I really, really wanted to love this book. (I'm probably related to the author, though I would need to know his father's name to be sure.)

The greatest downfall of this book is the author's willful blindness to current reality. As an editor for Christianity Today, Drew should know what the biggest problem facing North American Christianity is today: church leaders and members engaging in sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence, pedophilia, incest, and more gross immorality and the apathy towards or aggressive protection of the criminals which is the opposite of what anyone would expect a God-fearing person to do if they had read I Corinthians 5.

Many, many, many of my friends have left the Church because of the belief in male authority and supremacy is the MOST important doctrine for most adherents of the churchianity that calls itself Christianity. It is more important to them that the White male mini popes of each church and denomination retain their power as it exists today than to follow Jesus' clear commands in regards to how to treat women and children. Jesus commanded that if your eye or hand causes you to sin (lust), you should cut it off, and if you are causing a little one to stumble you should tie a millstone around your neck and jump into the sea. If you can take fairly vague commandments about homosexuality literally, then it shouldn't be a problem to take Jesus' repeated commandments about lust, adultery, and harming children even more literally.

This isn't to say that Drew completely misses the point: "The gender issue looms large for neo-pagan leavers, whether they're women or men. It will surface quickly in any conversation you have with them about your faith. They commonly report growing up in 'Christian' environments where women were treated as second-class citizens, or even outright abused." He then goes on to talk about the "historical injustices" done to women. Historical?!?! How about ongoing and current? How about acknowledging that half of all Christian women will be raped by the time that they die (and the perpetrator will usually call himself a Christian), at least a quarter of all Christian girls will be sexually abused by age 18 and probably the same ratio for Christian boys, and all Christian women will be sexually harassed by someone who calls himself a Christian? We don't even have good statistics for the percentage of women in evangelical churches who are victims of domestic violence, but it could be half of all evangelical women. All of the leadership turns a blind eye to this because women and children are considered at best second-class citizens, but more like non-humans, by nearly all men in power.

How to bring back young (and old) adults who are leaving the church? Start cleaning house completely! Send every pedophile and rapist and physical abuser to jail where they belong! You can't be salt and light when you are at the bottom of a swamp of sexual filth. Pagans and atheists won't tolerate the violence that churchianity adores and protects. Treat women and children with the same level of honor that Jesus has for us and cherish us in the same manner that Jesus cherishes us. Expel the evildoers and the false teachers like the New Testament commands and exhorts and warns about repeatedly, over and over, redundantly. Quit worshipping and exalting penises! (And if you swear up and down that you don't worship penises, stop and consider how you prioritize keeping penis-owners happy/pleasured/content over keeping God's commands. Do you consider it more important that Mr. John Doe continue getting the chance at penile pleasure from ogling teenage girls than to confront him and expel him from your church and report him to the police for being a pedophile? If a boy or girl tells you that Pastor Smith has been doing things that make them uncomfortable, do you immediately call the police to report Pastor Smith like God commands [turn over the evildoers to the magistrates] or do you choose to worship male sexual pleasure rather than God? Like every sermon I have ever heard on idolatry, whatever you prioritize is what you worship....and evangelicals idolize and worship penises and penis-bearers.)

Drew pulled punches and took the easy road when he wrote this book. I understand why. The adherents of churchianity won't buy a book that actually confronts the glaring problem, so if he wants his book to sell, he's got to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. His employer would probably fire him if he directed people to every passage in the Bible that condemns the wolves in shepherd's clothing and the false teachers and the [modern-day reincarnation of the] Pharisees.

If you want to bring people back to the Church, show them your actions of testifying in governmental courts against criminal predators. Show them the financial contributions you make to support women and children fleeing predators. Show them the house repairs, free babysitting, car repairs, physical support, and emotional support you give to survivors of abuse. That screams louder than any words you can utter. ( )