Writing God's Obituary: How a Good Methodist Became a Better Atheist

by Anthony B. Pinn

Overview

A former African American minister revealshis unusual journey from faith to atheism.Anthony Pinn preached his first sermon at age twelve. At eighteen he became one of the youngest ordained ministers in his denomination. He then quickly moved up the ministerial ranks. Eventually he graduated from Columbia University and then received a Master of Divinity in theology and a PhD in religion from Harvard University.All the while, Pinn was wrestling with a growing skepticism. As his intellectual horizons expanded, he became less and less confident in the theism of his upbringing. At the same time, he became aware that his church could offer only anemic responses to theacute social needs of the community. In his mid-twenties, he finally decided to leave the ministry and committed the rest of his life to academia. He went on to become a distinguished scholar of African American humanism and religious history. The once fully committed believer evolved into an equally committed nonbeliever convinced that a secular approach to life offers the best hope of solving humanity's problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616148430
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/04/2014
Pages:	241
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Anthony B. Pinn (Houston, TX) is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities, professor of religious studies, and founding director of the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning at Rice University. He is the first African American full professor to hold an endowed chair in the history of Rice University. He is also director of research for the Institute for Humanist Studies and is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Humanist Association. He is the author or editor of twenty-eight books, most recently Introducing African American Religion, (Routledge, 2012) and The End of God-Talk: An African American Humanist Theology (Oxford University Press, 2012).

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Chapter 1 Always on Death's Doorstep 11

Chapter 2 Nuns and Book's 21

Chapter 3 Church Is in Walking Distance 29

Chapter 4 Doc' in the Pulpit 47

Chapter 5 Church Politics 59

Chapter 6 Can You Say, "Bob Jones"? 83

Chapter 7 New York, New York! 107

Chapter 8 Wait for the Next Train 125

Chapter 9 They Don't Really Train Preachers 137

Chapter 10 The Church across from the Park 149

Chapter 11 Godless 159

Chapter 12 Thinking My Thoughts… You Don't Have to Agree 171

Chapter 13 Minnesota… Not So Nice 183

Chapter 14 Enter the UUA 199

Chapter 15 Don't Mess with Texas 207

Chapter 16 Whose Humanism? 219

Chapter 17 Staking a Claim 225

Reading List 229

Index of People and Places 233

Index of Subjects 237

Editorial Reviews

"Writing God's Obituary is a story of liberation and redemption but not of the customary kind. Writing with eloquence and authenticity, Anthony Pinn shares his journey of deliverance from traditional religious practice.. .. His is a story that will appeal to anyone who has struggled with questions of faith or navigated the complexities of race.”—William F. Schulz, former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association“A powerful story of a spiritual journey from a boy evangelical preacher to a brilliant, intellectual humanist. This is a much-needed challenge to the faith of black Christians and others, especially theologians.”—James H. Cone , Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary, and author of A Black Theology of Liberation

From the Publisher

02/15/2014
Pinn (founding director, Ctr. for Engaged Research & Collaborative Learning, Rice Univ.; The End of God-Talk: An African American Humanist Theology) traces an unusual process of regression from faith, a kind of deconversion. A child star of a preacher and then minister, Pinn zoomed through Columbia College and Harvard University as his confidence in the faith of his upbringing leached away. This unvarnished narrative tells how he came to rest in Unitarian Universalism and humanism, with a passion for the blues. VERDICT As much a story of the rise of an academic as the fall of a believer, this memoir may resonate with the experiences—and disillusionments—of many spiritual seekers and hopeful humanists.

Library Journal