'Not the Religious Type' Author Takes Questions Oct. 29 at Abunga.com
Contact: Kristin Cole, A. Larry Ross Communications, 615-289-6701, kristin@alarryross.com; www.Abunga.com/media
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., October 23 /Christian Newswire/ -- Abunga.com, the family-friendly bookstore, is hosting a free online chat with Dave Schmelzer, pastor of Vineyard Christian Fellowship and author of "Not the Religious Type: Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist," on Oct. 29 as a part of the weekly "Authors at Abunga" chat series.
The one-hour chat, held from 2-3 p.m. EDT, will provide an opportunity for Schmelzer to answer participants' questions and have honest, open dialog related to his own personal experience with religion, views on God and faith in a postmodern world - particularly what he has defined as stage-four faith.
"Everyone is affected by 'religion,' whether they consider themselves to be religious or not," said Abunga.com Chairman Lee Martin. "There are many different views, and Abunga.com is happy to provide an outlet for readers to have a thoughtful conversation about this topic with Dave Schmelzer, who has lived on both sides of religion."
"Not the Religious Type," in the tradition of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" and G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy," is a look at faith in the context both the secular and religious community and suggests a new, unexpected way of seeing the world and our place in it. The book has been endorsed by noteworthy secularists such as Andre Dubus III; evangelicals including Brian McLaren; and intellectuals such as Harvard Dean Sue Brown. "Not the Religious Type" offers a winsome invitation to everyone - secular or religious - into an unexpected and perhaps transforming journey with God.
Publisher's Weekly says about his book, "Schmelzer has a disarmingly low-key way with words, a refreshing change from the fighting terms so often employed in battles over religious truth. His self-deprecating tone is persuasive even while he makes bold statements about the power of faith. He asserts, for example, that prayer can bring about physical healing, a statement he backs with evidence from his own family and a few other instances. Yet he's honest enough to admit he has no answer to the question of why God permits suffering. Schmelzer's mild-mannered theological humility is winning."
In his book, Schmelzer discusses stage-four faith and encourages readers to develop "a new and warmer spring" - a way of thinking that he believes will help both secularists who never imagined they would become people of faith and also people of faith who perhaps have not experienced all from God that they had hoped. To hear others' thoughts and engage in the conversation about stage-four faith, visit www.notreligious.typepad.com. Additional information about "Not the Religious Type" is available at http://Abunga.com/FeaturedAuthorSchmelzer.
The Abunga.com Schmelzer chat will take place from 2-3 p.m. EDT on Oct. 29 at http://Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga. Questions are currently being accepted at the "Authors at Abunga" Web page and will also be taken during the chat. An archive of the chat will be available at Abunga.com on the following day for those unable to attend.
In addition to the weekly online chats, Abunga.com also donates 5 percent of all net purchases to a nonprofit organization of the consumer's choice through the Favored Abunga Nonprofit (FAN) program. Currently, Abunga.com has more than 8,000 different FANs to choose from including Schmelzer's nonprofit organization, Not Religious Inc., and thousands of churches around the nation, such as Vineyard Christian Fellowship.
"We have had many topics of discussion during our weekly chats from finances to parenting to fiction writing," Martin said. "We are excited to see the questions readers will have for Dave about religion and the enlightened conversation they will initiate."
Abunga.com is an online bookstore founded to provide families a protected shopping environment. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Abunga.com offers safety with more than 2 million family-friendly titles; savings through distributor-direct prices; and support to nonprofit organizations by donating 5 percent of each net transaction to a customer-selected charity. For more information, visit www.Abunga.com.
Note to Editors: For more information about Abunga.com, please visit http://Abunga.com/media.
