Former Evangelical Pastor Speaks Out in Insightful New Memoir Prisoner of Belief

Palm Springs, CA, January 7, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Raised by strict Calvinists, John Van Dixhorn, Ph.D., went on to become an evangelical minister and a successful pastor with prosperous churches. But emotional longing – and his own nagging intellectual honesty – led him to challenge his faith, his church, his family, his friends and his vocation ... and to eventually leave the ministry and become a secular psychologist. Van Dixhorn tells a compelling story of his fight for his own soul in the honest new memoir, Prisoner of Belief, published by Outskirts Press.

With Prisoner of Belief, Van Dixhorn reveals how loyalty to a belief system is primary to all other knowledge and has the force of a life sustaining attachment. The psychological trauma he experienced in breaking this addiction, developing an eye for skepticism and critical thinking, shows why few will ever do it.

Prisoner of Belief is a memoir of a courageous man. Through the numerous sharp and painful (and sometimes very funny) anecdotes we begin to realize what is means to confront all the significant figures and forces in one's life, from self to mom, to brother, church, faith, ideology, Jesus, and finally to God ... and the world-view that holds all this together in one neat theological package.

From the book:

“I was twelve years old when I was taken to the bedside of my grandpa. It was scary and I could see he was dying. I wanted to get away, but my mother said, ‘Pa, it’s your grandson John. He wants to say goodbye to you.’

 She put my hand on his and he grasped it saying nothing. In my emotional state I blurted out, ‘Grandpa, I know I’ll see you again in heaven.’

 In that tender moment his weak voice, in broken English and in a strong Dutch accent, rebuked me and said I should be careful saying that. Only God determined that and if he ended up in hell he would glorify God from hell. I was flooded with shame and felt foolish. He was a stoic Calvinist to the end…”

Van Dixhorn provides enough historical background so that otherwise obscure theology may be understood. As a psychologist, Van Dixhorn takes us deeper to see how doctrine affects emotional life, how belief affects our psyche, our sexuality, and our sense of self. As Van Dixhorn leads us through his life, we learn so much from this honest and courageous story.

Prisoner of Belief is available online through Outskirts Press at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore. The book is sold through Amazon and Barnes and Noble for a maximum trade discount in quantities of 10 or more, and is being aggressively promoted to appropriate markets with a focus on the biography/autobiography and personal memoirs categories.

ISBN: 978-1-4787-3631-8      Format: 6 x 9 paperback cream      Retail: $12.95   

Kindle: $9.99      Nook: $9.99      iPad: $9.99      eBook: $5.00                    

Genre: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs

For more information about Prisoner of Belief, visit the book page at the author’s webpage, www.OutskirtsPress.com/prisonerofbelief.

About the Author: John Van Dixhorn did his theological training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy as well as a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He did post-doctorate work in psychoanalysis and became a Certified Psychoanalyst in California. He was an award-winning faculty member and Training and Supervising Analyst for the Newport Psychoanalytic Institute in Tustin, CA, and for five years served as the director. He currently lives with his wife, Jana, in Palm Springs, where he has a private practice. For more information about John Van Dixhorn and his book, contact the author at 225 S Civic Drive, #217,

Palm Springs, CA 92262; call 760-320-6648; or email [email protected].

About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press offers full-service, custom self-publishing and book marketing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press, Inc. represents the future of book publishing, today.

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