‘Desiring God’ writer announces he’s giving up Christianity: ‘I’m so full of joy for the first time’

Paul Maxwell, a former writer for the Christian website Desiring God and the author of the book The Trauma of Doctrine, has announced he is no longer a Christian in an emotional video that was shared to his Instagram, The Christian Post reports.

“What I really miss is connection with people,” Maxwell said. “What I’ve discovered is that I’m ready to connect again. And I’m kind of ready not to be angry anymore. I love you guys, and I love all the friendships and support I’ve built here. And I think it’s important to say that I’m just not a Christian anymore, and it feels really good. I’m really happy.”

“I can’t wait to discover what kind of connection I can have with all of you beautiful people as I try to figure out what’s next,” he continued. “I love you guys. I’m in a really good spot. Probably the best spot of my life. I’m so full of joy for the first time. I love my life.”

In a subsequent message, Maxwell addressed people who reacted to his announcement by telling him he’s going to Hell.

“I just say, ‘I know that you love me.’ I know, and I receive it as love,” he said. “I know you care about the eternal state of my soul and you pushed through the social awkwardness of telling me this because you don’t want me to suffer. And that is a good thing. That’s a loving thing to do. And I hear where you’re coming from, and I respect your perspective.”

According to the Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta, Maxwell never “delved into culture war narratives” with his writing or tried to “provoke outrage.”

“He was just a Christian speaking to other Christians.”

You can see a clip of Maxwell’s message in the video below. The relevant portion starts at around 8:30:

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.