To the Cross and Back ─ An Immigrant's Journey from Faith to Reason

A Mexican immigrant and rising star within the Christian community abandons his faith and comes out as a gay atheist

In this exceptionally moving and soul-searching memoir, Fernando Alcantar recounts his incredible journey from poor Catholic boy on the dusty streets of Mexico to globetrotting missionary and high-profile Christian leader in the United States—where he eventually left his celebrated life behind to advocate for the liberating power of reason and equality. With heart-wrenching honesty, he shares stories of trauma, tragedy, prejudice, uncertainty, survival, and, ultimately, discovery. In the process, he gives a voice to thousands who are hiding in the shadows, afraid to publicly question their religious or sexual identity for fear of isolation and retaliation. He also makes a call for tolerance and understanding, while heralding the natural beauty of human qualities like courage, kindness, and love.

Fernando Alcantar is a former leader of the Foursquare denomination in Mexico and senior coordinator of North American Partnerships at Azusa Pacific University, where he oversaw hundreds of churches in Mexico and helped to mobilize thousands of missionaries a year from all over the United States and Canada. He later served as director of leadership development for young people for the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is now a gay atheist activist, spreading a message of tolerance, introspection, and understanding. He lives in San Diego, California.Dan Barker is copresident of the Freedom from Religion Foundation and author ofGodless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists andLife Driven Purpose: How an Atheist Finds Meaning. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.