Tim Sledge pulls back the curtain on Southern Baptist life as he chronicles nearly four decades of ministry in this highly personal, sometimes painful, and frequently provocative spiritual autobiography. Part memoir, part exposé, part polemic—this is an account of failures as well as accomplishments—and very nearly a case study in how faith may begin, how it evolves, and how it can fall apart.

Sledge traces the childhood origins of his sincere faith, his efforts at spiritual obedience, his theological education, his climb up the ladder in ministry, his insights into the challenges of growth-oriented leadership, and his pioneering work in faith-based recovery ministries.

After a fall from grace and a growing awareness that faith no longer worked for him, his journey took a new direction that required examining alternatives to his former belief system including Deism, agnosticism, humanism, and atheism. Ultimately, he found new ways to live a positive, value-driven life and emerged as a new version of the same person he had always been, still interested in creating avenues for personal growth in the lives of others.

Goodbye Jesus is a relatable and thoughtful read for those seeking to better understand the evangelical mindset, for Christians who are questioning their faith, for ministers trying to decide whether to stay or go, and for those who have left their faith and are dealing with its loss.

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I’ve shared the details of my spiritual journey in Goodbye Jesus: An Evangelical Preacher’s Journey Beyond Faith. My aim in this book is raise four challenging questions that need to be addressed by every Christian believer and then to offer one incredibly simple answer—an answer that challenges the veracity of the Christian faith but can also be the gateway to a rewarding new life that is based on truth and does not require the suspension of common sense.

Objectively examining your closely held belief system is not a walk in the park. And facing up to the idea that you might be under a spell that makes it hard for you to think objectively is daunting, especially when you rely on the spell’s results to make you feel that everything is okay and when you’ve been warned that tampering with the spell is the worst thing you could ever do.

Choose courage. If what you believe is true, it can stand the test of any question that I or anyone else might raise. I encourage you to open your mind, face the facts, and decide that you will follow the truth wherever it leads.

I spent most of my life in a search for truth about faith, God, and religion. Maybe I can save you some time as you make your own decisions.

Tim Sledge

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After my life of faith collapsed, I picked up the broken pieces and tried to envision a new way of living. Faced with a multitude of choices about what the new version of me might look like, I began to think for myself about how to build a meaningful life.

I decided that if I could describe a religion-not-required way of finding meaning in life by focusing on things that really matter, it would be something worth sharing—especially if it could make sense and work for anyone, regardless of religious beliefs, political stance, personality type, lifestyle, or generational label.

And that’s how this book came to be. Regardless of whether you’re a free-thinking skeptic or a person of faith, my hope is that in these pages you can discover new pathways toward values, purpose, and meaning as you consider what matters most in your life.

Tim Sledge

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A Meta-Spiritual Handbook presents many of the same concepts as How to Live a Meaningful Life, but within a conceptual framework of secular spirituality. Meta-spirituality—at least my version of it—is spirituality without God or magic, spirituality that requires no religion or faith, spirituality based on a willingness to follow the truth wherever it leads—with courage, openness, and humility.

Though not related to an invisible spirit world, meta-spirituality touches that part of us that yearns to be inspired and longs for a connection to something noble. Its aim is to stay in touch with the core of what makes us truly alive—that part of us that yearns for the highest and best in life.

Don’t think of meta-spirituality as cold and disconnected. The opposite is true. Meta-spirituality is a call to kindness, listening, vulnerability, compassion, and gratitude; a quest for a growing sensitivity to the world of emotions; and, a challenge to let mistakes lead to growth instead of shame. Meta-spirituality recognizes our need to be inspired—to breathe in that which enlivens us.

I believe that through meta-spirituality, the way forward can be meaningful, connective, and profoundly rewarding.

Tim Sledge

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After devoting his career as an evangelical preacher to leading and growing ministries in Illinois, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Arizona, Sledge moved to a suburb of Houston, Texas, where he served as senior pastor of the Kingsland Baptist Church from 1985 to 1996. Under his leadership, the church’s membership grew to more than 2000, with a growth in worship attendance four times the growth rate of the rapidly growing suburb where the church is located.

A key factor in the growth of Kingsland Baptist Church during those years was its support group ministry which began in the spring of 1988 when Sledge presented a sermon series on adult children of alcoholics. In the series, he talked about his experience of growing up with an alcoholic father and shared biblical, psychological, and personal insights for moving beyond a painful childhood. Support groups were offered during the series with participants using an interactive workbook that was based on the sermon topics. Over the next eight years, the congregation hosted 100 support groups and became known as a healing place for hurting people.

The interactive workbook used in Kingsland’s support groups evolved into this book, Making Peace with Your Past. Originally published in 1992, Making Peace with Your Past has been translated in South Korea and Peru. Making Peace with Your Past and its companion volume, Moving Beyond Your Past, have been used as interactive workbooks for 20,000 support groups across the U.S.

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