2016 Winner of the Gospel Coalition Book Awards “If everyone in the United States had the same qualities of loyalty and care and concern for others that Larry Taunton had, we'd be living in a much better society than we do.” ~ Christopher Hitchens At the time of his death, Christopher Hitchens was the most notorious atheist in the world. And yet, all was not as it seemed. “Nobody is not a divided self, of course,” he once told an interviewer, “but I think it’s rather strong in my case.” Hitchens was a man of many contradictions: a Marxist in youth who longed for acceptance among the social elites; a peacenik who revered the military; a champion of the Left who was nonetheless pro-life, pro-war-on-terror, and after 9/11 something of a neocon; and while he railed against God on stage, he maintained meaningful—though largely hidden from public view—friendships with evangelical Christians like Francis Collins, Douglas Wilson, and the author Larry Alex Taunton. In The Faith of Christopher Hitchens , Taunton offers a very personal perspective of one of our most interesting and most misunderstood public figures. Writing with genuine compassion and without compromise, Taunton traces Hitchens’s spiritual and intellectual development from his decision as a teenager to reject belief in God to his rise to prominence as one of the so-called “Four Horsemen” of the New Atheism. While Hitchens was, in the minds of many Christians, Public Enemy Number One, away from the lights and the cameras a warm friendship flourished between Hitchens and the author; a friendship that culminated in not one, but two lengthy road trips where, after Hitchens’s diagnosis of esophageal cancer, they studied the Bible together. The Faith of Christopher Hitchens gives us a candid glimpse into the inner life of this intriguing, sometimes maddening, and unexpectedly vulnerable man. “This book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth.” --Michael Shermer, publisher, Skeptic magazine “Lively and loving, Taunton’s memoir of his surprising friendship could hardly be more enjoyably engrossing.” – Booklist “With its unique combination of superb storytelling, intellect, and passion, The Faith of Christopher Hitchens achieves—and deserves—the rare status of instant classic.” – Brian Mattson for The Gospel Coalition “Taunton’s smooth and accessible prose brings to life what seems to have been a dear and lively friendship between two thinkers at odds politically and religiously, but not intellectually.” – Publisher’s Weekly “Larry Taunton’s book, The Faith of Christopher Hitchens is so good that words fail me. It is that triple rarity, an astonishing tour-de-force of heart and mind both, and a bona fide page-turner. If it doesn’t keep you up late, you are already sleeping. Who dreamt anyone would ever get to see this side of the cartoon enfante terrible? Taunton’s unprecedented access to the ‘real’ Hitchens is a gift from the heavens — literally and literarily — to anyone wanting to know who he really was, that man behind the withering, glowering mien and fulminating blunderbuss voice. This indefatigably clear-eyed window into the soul of the great Hitch may break your heart with love for its subject, as it did mine, or it may make you wish to rent yourself in twain with rage, Rumpelstilskin-style. Either way, it’s quite a book. A triumph.” – Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio host “Beautifully written. You’ve got to read this book. Everyone should read this book. You’ll really get something out of it.” – Chris Matthews of MSNBC’s Hardball “Every fan of Christopher Hitchens must read this elegant, honest, and beautiful tale of an improbable friendship between an American Christian and an English atheist. If you thought you knew ‘Hitch,’ you did not. Now, you will.” – Paul Reid, bestselling author of The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm “If you really want to get to know someone intimately, go on a multi-day cross-country road trip, share fine food and expensive spirits, and have open and honest conversations about the most important issues in life. And then engage them in public debate before thousands of people on those very topics. In this engrossing narrative about his friendship with the atheist activist Christopher Hitchens, the evangelical Christian Larry Taunton shows us a side of the man very few of us knew. Apparent contradictions dissolve before Taunton’s penetrating insight into the psychology of man fiercely loyal to his friends and passionately devoted to leading a life of integrity. This book should be read by every atheist and theist passionate about the truth, and by anyone who really wants to understand Hitch, one of the greatest minds and literary geniuses of our time.” – Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of The Moral Arc Larry Alex Taunton is Founder and Executive Director of Fixed Point Foundation, a n