“Candace Gorham shows incredible courage as she exposes the insidious messages the Black Church programs into its parishioners. She reveals the depths to which the African-American community is infected with self-defeating messages and looks specifically at the consequences of superstitious behavior on the health, finances, sex lives, and relationships of black women. Any woman (or man) would do well to read this book and learn how religion uses powerful psychological tools to manipulate and control—and how this indoctrination impacts our entire culture.
—Dr. Darrel Ray, author of Sex and God and The God Virus

About the Book

Black women are the single most religious demographic in the United States, yet they are among the poorest, least educated, and least healthy groups in the nation. Drawing on the author's own past experience as an evangelical minister and her present work as a secular counselor and researcher, The Ebony Exodus Project makes a direct connection between the church and the plight of black women. Through interviews with African American women who have left the church, the author reveals the shame and suffering often caused by the church—and the resulting happiness, freedom, and sense of purpose these women have felt upon walking away from it. This book calls on other black women to honestly reflect on their relationship with religion and challenges them to consider that perhaps the answers to their problems rest not inside a church, but in themselves.

About the Author

Candace R. M. Gorham, LPC, is a researcher, teacher, and credentialed counselor who has worked with children, adolescents, and their families for more than ten years. She holds a master's degree from Wake Forest University.

Details

ISBN: 9781939578020
Format: paperback
SRP: $17.95
Page count: 224 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: September 2013

"The time is now for Humanists in the Hood. With compassionate, razor-sharp clarity, Sikivu Hutchinson provides a courageously bold Black, feminist, and atheist road map to liberating ourselves, our communities, and U.S. society. She invites and challenges readers to step outside of comfort zones to consider different possibilities in response to the oppressive systems that silence and annihilate all of us on the margins. Hutchinson’s words are a clarion call for radical, tangible actions for these perilous times."
—Aishah Shahidah Simmons, author of Love WITH Accountability, and Producer/Director of NO! The Rape Documentary

About the Book

Feminism and atheism are "dirty words" that Americans across the political spectrum love to debate—and hate. Throw them into a blender and you have a toxic brew that supposedly defies decency, respectability, and Americana. Add an "unapologetically" Black critique to the mix and it's a deal-breaking social taboo. Putting gender at the center of the equation, progressive "Religious Nones" of color are spearheading an anti-racist, social justice humanism that disrupts the "colorblind" ethos of European American atheist and humanist agendas, which focus principally on church-state separation. These critical interventions build on the lived experiences and social histories of segregated Black and Latinx communities that are increasingly under economic siege. In this context, Hutchinson makes a valuable and necessary call for secular social justice change in a polarized climate where Black women's political power has become a galvanizing national force.

About the Author

Sikivu Hutchinson is an educator, author, and playwright. She is the founder of Black Skeptics Los Angeles and the Women's Leadership Project, a mentoring and civic engagement program for South L.A. girls of color.

Details

ISBN: 9781634311984
Format: paperback
SRP: $14.95
Page count: 135 pages
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
Pub date: April 2020

“An extraordinary offering . . . a cinematic drama . . . an alternative to rancor and a path toward understanding.”
—Gretta Vosper, Minister, West Hill United Church of Toronto; author, With or Without God: Why the Way We Live Is More Important Than What We Believe

About the Book

The story of religion in 21st century America has been defined, in large part, by the stories of zealous pastors moving beyond their faith to embrace a life of reason. But too often and too quickly ardent believers dismiss such accounts as aberrations. Meanwhile atheists and other skeptics struggle to understand what took such individuals so long to make the exit. 

The questions posed by one side inevitably mirror those asked by the other. What does "real" faith look like and how do you know it when you have it? And what allows anyone to be so sure their beliefs are based in reality? What would it take for believers to stop believing in God? And what would it take for nonbelievers to begin? 

Drawing on the author's own story as a former evangelical pastor powerless to stop his turn to atheism, The Rise and Fall of Faith touches on these and other questions. While the aim of the book is to initiate a much-needed conversation between Christians and atheists, it will be up to each of us to carry the discussion forward—in the evaluation of our own inner thoughts, in the assumptions we make about the other side, and in how we work together in the pursuit of understanding and common ground as we navigate the world's quickly changing religious landscape.

About the Author(s)

Drew Bekius a personal coach and the creator of HumanistCoach.com. A former pastor, he serves now as president of The Clergy Project, an international organization providing peer support to deconverted religious leaders in transition. Drew is the father of two daughters and lives in Uptown, Chicago. Dan Barker (foreword by) is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Details

ISBN: 9781634311106
Format: paperback
SRP: $15.95
Page count: 207 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: July 2017

“This is as much an adventure and coming-of-age story as it is a coming-out story (both gay and atheist). It is fast-paced, earthy, and sensitive, taking readers into a fascinating cultural account and series of events that keeps you reading even though you know how it ends. Most noteworthy, in my opinion, is that it clearly shows how sincere and fervent religious belief erodes when logic and clear thinking creep in.  Beware, Christian fundamentalists—this book is dangerous to your beliefs, but is a secular blessing to the rest of us.”
—Linda LaScola, cofounder of The Clergy Project and author with Daniel C. Dennett of Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind

About the Book

In this exceptionally moving and soul-searching memoir, Fernando Alcántar recounts his incredible journey from poor Catholic boy on the dusty streets of Mexico to globetrotting missionary and high-profile Christian leader in the United States—where he eventually left his celebrated life behind to advocate for the liberating power of reason and equality. With heart-wrenching honesty, he shares stories of trauma, tragedy, prejudice, uncertainty, survival, and, ultimately, discovery. In the process, he gives a voice to thousands who are hiding in the shadows, afraid to publicly question their religious, cultural, or sexual identity for fear of isolation and retaliation. You will discover that his is not simply a Mexican story or an American story, a heterosexual's story or a homosexual's story, a Christian's story or an atheist's story. Rather, his is a universal story—one uniquely about and for our times.

About the Author(s)

Fernando Alcántar is a former leader of the Foursquare denomination in Mexico and senior coordinator of North American Partnerships at Azusa Pacific University, where he oversaw hundreds of churches in Mexico and helped to mobilize thousands of missionaries a year from all over the United States and Canada. He later served as director of leadership development for young people for the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is now a gay atheist activist, spreading a message of tolerance, introspection, and understanding. He lives in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Dan Barker (foreword by) is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Details

ISBN: 9781634310482
Format: paperback
SRP: $15.95
Page count: 224 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: November 2015