If anyone had good reason to join the league of the "Nones," the "Dones," and the deconstructionists, it would be Zach Hoag. After growing up and out of the compound walls of a Texas cult, and becoming a failed church planter in one of the most post-Christian cities in America, Zach was faced with both a crisis and a choice. He loved Jesus, yet questioned: If the church is such a broken system, is it really worth belonging to anymore?

The viral upswing of the "spiritual but not religious" trend has cast religion as going rapidly out of style. Yet even in his own desert of deconstruction, Zach couldn't shake his desire for a spiritual home. His search ultimately led him to look behind the statistics, where Zach found an astonishing undercurrent subversively at work.

The truth, as Zach discovered, is that we are in a cultural moment of apocalypse. Not an end-of-the-world apocalypse, but in the very literal sense of the word which translates simply, "a revealing." Perhaps the downtrend of Christian faith in America is just the kind of Great Revealing we need to show us who we really are as American Christians, who Jesus really is in our midst, and how we can step into the flourishing faith he has always intended for us.

For anyone who is anxious about the future of the church and their place in it, The Light Is Winning rallies to an unexpected, unshakeable hope: Could it be that we've made religion out to be the culprit when in fact, religion is just what we need to revive us? Could it be that our struggle for relevance must come to a necessary end, so that we can get to the real? After all, isn't this the essence of the story of God: death paves the way for a resurrected, deeply rooted, flourishing faith. Such faith can be yours. The Light Is Winning will show you how.

About the Author
Zach Hoag is an author, preacher, and creator from New England. Planting a church in one of the least churched cities in the U.S. (Burlington, Vermont), and pursuing ministry beyond that in a variety of spaces, Zach has learned a few things about the power of a deeply rooted life in Christ. Zach has found belonging in Westford, Vermont where he lives with his wife, Kalen, and their three girls. Find him writing at zhoag.com and follow him on Twitter @zhoag.

Reviews
I needed to read this book. As somebody who has long been disillusioned by religion and tempted to give up on the Church, The Light is Winning was a much-needed dose of hope for me. I found my own perspectives being challenged not only by Hoag's thoughts and ideas about God and culture but also by his beautiful story and the cheerful and endearing way in which he tells it. * Matthew Paul Turner, Author of Churched and When God Made You *
In his hopeful new book, The Light is Winning, Zach reminds us that while deconstructing our religious faith might be a necessary part of our spiritual journey, it's not enough. Zach encourages us to rebuild a proper religious practice, one that demonstrates the power and mystery of Christianity: The Resurrection. * Elizabeth Esther, author of Girl at The End of the World *
Only Zach Hoag could bring out the hope in an apocalypse. Leading us towards the light of authentic religion at the end of the post-modern tunnel we call being 'spiritual', The Light is Winning is the kind of book that you will want to keep on your nightstand for months, maybe years. You will want to reach for it each and every time you begin to lose your way and your faith. * Jerusalem Jackson Greer, author of At Home in this Life and Beautiful Surprises *
So often authors write about their successes. What I love about Zach is he's given us a rare and precious opportunity to witness his apparent defeat, allowing us to watch as he wrestles with his upbringing in an authoritarian cult and his subsequent journey through denominations and church planting. Zach uses his stories to invite us into some deeper truths about the Church today, offering hope during a tumultuous time in American Christianity. And maybe the best part of all of this? He draws inspiration from TV shows, like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. When someone tells me we don't want an undead zombie faith, I find myself nodding along. * Melanie Dale, author of It's Not Fair and Women Are Scary *
We live in a world that often seems overcome with darkness and pessimism. Between toxic news cycles, Christian in-fighting, and what feels like a non-stop dose of negativity on all sides, people are left longing for a message of hope--- I am left longing for a message of hope. I am grateful for this book, because while I don't pretend to have answers for the darkened world around us, I do know this: the world needs to know that the Light is Winning. * Benjamin L. Corey, author of Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith *
When I survey 21st century America, I fight to avoid depression and despair. But in such a moment, Zach Hoag has swept in with a prophetic message bursting with optimism. The darkness is real, he admits, but it is also receding. Hoag refocuses our collective gaze and argues convincingly that America is entering a time of 'Great Revealing.' So sit back and read slowly. The Light is Winning pulls back the cultural curtain to reveal, not a wizard, but a blinding light of hope. * Jonathan Merritt, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch *
Zach Hoag writes with a deep love for the church and a tender pastor's heart. He has known loss and pain, but most importantly, he has turned to the light in the midst of darkness, and the hope he writes about is what we all desperately need today. * Ed Cyzewski, author of A Christian Survival Guide and Coffeehouse Theology *
Zach Hoag's personal and ecclesiastic apocalypse will draw you into his story and perhaps your own moment of revealing. You will cheer when you realize, like him, that the light is indeed winning! * Kelley Nikondeha, Co-Director, Communities of Hope and Author, Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World *
Zach takes the reader on a journey, first acknowledging the presence of these religious wounds, then gently leading us through a hopeful apocalypse, to a place of transformation and healing. * Shawn Smucker, Author and Writer *



Book Information
ISBN 9780310347866
Author Zach Hoag
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Zondervan
Publisher Zondervan
Weight(grams) 208g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 138mm * 17mm