Being Alive and Having to Die: The Spiritual Odyssey of Forrest Church Hardcover – October 25, 2011

“The book critic Dan Cryer ably captures the theologian who was the son of a United States senator and became a champion of liberal political causes in religion. In this inspirational biography, Mr. Cryer, a member of the All Souls congregation, recalls Mr. Church’s ups and downs (two decades ago, he fell in love with a married parishioner; he also overcame alcoholism) and his legacy…In his typically ‘aphoristic’ style, Mr. Church wrote, ‘The goal of life is to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for.’ Mr. Church accomplished his goal, as does the book.” ―The New York Times

“One of the most  intriguing people I have met as a journalist,  Forrest Church was publicly popular but privately inscrutable.  He thought long and hard about religion and politics, was at home in both spiritual and secular spheres, wrestled to live an ethical life yet proved as flawed as any of us,  and struggled to  cope with the shadow of a famous and once-powerful father.  But I knew him only in passing, and longed to know more. Now, thanks to Dan Cryer's prodigious reporting, I understand more deeply the source of his eloquence and the agony of his search.  Even if you never heard of Forrest Church, you will find this man's pilgrimage worth your time.” ―Bill Moyers 

"A biography as winning and smart as its subject." ―Booklist

"This book will appeal not only to Unitarians and religious seekers, but to anyone who cares about the role of faith in American life." ―The Boston Globe

"A sensitive and insightful biography.”--Tikkun.org

“This splendid biography is worthy of its sparkling, accomplished, and inspiring subject, capturing the life and bountiful spirit of Forrest Church in rich detail.” ―Gary Dorrien, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University

“Forrest Church pulled no punches when it came to his own foibles.  Dan Cryer doesn’t either.  By virtue of his candor, Forrest made himself far more accessible to people while he lived.  Cryer has done the same thing for us now that Church is gone.” ―William F. Schulz, former Executive Director of Amnesty International USA and current President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

“Forrest Church was a great prophetic voice and grand public intellectual.  This book helps preserve his precious legacy!”  ―Cornel West, New York Times bestselling author of Democracy Matters, Race Matters, and many other books

“Dan Cryer’s penetrating, fair-minded  biography of the prominent New York Unitarian pastor Forrest Church offers a portrait not only of a fascinating religious intellectual constantly confronting his own demons but of  the best traditions of liberal American Protestantism, which uphold the separation of church and state and liberty of conscience for all. It was Church’s fate to live out his ministry during the decades when the religious Right has attempted to convince the public of the lie that America was founded as a “Christian nation.” Church stood against that lie and Cryer presents  a compelling analysis of both the man and his times, with much to offer atheists as well as religious believers more interested in questions than answers.” ―Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason

"Cryer's quietly moving biography affirms the enduring power of Church's liberal religious creed, which urges us to find God all around us and in the hearts of our fellow human beings, whatever their religions." ―Wendy Smith