Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son

Over a Thanksgiving dinner, fifty-year-old Bart Campolo announced to his Evangelical pastor father, Tony Campolo, that after a lifetime immersed in the Christian faith, he no longer believed in God. The revelation shook the Campolo family dynamic and forced father and son to each reconsider his own personal journey of faith—dual spiritual investigations into theology, faith, and Humanism that eventually led Bart and Tony back to one another.

In Why I Left, Why I Stayed, the Campolos reflect on their individual spiritual odysseys and how they evolved when their paths diverged. Tony, a renowned Christian teacher and pastor, recounts his experience, from the initial heartbreak of discovering Bart’s change in faith, to the subsequent healing he found in his own self-examination, to his embracing of his son’s point of view. Bart, an author and Humanist chaplain at the University of Southern California, considers his faith journey from Progressive Christianity to Humanism, revealing how it affected his outlook and transformed his relationship with his father.

As Why I Left, Why I Stayed makes clear, a painful schism between father and son that could have divided them irreparably became instead an opening that offered each an invaluable look not only at what separated them, but more importantly, what they shared.

This raw, loving, and intellectually honest book explores:

• A Journey to Humanism: Bart Campolo recounts his path from Progressive Christianity to becoming a Humanist chaplain, and the moment he told his famous pastor father he no longer believed in God.
• A Father’s Perspective: Bestselling author Tony Campolo shares his initial heartbreak, his own theological self-examination, and how he learned to embrace his son without compromising his own convictions.
• A Crisis of Belief: A frank and vulnerable look at the difficult questions that lead to doubt and, for some, leaving the church and the Christian faith behind entirely.
• A Model for Families: For parents and children on opposite sides of the faith divide, this book offers a powerful example of how to navigate profound differences with grace and unconditional love.