Stellman - Misfit faith: confessions of a drunk ex-pastor

Introduction
(Or, I Once was Found, but Now Im Lost)

Chapter 1 / Daddy Issues
(Or, Does God Deserve That Worlds Best Father Mug?)

Chapter 2 / Matter Matters
(Or, How Grace Perfects Nature)

Chapter 3 / Love, Not Law
(Or, Taking Our First Step into a Larger World)

Chapter 4 / Unity in Diversity
(Or, Were One but Were Not the Same)

Chapter 5 / Shit Happens
(Or, the Excruciating Disruption of Power)

Chapter 6 / Too Good to Be False
(Or, Religion Is a Fairy Tale)

I used to be a pastor, but Im not anymore. I used to have the respect of a congregation and colleagues in ministry, but I dont anymore. I used to be able to pay my bills, but I cant anymore. (In fact, the very day I had my first phone conversation with my publishers marketing department about this book was the day I was approved for food stamps. Those benefits were since slashed to almost nothing.) Im this close to saying that I used to believe in God, but I dont anymore, but I cant. Call me stubborn, but I do still believe in him, despite an alarming amount of evidence that he doesnt believe in me. I suppose what this makes me is a misfit. And if youre reading this book, chances are youre one too. So I hope youre okay with hearing confessions, because theres some stuff I need to get off my chest.

As usual, G. K. Chesterton said it best: If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. I heartily agree and have taken up this maxim and made it into something of a motto for my own life (although my version of it is more along the lines of Id rather suck at something awesome than be awesome at something that sucks). So true to form, I am now a really bad Catholic. But in a spirit of perverse paradox, I cant help but wonder if perhaps Christianity is done best when done poorly. I mean, a lot of water has flowed under a lot of bridges since Jesus was around, and admiring him has gotten pretty complex and difficult over the last couple of millennia. Dont get me wrong, I appreciate details and dogma as much as the next guy, but as someone who has little patience these days for spiritual correctness (having learned my lesson), I have just found that stripping things back to basics results in a faith that, despite not really fitting any prior mold, is simple enough to actually practice. I suppose thats what this book is all about: When misfits try to have faith, its only a matter of time until they screw it all up. But unlike spinal surgery or online banking, theres a certain beauty in imprecision and inexactitude when applied to Christianity. Doing it wrong is sort of an indirect way of doing it right, while those who actually think theyre doing it right are mostly just complete tools that not even Jesus can stand. Misfit Faith, then, is kind of shorthand for the Christianity practiced by those whove learned the hard way that there is no easy way, who have no other hope than the last being first, and who have discovered that failing at the best thing is itself an ironic success.

But before we get into all that, some background.