greatest Problems of Our Time ""In Giving Up God, Sarah Henn Hayward . . . gives voice to the doubts so many of us face and methodically investigates the teachings of the church as she parses out what she really believes. Hayward expresses both the fear and loss, as well as the wonder and liberation, of life after religion, bringing us along on a journey of hope."" Cait West, author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy"