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DAN FOSTER

Writer / Poet / Blogger

I write about the complex intersection between life, faith, culture, religion, politics, and spirituality. Here for community and conversation. ABOUT ME: Once upon a time, Dan Foster was a prolific poet and writer. Then he grew up, got a job, had a family, and got busy spending many years as an educator, pastor, school teacher, and youth worker, writing took a back seat while he set about striving to attain a utopian existence that belies the reality of life. Fortunately, Life knew this and thrust him into the classroom of misfortune and pain, where he experienced burnout and mental health challenges. Here, he learned a whole lot of valuable lessons. Life then compelled him to pick up his pen again and give voice to the reality of broken dreams, sadness, grief, loss, and depression so that others might find comfort, hope, and solidarity in the shared human experience of suffering. Dan writes especially for Church alumni and religious refugees, and those who have experienced the reality of spiritual abuse, disappointment with the church, and doubts about their faith. Dan has Bachelor's Degrees in both Education and Theology and a Diploma in Business. He is the CEO of the Centre for Men & Families, Australia, a charity that supports men and their families through times of crisis and change. Dan is also the facilitator of The Backyard Church Online, a community for people who have faith but struggle to be a part of traditional churches, and he is the author of "Leaving Church, Finding God: Discovering Faith Beyond Organized Religion" and "Limbo Land: Poems from the In-Between."

Featured Post

The Backyard Church Newsletter - October 2023

Dear Reader There are moments in a person's life when everything suddenly pivots on a point, and you know immediately that life will never be the same again. This month, I had one of those moments. In fact, I had more than one of those moments. It all started when my wife went to the doctor with some abdominal pain. That was on the 1st of September. Fast forward one month to where we are today, the 1st of October, and we now know that my wife has stage 4 bowel cancer. I write for many...

7 months ago • 3 min read

Hey Reader Thank you for being a part of the Backyard Church community and subscribing to my monthly newsletter! I am pleased to announce that you can now subscribe to more regular updates from me if you want to receive my "Article of the Week" directly to your inbox. My dream is to do this work full-time, so I really and sincerely appreciate your support. Here is the link if you would like to subscribe. This month, you can read about the outcome of Hillsong Founder Brian Houston's court...

8 months ago • 3 min read

Hey Reader Thank you for being a part of the Backyard Church community and for subscribing to my newsletter! This month, Hillsong Church has been on my mind, and I couldn't help but write about the massive inner dilemma I faced when deciding whether to listen to Hillsong's newest album. It stirred a whole bunch of mixed emotions, given the recent revelations about the church's struggles and controversies. While we are on the topic of Hillsong, this month, I watched another devastating...

9 months ago • 3 min read

Hey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter! This month, one theme kept coming up in my writing: Women in the church. Time and time again, I kept coming across comments from older, white male pastors seeking to put women in their place. These are the men that believe that women should be silent in church. One keyboard warrior pastor Tweeted that women, in his opinion, were too fragile for ministry. Give me a break! So, I had to write about that. Then for the good guys, former...

10 months ago • 3 min read

Hey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter! Can you believe we are coming up to half way through the year already? First up this month, I want to share the heart-breaking story of Andrew Burkenya, an 18-year-old African refugee. He isn't fleeing from famine or war. Rather, he is facing persecution, imprisonment and even death, because he is gay. His story, and the plight of the LGBTQ community in Africa will break your heart. And, what's most appalling, is that it's Christians...

11 months ago • 4 min read

THey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter! First up, I have some exciting news. My new book has landed and is now available on Amazon! It's taken me almost five years to write, and I'm really hoping that it makes a difference to lots of people, especially those who are wondering if it is possible to have a robust and meaningful faith beyond the constraints of performance-based, institutionalized religion. I'd love your support in getting it out there because I believe in the...

12 months ago • 4 min read

Hey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter! First up, I have some exciting news. My new book is almost here! I expect it to be available on Amazon within the next few weeks. It's called "Leaving Church, Finding God," and it is about how it is possible to have a robust and meaningful faith beyond the constraints of performance-based, institutionalized religion. Stay tuned for more! The highlight of my month was meeting a man from Melbourne, Australia who has created a charity...

about 1 year ago • 4 min read

Hey Reader I'm in shock! I've just learned that Saddleback Church - one of the biggest mega churches in the USA, founded by none other than the great Rick Warren - has been excommunicated by the Baptist Convention. I'm even more shocked at the reason why. You can read about that story below. Also, this month I sat down and had a conversation with an artificial intelligence program about Christianity. I asked it about the mega-themes of Jesus' life and teaching. I asked it to summarise what...

about 1 year ago • 4 min read

Hey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter and a big happy new year to you! Thanks for coming along of the ride in 2023. The Christmas break gave me plenty of time to write. This month, I take a look at the one demographic of people in the West that aren't abandoning the church and ask why not. I came across the world's most toxic and obnoxious preacher who, quite remarkably is banned from entering over 30 countries on earth. Imaging purporting to represent a God of Love, only...

about 1 year ago • 5 min read

Hey Reader Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter. Can you believe that we have arrived at December already? And that means, this is my last newsletter for 2022! Crazy! In this month's edition, I take a look at what all mass shooters have in common with each other, and what all Presidents of the United State have in common with each other as well. Disgraced pastor Mark Driscoll is back in the pulpit and he's make waves on Twitter with the same kind of rhetoric that saw him accused of...

over 1 year ago • 4 min read
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