Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God: How to give love, create beauty and find peace Paperback – May 7, 2014
See all 4 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
$10.64
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
 If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle Edition for FREE. Print edition purchase must be sold by Amazon.
Learn more. |
Start reading Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
"All we have is ourstories," writes novelist Schaeffer (Crazy for God, 2008, etc.) in this entertaining,energetic new memoir. He follows through on this point by filling his book withstory after story, all told with the clarity and catchy pacing of a bornraconteur.... An intriguing, readablememoir aimed squarely at the post-faith modern era." (KIRKUS Review)
Review
“Part of the impact here, admittedly, is a result of who Frank Schaeffer is and of the platform from which he writes. That cannot obscure the fact, however—indeed, must not be allowed to obscure the fact—that in places this theological meditation cum memoir is arrestingly beautiful in and of itself, that it is, in fact, absolutely redolent of all the power that beautiful suggests. Schaeffer’s openness about his own wrestling with the concepts of God and god-ness which he inherited from his parents is heartrending at times, but it is also deadly honest and always unshielded. It is also balanced in a most gentle way by Schaeffer’s quiet defense of the traditional and his appreciation for its place in well-lived life. In fact, one leaves the final pages of WHY I AM AN ATHEIST WHO BELIEVES IN GOD aware yet once again that sometimes and in some circumstances, an artist is still the best theologian.” — Phyllis Tickle author of The Age of the Spirit
“Frank Schaeffer always writes well, but Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes In God is extraordinary. Somewhere between the sterile, absolute, and empty formulae of reductionist, totalitarian science and the earnest, hostile, excessively certain make-believe of religious fundamentalism, there is a beautiful place. There is room in this place for honesty. For tenderness. For fury. For wonder. For hope. For mistakes. For paradox. For grace. This book is written from that in-between place. It will help you get there too, if you're interested in finding it.” — Brian D. McLaren author/speaker/activist
“A delight and charmer of a read---deft insights, burnished gold probes, arrow hit bull’s eye well again and again.” — Ron Dart (Thomas Merton Society of Canada)
“Frank Schaeffer always writes well, but Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes In God is extraordinary. Somewhere between the sterile, absolute, and empty formulae of reductionist, totalitarian science and the earnest, hostile, excessively certain make-believe of religious fundamentalism, there is a beautiful place. There is room in this place for honesty. For tenderness. For fury. For wonder. For hope. For mistakes. For paradox. For grace. This book is written from that in-between place. It will help you get there too, if you're interested in finding it.” — Brian D. McLaren author/speaker/activist
“A delight and charmer of a read---deft insights, burnished gold probes, arrow hit bull’s eye well again and again.” — Ron Dart (Thomas Merton Society of Canada)
More About the Author
New York Times best selling author of more than a dozen books Frank Schaeffer is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director and producer of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as "pretty terrible," and a best selling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Frank is the author of "And God Said, 'Billy!'" and many other books. Frank's three semi-biographical novels about growing up in a fundamentalist mission: "Portofino," "Zermatt" and "Saving Grandma" have a worldwide following and have been translated into nine languages. Jane Smiley writing in the Washington Post (7/10/11) says this of Frank's memoirs "Crazy For God" and "Sex, Mom and God": "[Schaeffer's] memoirs have a way of winning a reader's friendship...Schaeffer is a good memoirist, smart and often laugh-out-loud funny...Frank seems to have been born irreverent, but his memoirs have a serious purpose, and that is to expose the insanity and the corruption of what has become a powerful and frightening force in American politics... Frank has been straightforward and entertaining in his campaign to right the political wrongs he regrets committing in the 1970s and '80s...As someone who has made redemption his work, he has, in fact, shown amazing grace."
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 68 people found the following review helpful
By
Jennifer Henry
on May 17, 2014
Format: Paperback
3 Comments
Sending feedback...
I met Frank Schaeffer briefly last summer at a festival I was attending. I didn’t know very much about him at the time, other than he was the son of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. I have since read a few blog posts and heard friends talk about him. I had not read any of Frank’s books until this one. “Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God” is beautifully written. Frank articulates the struggle between faith, doubt, and belief very well. I found myself drawn into his stories and thinking along the same lines throughout much of this book. I was encouraged by the story Frank shares of Holly and the eulogy her son, Noah, gave. “My mother’s creed was ‘create beauty, give love, find peace.’” And I agree with Frank that “That’s the best description of the point of living I’ve heard.” What I took away from reading “Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God” is that what we think, know, or believe is of little importance in the art of creating beauty, giving love, and finding peace. In the end, what is important is who we are becoming.
I highly recommend reading this book.
*This is my first review of a book. I'm crossing that off my bucket list!
I highly recommend reading this book.
*This is my first review of a book. I'm crossing that off my bucket list!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By
Susan Barton
on May 12, 2014
Format: Paperback
1 Comment
Sending feedback...
As a chaplain, in a hospital, I work with people from all walks of life. And what I've learned to do is to "leave space" for the stories that I hear. I try to listen without judgement. But I know that my experience is different from most people. Many people seem to have room for only one way of understanding because they are so busy that they do not want to take the mental energy for "leaving space" because that means taking time to really listen to the story of the other and then taking time to sit with the difficult questions posed by listening. Frank's book has been a refreshing read for me as he states a lot of what I think on a given day. He seems to have lived with the weird, wrestled with it and now has come to a place of allowing space for it all. He seems OK with recognizing that he does not have all of the answers. "You will always embody contradiction he says," and to that I say "Yes!" And maybe what is most endearing to me about the book is the insights that Frank has received from his own grandchildren, "Lucy and Jack just accept that life is weird, wonderful and defined by imagination." He listens to them and allows their stories to help him make sense of this very weird world in which we live. I appreciate Frank's authentic voice and his courage for putting words to paper. I hope to use this book as a book study with others……..a springboard for talking about what is and what might be.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
68 of 81 people found the following review helpful
By
Thomas A. Jones
on July 7, 2014
Format: Paperback
3 Comments
Sending feedback...
Frank Schaeffer is receiving much praise for his book. He touches a nerve felt my many of us. We believe, but we also find streaks of unbelief in our efforts to process reality. We may feel that our faith community is not a safe place to voice those kind of thoughts. Except from some downsides I will mention shortly, this could be the kind of book that would encourage more openness
His paradoxical, if not misleading title, probably will draw many to this work. However, as another reviewer has noted, Schaeffer is no atheist. He seems to have many agnostic moments. He is quite accepting of atheists, saying “more power to them,” but he offers far too many reasons for some kind of faith in some kind of god to be called an unbeliever. There is no danger of Richard Dawkins asking him to take Christopher Hitchens’ place among “The Four Horsemen of the Non-Apocalypse.”
Frank frequently voices his appreciation for Jesus, but his Jesus is one that is disconnected from Jewish history and the first century Jewish context. That leads to a serious problem. For one who expresses support for so many of Jesus' words found in the gospels, he seems to miss the fact that Jesus’ main message was the coming of the Kingdom of God. Consequently Frank’s Jesus puts much emphasis on love and forgiveness, but does not call Frank or us to submit to him as Lord or to put ourselves under the reign or “kingness” of God.
For all his acknowledgments as to how much he does not know, Frank still does not seem to exalt or call for the quality of humility that Jesus said was so essential for the Kingdom life. Jesus spoke with reference of the written words saying, “the Scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35).Read more ›
His paradoxical, if not misleading title, probably will draw many to this work. However, as another reviewer has noted, Schaeffer is no atheist. He seems to have many agnostic moments. He is quite accepting of atheists, saying “more power to them,” but he offers far too many reasons for some kind of faith in some kind of god to be called an unbeliever. There is no danger of Richard Dawkins asking him to take Christopher Hitchens’ place among “The Four Horsemen of the Non-Apocalypse.”
Frank frequently voices his appreciation for Jesus, but his Jesus is one that is disconnected from Jewish history and the first century Jewish context. That leads to a serious problem. For one who expresses support for so many of Jesus' words found in the gospels, he seems to miss the fact that Jesus’ main message was the coming of the Kingdom of God. Consequently Frank’s Jesus puts much emphasis on love and forgiveness, but does not call Frank or us to submit to him as Lord or to put ourselves under the reign or “kingness” of God.
For all his acknowledgments as to how much he does not know, Frank still does not seem to exalt or call for the quality of humility that Jesus said was so essential for the Kingdom life. Jesus spoke with reference of the written words saying, “the Scriptures cannot be broken” (John 10:35).Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
33 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By
w brown
on May 9, 2014
Format: Paperback
3 Comments
Sending feedback...
I was fortunate to receive a digital review copy of this book and was engrossed from the first paragraph. Mr. Schaeffer has an engaging writing style. It seemed the book was like one of his paintings, with the subject his life journey so far and his words the paint. He writes as if having a real conversation with a good friend.
Mr. Schaeffer is Eastern Orthodox and writes from a “progressive” Christian outlook. It seems this faith perspective allows him to openly explore doubts about God, hence the atheist slant. I find this point of view interesting, and his honesty refreshing. Even as he draws from the insight of others, his own thoughts and voice are clearly communicated. I felt as if he was saying, “This is how I am and operate in the world, a product of my particular time and circumstances. You probably will not change my mind, but neither will I try to change yours. Let's talk (and argue!)!”
This was, from start to finish, a very enjoyable read.
Mr. Schaeffer is Eastern Orthodox and writes from a “progressive” Christian outlook. It seems this faith perspective allows him to openly explore doubts about God, hence the atheist slant. I find this point of view interesting, and his honesty refreshing. Even as he draws from the insight of others, his own thoughts and voice are clearly communicated. I felt as if he was saying, “This is how I am and operate in the world, a product of my particular time and circumstances. You probably will not change my mind, but neither will I try to change yours. Let's talk (and argue!)!”
This was, from start to finish, a very enjoyable read.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
