Churched

"Sweet-hearted, funny, and honest,Churchedhad me reminiscing about the little boy searching for God that I once washellip;" -Dan Merchant, writer/director ofLord, Save Us From Your Followers Churcheddetails an American boyrs"s experiences growing up in a culture where men werenrs"t allowed to let their hair grow to touch their ears ("an abomination!"), women wouldnrs"t have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldnrs"t preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. In 1978, when Matthew Paul Turner was five, his family became sold-out members of an independent Baptist church, joining without any firsthand knowledge of Christian fundamentalism, only his parentsrs" sincere desire to follow God. InChurched, with wit and careful observation, he reveals the tenderness and grace that managed to seep through the cracks and a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion falls in love with Jesus. "Churchedis funny, poignant, and surprisingly moving." -Sara Miles, author ofTake This Bread "A memoirist who doesnrs"t take himself or the world too seriously, but still writes profoundly and beautifully, Turner gave me a belly-laugh on almost every page." -Lisa Samson, award-winning author ofQuaker Summer,Embrace MeandJustice in the Burbs

Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker and author of The Coffeehouse Gospel, Provocative Faith, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus, the What You Didn’t Learn from Your Parents About… series, and several other popular books. He has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single magazines and was the former editor of CCM magazine. Matthew and his wife, Jessica, live in Nashville, Tennessee. He can be found online at www.matthewpaulturner.com. 


From the Hardcover edition.