Joan Ball, author of Flirting With Faith, and William Lobdell, who wrote Losing My Religion, get to the heart of faith in Part 3 of their 4-part conversation. "I embrace a very uncertain faith that many people are trying to make certain," Joan says. "By trying to make our faith certain, one cannot help but box it in and intellectualize it and make it human.

Joan Ball, author of Flirting With Faith, and William Lobdell, author of Losing My Religion, continue their conversation about God and faith and Christians. "I don't think there are a lot of Christians out there that deep down truly believe the Gospels," says William. "If they did, they would act quite differently." Furthermore, he believes Christians lack the courage to stand up when they see abuse and scandal in their own faith.

For her part, Joan has had some wonderful experiences with Christians, and some experiences that make her want to shake her head.

Joan Ball and William Lobdell Part 2: Lack of Courage from

Joan Ball is a former atheist who found faith in the most dramatic way possible. Now, seven years later, she "dances with both faith and doubt." William Lobdell is a former Christian whose crisis of faith compelled him to turn his back on the God he once believed in. Joan's story is told in her new book, Flirting With Faith, while Bill shares his journey in Losing My Religion.

ConversantLife sat down with Joan and Bill for a dialogue about faith and doubt and what it means to honestly confront the most important questions any thoughtful person can ask. Here is Part 1 on a continuing conversation.

continue reading

Joan Ball spent more than fifteen years in the public relations business before making the transition from the boardroom to the classroom in 2007. She currently teaches marketing at St. John's University in New York City.

In Flirting With Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life (Simon & Schuster), Joan shares with bold candor how she allowed her career and the money, prestige, and possessions that came with it to overshadow the things that were most important in life. As her friend Makoto Fujimura says, "She dances with both faith and doubt, while being unflinchingly honest each step of the way.  Her authentic wrestling will confound skeptics, challenge believers and comfort those who mourn." Anne Jackson adds, "With each word, Joan Ball invites us to take a step into her heart where we see the beauty of transformation and the freedom of grace."

continue reading

Anybody who says the book is dead hasn't been keeping up with current events. Truth is, more books are being published now than ever before. Way more.

More than a million book titles were published in 2009--a quarter of those by "traditional" publishers and the rest by self-publishers and micro-niche publishers--including five titles by ConversantLife writers published by Conversant Media Group and Harvest House:

• Apologetics for a New Generation by Sean McDowell: Helping you effectively share the answers to life's big questions with a new generation.
• I Can't See God Because I'm in the Way by Stan Jantz and Bruce Bickel: Showing that a fresh view of God is more accessible than you think.
• The Last TV Evangelist by Phil Cooke: Knowing why the next generation couldn't care less about religious media, and why it matters.
• The God Question by J.P. Moreland: An invitation to honestly explore an entirely new way of living--the way of Jesus.
• The Forecast by Caroline Ferdinandsen: A counterfeit memoir the lets the author lie the entire time and still tell you the absolute truth.

continue reading