The Long Surrender: A Memoir About Losing My Religion - 9781959770121

After 30 years of preaching, Brian Rush McDonald walked away from the pulpit. He had become a Jesus freak during the tumult of high school desegregation in the 1970s in Mobile, Alabama, and then immersed himself in the dogma of fundamentalism at Bob Jones University. Anxiety about unsaved souls facing eternal damnation, doubts about harsh doctrine, and guilt about his sexual longings as a young adult-he attributed it all to Satanic attacks. He became a youth and music minister, married his high school sweetheart, and became a father to three children, but continued to wrestle with the rigidity of his religion. Discretely, he managed depression and anxiety with therapy and medication. He took his family to Taiwan where he became a missionary, experienced a different culture, learned a new language, and broadened his life outlook. Discomfort with dogma and fundamentalism increased and after seven years he returned to America and became a pastor for Chinese American churches. McDonald pursued a Ph.D. from The College of William & Mary where he came to understand himself better by studying spiritual development across the lifespan. Despite the somber nature of the subject, the book will entertain the reader with heartwarming stories of the author's youth and later adventures, as well as the homespun wit of someone who grew up in the rural south. THE LONG SURRENDER is a riveting memoir about losing religion to find freedom.

Author: Brian Rush McDonald

Publisher: Wisdom Editions

Publication Date: Dec 22, 2022

Number of Pages: 262 pages

Language: English

Binding: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1959770128

ISBN-13: 9781959770121