Diary of a Heretic...never judge a book by it's cover...

Diary of a Heretic by Mark Townsend

I knew of Mark Townsend, who he was and had read a few articles about him...but when I was given his book to review the thought did cross my mind "why am I reading a book about a Priest, not sure about this..."

My doubts were totally unfounded, never judge a book by it's cover as they say...

Mark writes as if you are sitting in his head, listening to his thoughts and watching his day through his eyes.   Mark's writing is open, honest and quite often funny, he has a unique view on people, life and the divine.  Diary of a Heretic takes you on his own personal journey, day by day, trying to make sense of it all.  It was a pure joy to read and certainly gave me a lot to think about.  Whatever faith you follow...you will love this book.

The official blurb:

In June 2007 Rev. Mark Townsend resigned from his ministry as a priest after his decision to share his story of brokenness and failure with the hierarchy. This book is the irreverent and whimsical, yet honest and gut-wrenching, story of his struggle to hold on to a faith within a world that seemed to be against him. It is a story that brings hope to all those who feel the established Western religious path has lost sight of compassion, grace and the one who could easily have been called ‘Friend of Failures.’ As the author gradually digs himself out of the consequential gutter the reader will discover that all such failures can be redeemed and may even produce glittering nuggets of gold. More importantly, the reader will begin to see that his or her own failure can also lead to real moments of magic - so long as it is not repressed but accepted. A major underlying theme of the whole diary is the notion that real magic does exist, and that the magical traditions such as Druidry can be a major blessing for those who crave for something more.