Passing Through: An Ex-Fundamentalist's Pursuit of Personal Spirituality

by Craig A. Hart

Part memoir, part religious critique, and part philosophical treatise, “Passing Through” traces the author's path from the controlling environment of fundamentalism to the formation of the theory of Energetic Universalism. It examines various facets of the fundamentalist Christian faith, including the inerrancy of the Bible and the divinity of Jesus Christ. “Passing Through” takes an honest look at the existence of God and the danger of religion.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion

182 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2011

About the author

Craig A. Hart is a writer of thrillers. In a past life, he was also director for Northern Illinois Radio Information Service, a broadcast outreach that brought daily news and information to the visually impaired.

In 2015, Kindle Press published his literary novel BECOMING MOON. NPR affiliate Northern Public Radio featured BECOMING MOON in their Winter Book Series, and it won Best Novel of Summer 2015 from Pinnacle Awards. He is also the author of the historical mystery NIGHT AT KEY WEST, which is based on true events.

In 2016, he publishing SERENITY, the first book in the popular Shelby Alexander Thriller Series. Serenity alone has been downloaded over 400,000 times by eager readers.

In 2022, he launched the Maxwell Barnes Adventure Thriller Series, co-written with S.J. Varengo. The award-winning first book in that series, MAYAN SHADOWS, was published on May 11, 2022. Two more books follow in that series: MAYAN THUNDER and MAYAN TEMPEST.

A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Craig lives in Iowa City, Iowa with his wife, sons, insane dog, and anti-social cat.

Reviews

[Betty McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. He had a lot of the same experiences I did when I was younger, hence my interest in the subject. We've reached most of the same conclusions about religion -- most, not all -- but he expresses himself very well. A good read for someone who is searching for answers.

[Mindi Rosser · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happens when a fundamentalist scrutinizes his religious beliefs against contradictory evidence? Author Craig Hart invites us into his journey exploring spirituality outside the boundaries of religionism. Whether or not you are a believer in a higher power, this book provides insight for those struggling with the hard questions of religion. Hart illuminates his own battles with faith and how he ultimately ended up in energetic universalism.

Readers: What's your story? Did you struggle with religious dogma? How did you recover? Leave your comment below.

[Anna Venanzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Passing Through: An Ex-Fundamentalist Pursuit of Person Spirituality is about a young boy Hart, who was raised in the Bible Missionary Church. Which is an extreme fundamentalist break-off of the church of the Nazarene. After graduating from high school, he attended the bible missionary institute.


type of book: biographic, autobiographic, or memoir and advanced
rating of the book: three stars. I gave Passing Through: An Ex-Fundamentalist Pursuit of Person Spirituality three stars because he addresses the difference between religion and spiritual which it has come to humans.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides an excellent glimpse into the evolution from a fundamentalist external orthodoxy, through questioning and courageous reflection to an inner faith based on personal belief. The author still carries a great deal of anger which keeps him from opening to renewed possibilities in faith systems and has not yet worked to where he can include others in his faith journey. But he does describe many of the faith questions people are facing today.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read the excerpt, which is chapter eight.

After reading ''I'll put 3 chips on god, just in case there is one'' by Preeti Gupta, I found this to be similar, and written in the light, more humane and relatable kind of way.
This hits me as a book more about christianity, comparing their beliefs and actions. It's clever, and has some good points.

So if you want to read about comparative religion, this seems like a good one.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written, very intriguing concepts discussed.