{"id":2309,"date":"2013-05-30T19:48:46","date_gmt":"2013-05-30T19:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/?p=2309"},"modified":"2013-05-30T19:48:46","modified_gmt":"2013-05-30T19:48:46","slug":"the-outcast-of-beauregard-parish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2013\/05\/the-outcast-of-beauregard-parish.html","title":{"rendered":"The Outcast Of Beauregard Parish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

When a rabbi decides that she or he is a nontheist there is a warm, accepting professional home<\/a>. \u00a0When the same thing happens to a preacher \u2013 and most especially a Pentecostal<\/a> preacher \u2013 well, the option to stay in the career track are considerably reduced (eliminated).<\/p>\n

Jerry DeWitt is a brave ex-preacher who came out as an atheist in Louisiana. \u00a0His story is the subject of a documentary that is in the works and you can be a part of making it happen. \u00a0The filmmakers have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project<\/a> about this fascinating man:<\/p>\n

Jerry DeWitt had been preaching in and around Beauregard Parish, Louisiana since he was 17 years old. Full of warmth and gifted with electric Pentecostal oratory, he was a popular figure around town. He even planned to run for mayor. But when his 85-year old aunt discovered he was an atheist, the news spread quickly. Within a year he had lost his job, the bank had foreclosed on his house and his wife had left him.<\/p>\n

But Jerry\u2019s story only begins there. Thrust into the limelight by a New York Times profile, he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a growing but dis-unified secular movement. He quickly learns to navigate the intricate politics of organized atheism and sets an audacious goal: to create a sustainable human-centered ministry in the heart of the Bible Belt. It may be an idea whose time has come. But can it happen in time to save his home and his family?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anyone involved in Secular Humanistic Judaism should be excited by the idea of a \u201chuman-centered ministry.\u201d \u00a0And after hearing him speak \u2013 with his Pentecostal cadences intact \u2013 I think he can pull this off.<\/p>\n

The Kickstarter campaign has only 26 days to go and many thousands of dollars left to raise. \u00a0The film and Mr. DeWitt\u2019s efforts could be an incredible shot in the arm for secular humanism. \u00a0Please consider participating! \u00a0You can find all the details at this link.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When a rabbi decides that she or he is a nontheist there is a warm, accepting professional home. \u00a0When the same thing happens to a preacher \u2013 and most especially a Pentecostal preacher \u2013 well, the option to stay in the career track are considerably reduced (eliminated). Jerry DeWitt is a brave ex-preacher who came […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6,17,34],"class_list":["post-2309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogentries","tag-atheism","tag-humanism","tag-post-theistic-religion"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Outcast Of Beauregard Parish<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When a rabbi decides that she or he is a nontheist there is a warm, accepting professional home. \u00a0When the same thing happens to a preacher - and most\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2013\/05\/the-outcast-of-beauregard-parish.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Outcast Of Beauregard Parish\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When a rabbi decides that she or he is a nontheist there is a warm, accepting professional home. \u00a0When the same thing happens to a preacher - and most\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2013\/05\/the-outcast-of-beauregard-parish.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Atheist Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-30T19:48:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeffrey L. Falick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeffrey L. 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