WHEN FAITH TURNS UGLY
Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It
By Brian Harris
Paternoster. 200 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 842 278 574
This book aims to help Christians prevent faith turning ‘toxic’ – which is defined as overly narrow and fundamentalist.
The early chapters helpfully counter the claims that faith is escapism (Marx), an illusion (Freud) or poisonous (Hitchens). Yet examples are also given where such claims sadly do hold water and damage the reputation of the gospel. The author describes his own experiences in a narrow ‘fundamentalist Baptist church’ and cites other people and their experiences of abusive leadership or superficial exegesis. Sadly some churches do breed a ‘toxic faith’. I know, as I grew up amongst some of them!
