I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation: An Absolutely True Memoir

Book Synopsis: When every aspect of your life is tied up with your faith, there’s no easy path to follow when you admit that you don’t believe any of it. A wry memoir in the tradition of Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris, I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation is the story of an unusual life progressively falling apart, originally published as a minister’s apology for abruptly leaving the faith. When Tim Mathis was a teenager in small town Ohio, he threw himself into a religious fundamentalism of sexual abstinence pledges and full-sized replicas of Noah’s Ark. As an adult, he became a minister and graduated to liberal urban activism, preaching the Gospel alongside queer Christians and punk rock priests in Seattle. Despite his best intentions, everywhere he traveled in the religious world, it felt like those Christian music festivals he’d attended in the 1990s. At times, it seemed like he was touching God. At times, it seemed like he’d found his calling. But it always felt deeply disconnected from reality. A true story about the relationship between what we believe and our place in the community, I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation is a portrait of the strange, outrageous world of American Christianity in the ‘90s and ‘00s and a cathartic, ultimately hopeful story for anyone who has struggled with the tension between ideology and the truth. Tim Mathis is the author of the independent hit The Dirtbag’s Guide to Life: Eternal Truth for Hiker Trash, Ski Bums, and Vagabonds. He has written for Trailrunner Magazine, Grit City Magazine, The New Zealand Herald, and The Intrepid Times. He’s won awards for his short travel pieces and has been featured on The Art of Manliness Podcast. Subscribe for his new projects at www.TimMathisWrites.com Follow him on Instagram @dirtbagguide

Reader Praise

“I must confess I don't get a lot of time to read books and it takes something special to hook me in - this book did just that, I couldn't put it down. As an atheist with very little religious education, I dove in with an open mind and came away feeling intrigued, reflective and somewhat validated of my own opinions. Tim has an exceptional way of engaging his reader using humor, intellect, and just plain raw and honest accounts of real-life experiences which I found both entertaining and humble. A must-read for all, no matter your life journey - I highly recommend this book.” - Sarah A., New Zealand

“I enjoyed the hell out of your book, and I will write a review so that the rest of the minions can get in line.” - Ken Campbell, The Ikkatsu Project, Tacoma, WA

“Mathis has an uncanny, honest and humorous way to make you think about the hard stuff of life.” - Scott W., United States

“The book is laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and it’s compelling... Sometimes the acute portion of whatever upheaval you are in *is* the right time to make a decision.” - Neil S., Seattle