A well-done collection of case studies and analysis of on people who underwent religious conversions. It's divided into four parts: Christian to atheist, Jew to Messianic Jew, Roman Catholic to Evangelical, and Evangelical to Roman Catholic. I'm really surprised that the topic of religious conversion is so neglected. I wish there were many more books like this, detailing a wider range of religions, as I find the subject fascinating.

NCLA Review -Fascinating. Illuminating. Comforting. Finding Faith, Losing Faith tackles a big why? Why does a person convert in the first place? What causes someone to shed a faith system? Answers emerged as McKnight and Ondrey immersed themselves in stories of conversions. Certain elements (e.g. crisis, quest) were present in all the stories, though the particulars are as unique as each person. The book has four main divisions—Leaving Church, Finding Freedom; Leaving the Synagogue, Finding the Church; Leaving Rome, Finding Wheaton; Leaving Wheaton, Finding Rome, plus intro and conclusion and an extensive bibliography which includes Web sites. Conversion and apostasy are life-altering experiences, often with unpleasant social consequences. The authors urge us to learn from others’ conversion experiences rather than denounce them. Anyone who wishes to share the Good News would benefit greatly from reading the examples and conclusions in this book. Even though I “only” converted from a fundamentalist church to a mainstream one, I recognized myself in its pages. Those who have “lost” a loved one to another religious frame work , or to none, may better understand the needs that pulled them away. Rating: 4 —DKW 258p, paper, Baylor University 2008, 978-1-60258-162-3, $19.95 [204.2] ( )