"A beautiful exploration of deconstructing your conditioned beliefs to become more open, compassionate, and heart-centered. I recommend this book to anyone on their own healing journey."—Dr. Nicole Lepera, The Holistic Psychologist and author of How to Do the Work
From the cartoonist who points his pen straight at today's pressing issues of inclusion, faith, spiritual abuse, and justice comes Flip It Like This!
Aggravated women disciples, Jesus hugging rainbow sheep, a man praying "WTF?": the cartoons of David Hayward, the artist behind @NakedPastor, are graffiti on the walls of the contemporary church. He sketches the ridiculous, the appalling, and the damaging aspects of the church as we know it--as well as Jesus erasing lines, embracing the excluded, and standing outside the church's walls. In this collection, which includes Hayward's most beloved comics as well as never-before-seen cartoons, we find more of the whimsy, impertinence, and tenderness that we didn't even know we needed.
These cartoons are for those who have been battered or infuriated by the church and who long to see it change. Upending notions of who's in and who's out, Hayward's comic vision overturns false pieties and harmful dogmas in one fell swoop.
About the Author :
David Hayward, who draws and writes as @NakedPastor, reaches wide audiences with fanciful and hard-hitting cartoons about spiritual abuse, the church's exclusion of LGBTQ+ people, feminism, and faith and doubt. With degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and McGill University in Montreal, Hayward served as a pastor for most of his career, but in 2010 he left the professional paid clergy to pursue his passion for spirituality, community, and art. His cartoons and artwork have found their way all around the world. David and his wife live near Saint John, New Brunswick.
Review :
"A beautiful exploration of deconstructing your conditioned beliefs to become more open, compassionate, and heart-centered. I recommend this book to anyone on their own healing journey." --Dr. Nicole Lepera, The Holistic Psychologist and author of How to Do the Work
"David Hayward's clever comics make those of us asking questions of our faith and grappling with religious abuse feel less alone and more understood." --Jo Luehmann, writer
"Thank God for David Hayward! This collection is like a new chapter of the book of Psalms--thoughtful reflections of God's truest heart." --Matthew Paul Turner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"This delightful collection is chock full of irreverent grace, which may just save us all." --Kirsten Powers, New York Times bestselling author of Saving Grace, CNN senior political analyst, and USA Today columnist
"Flip It Like This! may be David Hayward's magnum opus." --Rev. Dr. David Moore, activist and pastor
"David Hayward's cartoons help me envision faith through a lens of love, hope, and change!" --Alma Zaragoza-Petty, social justice advocate and author of Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice
"Anyone who has both loved and been harmed by the church needs this book." --Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch
"Flip it Like This! made me, as a queer exvangelical, both laugh and cry. Hayward has been there, and he gets it." --Chrissy Stroop, senior correspondent for Religion Dispatches and coeditor of Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church
"David Hayward is a gift." --Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack and Lies We Believe about God
"Could life and love be bigger, more beautiful, and more available to everyone than we realized? When I encounter David Hayward's work, I always sense the answer to this question is a resounding yes." --Jon Steingard, host of The Wonder and The Mystery of Being podcast
"You won't find a more loving, or on-point, critique of institutional Christianity than this collection of cartoons from @NakedPastor. A wonderfully meaningful commentary on questions of faith, individualism, and inclusivity!" --Bruce Cockburn, singer and songwriter
