Trigger Warning: this book has distressing content including attempted suicide, self-harm, attempted murder, violence, abuse, the occult, spiritual warfare, demonic possession, faith crisis, swearing etc. ‘Faithless’ is a fascinating book about the life and ministry of an ex-priest, Seth Walker, who is now an atheist and sceptic. I found it difficult to put the book down but it’s not easy reading. The book is shocking in places, especially the opening pages, yet it is a true account of the authors life. I have read similar books, written by members of the clergy, or ex-members of the clergy but some are sensationalistic and promote fear, and propaganda. Seth is simply sharing his journey. And what a journey … Seth’s journey takes him from suffering from night terrors as a child to being a young and ill-prepared lay minister living and working on a rough and socially deprived council estate serving members of the ‘underclass’ of society. These people are victims of life more than anything. Seth’s predecessor was the victim of a horrific, brutal attempted murder in his own home by a gang of kids high on drugs/glue-sniffing whilst fooling around with the occult: a oujiboard. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue reading at that point. It sounded terrifying and I’m so glad that he [the victim] survived. Seth had to live in that same house and make it his home. Can you imagine? Although spiritual warfare and a few cases of demonic possession/demonisation are mentioned in the book, Seth tries to be rational and questions the authenticity of each case; is it really demonic or a mental health issue? It’s a good thing that he does question suspected demonic activity and is able to stay calm and take authority over the situation. Some of the scenarios include: demonic presence in a house, supernatural strength in a petite and mature lady attacking her husband and Seth, a suicidal man self-harming and intent on killing himself, a man hissing and writhing like a snake on the floor, death threats, and more. Overall, initially, I wasn’t sure about reading ‘Faithless’ because I’ve experienced a crisis of faith too. At times, I had nothing to hold on to and I was concerned that reading this book may unsettle me and shake my faith. It didn’t. I’m so glad that I chose to read ‘Faithless’. I can’t escape the irony of a line in the book; ‘becoming a christian is hard, but staying a christian is even harder.’ I empathise with Seth Walker’s apathy and spiritual desolation; his point of view. In his own words, he was ill-prepared for the responsibilities put upon his shoulders and it crushed him. When he cried out to God … Nothing. This is a very powerful testimony. I like how he ends the book. Seth, if you read this review: I prefer the way you did it to the way I didn’t. I received a temporary e-ARC of ‘Faithless’ by Seth Walker from Netgalley and the publisher in return for my honest review.