Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith

New
Paperback
2011
$15.55

Barbara Brown Taylor is one of America's most renowned and beloved spiritual writers and author of the acclaimed An Altar in the World. Here she reflects on keeping faith and the relentless demands that characterise life for so many today. In this moving and memorable book she writes of her life and work as a priest and the burden of being one of the most celebrated preachers in America. She recalls with grace and wit what led her to priestly ministry, the privilege of exploring the mysteries of God with others, her growing fame, the crisis it provoked and the unexpected blessings that followed. Having been part of a team in a large urban church for ten years, she sought a parish of her own and it was love at first sight when she was invited to view a small rural parish in Georgia. Little did she imagine that here Jesus's words about losing one's life in order to find it would have such impact. She tells of the rapid growth of the church, the crowds who travelled miles to hear her preach, the tensions that arose - and the call to lay it all aside in order to rediscover the authentic heart of her faith.

Synopsis

Barbara Brown Taylor is one of America's most renowned and beloved spiritual writers and author of the acclaimed An Altar in the World. Here she reflects on keeping faith and the relentless demands that characterise life for so many today. In this moving and memorable book she writes of her life and work as a priest and the burden of being one of the most celebrated preachers in America. She recalls with grace and wit what led her to priestly ministry, the privilege of exploring the mysteries of God with others, her growing fame, the crisis it provoked and the unexpected blessings that followed. Having been part of a team in a large urban church for ten years, she sought a parish of her own and it was love at first sight when she was invited to view a small rural parish in Georgia. Little did she imagine that here Jesus's words about losing one's life in order to find it would have such impact. She tells of the rapid growth of the church, the crowds who travelled miles to hear her preach, the tensions that arose - and the call to lay it all aside in order to rediscover the authentic heart of her faith.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: 1
Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
Published: 31 Jan 2011
ISBN 10: 1848250657
ISBN 13: 9781848250659

Media Reviews

This beautiful book is rich with wit and humanness and honesty and loving detail. It is a book about the wonderful mess of being alive in this world, and about the wonderful and terrible things that happen to us in it, and about the dream of God. I cannot overstate how liberating and transforming I have found Leaving Church to be. -- Frederick Buechner
Eat this book. And you will be satisfied. Here is a story of a life told with the clarity, beauty, and honesty of a mountain stream. Those who attend church, those who do not, and everyone in-between will find here a feast, and the satisfaction of an eloquent voice speaking the truth. -- Nora Gallagher
Here the reader will find an awesome reverence for mystery. This book comes as a refreshing challenge to reconnect with the longings in the depths of the soul. Many will read this book with relief and recognition. -- Alan Jones
Leaving Church is a canticle of praise to creator and creation. It is a blessed and a blessing text. -- Thomas Lynch
[This] beautiful, absorbing memoir will bless countless readers, helping us see God in the church, and out in the world, and in the small interstices in between. -- Lauren Winner * The Dallas Morning News *
A finely crafted memoir . . . a rich evocation of [a] lifelong love affair with God. * Publishers Weekly *
This is an astonishing book. . . . In a word, she is the best there is. * Living Church *

Author Bio

Barbara Brown Taylor is a priest in the Episcopal church and the author of twelve books which have been showered with awards. She is on the Board of Advisors of Yale Divinity School.