If your religion isn't as lively as you would like, with fixed ideas and little breathing room, you might have something in common with Jackson, who questioned the party line when he began to doubt some of his long-held beliefs. Learning the value of asking questions, Jackson awakened to a new understanding of faith, chronicling discoveries that offer hope to fellow sojourners.

In a walk down memory lane, Jackson grows up in the South and settles into a Baptist church which steers him toward a dogma-filled, no-questions-required Baptist university. Moving to California, he starts a mission church, graduates from Golden Gate Seminary in Berkeley, and ministers in, not one but, three Baptist churches.

His career in full swing, Jackson becomes depressed without understanding why. He resigns from the professional ministry and joins a small study group where he faces questions Christians rarely ask, like “Who was the historical Jesus?” He forsakes his Baptist air of superiority, drops his sinner label in favor of simply being human, and expands his world, having fun teaching English in middle school and helping refugees assimilate into our country.

His life is turned inside out on a shopping trip to FoodMaxx when Jackson experiences what he calls GodPresent. God disappears-not by leaving, but by coming so close the space between them was gone. Now, he has more questions than ever . . . and he's loving it.

With humor and as much honesty as you can stand, WHEN GOD DISAPPEARED explains how a fundamentalist evolved into a religious adventurer. In its pages, Jackson invites us to come along and explore our own questions of faith.

Wayland Jackson

Published books