What'll We Do With All the Churches? Lyrical Reflections on Faith, Belief and Losing My Damn Religion (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798994248102)

What'll We Do With All the Churches? is part memoir and part journalistic commentary all built around 13 original songs written by author, Steve Perron. Perron, a former devout Christian who spent seven years in the seminary studying for the Catholic priesthood, details his sometimes agonizing, sometimes funny, journey from belief to secular humanism. He also breaks down the historic and dramatic decline in religious affiliation in the United States in the last 25 years, and offers his own theory as to how this national falling away from faith might be explained. Perron takes a hard and critical look at religious beliefs and concepts he held to firmly for much of his life, such as original sin and the subsequent need for divine salvation, the continuing influence of a benevolent God in human affairs, the real value of prayer in every day life, the truth of scripture as found in the Christian Bible, and much more. Most importantly, he takes a deep dive into the question of doubt and offers support and encouragement to readers who are questioning their own faith. In each chapter in the body of the book, the observations are illuminated in the lyrics of the songs which Perron has been writing for several years. Many of the songs are inspired directly by national and in some cases international events the readers will recognize. The songs include "The Theology Rag", "Jesus Comes to America", "The Lonely Ghost", and "Bumper Sticker Theology." Readers will be directed to a streaming site where they can hear recorded versions of the songs found in the book.