Faitheist, by Chris Stedman

Stedman, the assistant humanist chap­lain at Harvard, grew up in a secular family. He had a conversion experience in an evangelical setting, but this foundered when he came out as gay. A sojourn with the Luth­erans led to attendance at Augs­burg Col­lege, where Sted­man lost his faith while a religion major. In time he realized that he didn’t belong to the militant antireligious crowd. “Faitheist” was a label put on him by other atheists who were offended by the fact that he didn’t find his identity in being against religion. He’s the anti–Christopher Hitchens, and though he lacks the intellectual and literary powers of Hitchens, his story needs to be heard and engaged.