Dave Schmelzer
Encyclopedia
Dave Schmelzer is an American author
, playwright
, and pastor
in the Association of Vineyard Churches
. He is best known for his non-fiction book, Not The Religious Type, Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist, which details his movement away from atheism
and towards the Christian faith, and for founding the Blue Ocean Summit, which gathers ministers and lay leaders interested in addressing matters of faith to a secular world.
as a devout atheist. His conversion experience, chronicled in Not Religious, led to a growing involvement with his on-campus ministry and ongoing confusion; without a religious background, Schmelzer had to reconcile his secular upbringing with matters of faith
. This interest with addressing God to a secular and Western audience has been a fundamental theme of his pastoral and authorial work. (See Published Works below)
In the late 1990s, Schmelzer and his wife, Grace, moved to Boston to help found the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridge Massachusetts, since renamed the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Greater Boston. At the time, Cambridge (and the Boston area) had a less than 2% of church attendees on any given Sunday. Their goal was to meaningfully the rate of Sunday church-goers in Cambridge, then 2%. Since the founding, the Boston Vineyard has grown to approximately 1,000 visitors on any given Sunday. The Boston Vineyard is the site for the annual Blue Ocean Summit.
Schmezler holds a degree in literature from Stanford University
and later received his M.A. in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary
. He maintains the Not Religious blog, which mixes faith and secular thinking, along with other guest bloggers.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in the Association of Vineyard Churches
Association of Vineyard Churches
The Association of Vineyard Churches, also known as the Vineyard Movement, is a neocharismatic evangelical Christian denomination with over 1,500 affiliated churches worldwide....
. He is best known for his non-fiction book, Not The Religious Type, Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist, which details his movement away from atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
and towards the Christian faith, and for founding the Blue Ocean Summit, which gathers ministers and lay leaders interested in addressing matters of faith to a secular world.
Biography
At 18, Schmelzer entered Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
as a devout atheist. His conversion experience, chronicled in Not Religious, led to a growing involvement with his on-campus ministry and ongoing confusion; without a religious background, Schmelzer had to reconcile his secular upbringing with matters of faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
. This interest with addressing God to a secular and Western audience has been a fundamental theme of his pastoral and authorial work. (See Published Works below)
In the late 1990s, Schmelzer and his wife, Grace, moved to Boston to help found the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridge Massachusetts, since renamed the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Greater Boston. At the time, Cambridge (and the Boston area) had a less than 2% of church attendees on any given Sunday. Their goal was to meaningfully the rate of Sunday church-goers in Cambridge, then 2%. Since the founding, the Boston Vineyard has grown to approximately 1,000 visitors on any given Sunday. The Boston Vineyard is the site for the annual Blue Ocean Summit.
Schmezler holds a degree in literature from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and later received his M.A. in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
. He maintains the Not Religious blog, which mixes faith and secular thinking, along with other guest bloggers.
Published works
- SEEK, 2010, Not Religious Inc.
- Blue Ocean Handbook, 2009, Not Religious Inc.
- Confessions of a Turncoat Atheist, 2008, SaltRiver
- Danny Comes Home, 2004, Crawlspace Press