A Minister's Son

A Minister's Son is a moving nonfiction account of a young man's personal struggle with his strict religious upbringing. It recounts his touching but conflicted relationship with his evangelical father, a minister; his steamy experiences with young women in his father's church; his escapades as a public speaker in both religious and secular settings; and his eventual lapse into addiction. An uplifting memoir spanning the 1960s to the present day, this book will interest anyone who has had a troubled relationship with God, organized religion and/or alcohol.

A Minister's Son is a personal account of one young man's coming to terms with his strict religious upbringing. Deciding in childhood to conceal misgivings about his inherited faith, the author relates how his adolescent doubts lead to a life of dishonesty and hypocrisy. There is inevitable tension in his relationship with his evangelical father, a minister, and deep internal conflict as the young man takes to the podium himself as a speaker in both religious and secular settings. Fear and rebellion are played out in his forbidden sexual relations with young women in his father's conservative church. The young man finds relief from his divided self in the dissolvent power of alcohol, leading to alcoholism and his eventual discovery of spiritual peace in recovery. Set in Canada and spanning the 1960s to the present day, this uplifting memoir is unique in its exploration of the connections between fundamentalist religious cultures and addiction. It will be of interest to anyone who has had a troubled relationship with God, organized religion and/or alcohol

Mark Johnson is a retired speechwriter living in Ottawa, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto and is the author of No Tears to the Gallows (McClelland & Stewart, 2000) and The Dissolution of Dissent (Garland, 1987).