Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore: From Fundamentalist to Freedom Writer [Hardcover]

Skipp Porteous (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1991

This autobiographical tale is the author's account of his trip to, through, and away from religious fundamentalism. Porteous writes in a chatty style, which will win no awards, but he manages to keep the reader's interest. His story is rather unremarkable - that of a person whose weak character is helped by fundamentalism which later holds him back when he grows beyond the religion's boundaries. He moves on to secular humanism and takes a public stance against his old allies. Porteous is now a strong defender of the First Amendment and of the separation of church and state. His book is an important one, if only because it reflects a common intellectual journey with contemporary relevance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The portentous message of this former fundamentalist's apologia is that the "new religious right" is on the offensive, threatening our First Amendment rights. The author, publisher of the Freedom Writer , a newsletter focusing on issues relating to the separation of church and state, traces a personal evolution that began with youthful "born again" fervor in upstate New York and an early marriage that did not survive the vagaries of ministries in California. Back in New York, growing disenchantment with fundamentalist practices led Porteus to reexamine the role religion played in his life. He is now a declared secular humanist, as well as an activist monitoring the religious right in America, whose giants, among them Pat Robertson and Billy Graham, are scathingly portrayed here. Obviously a cathartic endeavor, Porteus's account of a search for simplistic answers indicates he is still searching, albeit in a different direction.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This autobiographical tale is the author's account of his trip to, through, and away from religious fundamentalism. Porteous writes in a chatty style, which will win no awards, but he manages to keep the reader's interest. His story is rather unremarkable--that of a person whose weak character is helped by fundamentalism which later holds him back when he grows beyond the religion's boundaries. He moves on to secular humanism and takes a public stance against his old allies. Porteous is now a strong defender of the First Amendment and of the separation of church and state. His book is an important one, if only because it reflects a common intellectual journey with contemporary relevance. For large public libraries.
- Gordon Stein, Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 313 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; First edition. edition (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879756896
• ISBN-13: 978-0879756895
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,707,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story of an enlightened journey out of fundamentalism, September 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore: From Fundamentalist to Freedom Writer (Hardcover)

This is a down-to-earth book describing Mr. Porteous' journey into Christian fundamentalism; but more importantly his journey out of the clutches of fundamentalism. It is a refreshing look out how one can still provide a valuable service to society in spite of an indoctrination of superstition and intolerance. Unlike some books on journeys out of faith, Porteous effectively uses humor and experience to remind the reader of the humanity behind the tragedy that is fundamentalism.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting and frightening, July 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore: From Fundamentalist to Freedom Writer (Hardcover)

I read the book in two sittings. It is interesting and easy to read. Porteous describes how he came to be a fundamentalist minister, what his ministry was like, and how he "left the fold". To me, the most interesting (and frightening) parts of the book are where he describes the fake healings and "exorcisms" and his radio conversations with fundamentalists. Also frightening is the amount of hate shown him by the "Godly" religious right after he deconverts. Most interesting also are his conversations with fundamentalists in which the fundamentalists rely on slippery linguistic manipulations to try to discredit Porteous. The main weakness of the book is that it does not give enough detail about his "deconversion." He doesn't tell enough about the process of losing his faith. It sounds like he just woke up one day and lost his faith. The end of the book details his current work with Walk Away and the Freedom Writer, and he does a good job of exposing the agenda of some of the more political (and unhinged) of the ultrafundamentalists.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Changed My Life, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore: From Fundamentalist to Freedom Writer (Hardcover)

Thank You Mr. Porteous for writing this book and, along with Austin Miles, exposing the downright cultic behavior found with a sizable portion of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movement. DO not pass this one by!