This is not a devotional book. This is not about the five steps to salvation. I wouldn’t even recommend this book to a new believer, but it is a book that is necessary.

Church attendance in recent years has been declining. People have been leaving the church and Christianity. There has been a lot of conjecture about why, and this book gives a broad look into that perspective. The author pulls from personal conversations he has had with people in ministry who left ministry or Christianity as a whole.

The book is broken up into “no,” “yes,” and “how.” Each chapter of no or yes explores a different reason why people left or stayed in Christianity. I have personally chosen to stay Christian, but I didn’t relate to every chapter in yes, and I understand a lot of the no’s reasoning. Some of the “No” chapters were a review for me because I had read other books that outlined in more detail those particular reasons.

The How chapters were the author’s “what’s next” answer. He speaks to both those remaining in Christianity and those who chose not to about community and remaining educated about the issues in our world and how we respond. He cautions people to stay grounded in reality, to not fear the headlines or put too much faith in the promises of politicians.

I would recommend this to people in the church or who have left the church or are in that limbo between the two. I would challenge those who don’t understand why people are leaving to read the “no” chapters with an open heart. I think it would go a long way to helping to understand what is going on in our society and move towards a better one.