Losing My Religion (26 page)

Vandenkolk, William, 186–87

Wall, Patrick, 216–17, 226

Warren, Kay, 70

Warren, Rick, 68–71, 166–67, 178

Washington Post,
29, 80

Waters, David, 80–84 “Way of St. James” pilgrimage, 203

Weight of Glory, The
(Lewis), 76

Whitmore, Kelly, 191

“Why Does God Hate Amputees?” (website), 209–10

Winter, Damon, 226, 230

Woodward, Bob, 59

World Vision, 235

worship music, 9–10, 20

Ybarra, Anthony, 87

Young, Brigham, 130

Young, Father Roy, 6, 10

W
HERE TO START
is easy. I’m deeply grateful for my wife, Greer, who has hung with me—in good times and in bad—for more than 20 years, and my four wonderful boys: Taylor, Tristan, Matthew and Oliver.

I owe a special debt to Hugh Hewitt, who never stopped being my best friend even after our spiritual paths diverged. My little brother Jim, his wife, Colleen, and my old friend Will Swaim were especially supportive of this book and offered quick and invaluable feedback. And thanks to my parents, Robert and Nancy Lobdell, who have always been the biggest fans of my career.

Several of my colleagues at the
Los Angeles Times
deserve special praise, especially Roger Smith, who so expertly edited the article that provided the seed for this book, and Christopher Goffard, Dana Parsons, Steve Marble and Stuart Pfeifer, who provided spot-on critiques and unwavering support.

Tricia Davey, my agent and former Mater Dei High School homecoming queen, was an enthusiastic backer of this book from the start, giving me a major confidence boost. Bruce Nichols, my editor at HarperCollins, used gentle suggestions, encouraging words and an amazing editing touch to keep my story heading in a straight line.

Thanks to Julia Sweeney and David Price for generously allowing me to excerpt their works.

I owe my sanity to Judith Van Dixhorn, a woman of deep insight and charity, and Howard Stern, who makes me laugh each day and gives me the ability to be honest about myself. Also helping clear my mind were Dani and Roda, my Spin instructors, who provided freakishly hard (and fun) workouts, and my triathlete friends in the International Tri-Blogger Alliance.

A special thanks to my one and only journalism teacher, Joseph N. Bell, the first person to tell that I could be a professional journalist. And to college classmates W. Tom Davey and Greg Hardesty, who showed me how thrilling reporting can be—even at a school newspaper.

Finally, I am most thankful to those people who have appeared in my stories over the years, giving me their time and sharing their heart, especially the survivors of clergy sexual abuse. You are always in my thoughts. I thank you for telling your stories, and I admire how you strive each day to reclaim your life.

Jacket design by Jamie Keenan

Cover image collage: David Muir/Getty Images and Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images