Sarah Pulliam Bailey of Religion News Service interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, author of All Those Popular Books People Buy at the Airport including his latest hit David and Goliath, about his faith.

It turns out there’s a religious side to Gladwell we’ve never heard much about:

Q: If your family is still religious, are you? A: I’ve had a different journey. I had drifted away a little bit. This book has brought me back into the fold. I was so incredibly struck in writing these stories by the incredible power faith had in people’s lives, it has made a profound impact on me in my belief. That’s been the completely unexpected effect of writing this book. I am in the process of rediscovering my own faith again. Q: Would you call yourself a Christian, or are you figuring that out? A: I would. On my website, for years, I’ve had this statement of what I believe so readers can know where I’m coming from. “I believe in God.” I put that on years ago because I felt it was important that people who read my work knew the perspective that I came from. It changes how people read you if you believe in God. It gives insight into your motivation, how you look at problems and how you deal with people.

I guess it’s not really surprising that a man who is constantly accused of cherry picking stories to fit his desired narrative and ignoring reality when it defies his worldview would be Christian.

And people like me are part of the problem. I love his writing and I don’t give a damn about anything I just wrote in that last paragraph. I’m halfway through David and Goliath and I think it’s awesome, even though I’m fully aware of all the criticism. I figure I’m okay as long as I don’t take him literally. Maybe I can pick up some interesting ideas and work to apply them to my own life.

Shit. I think I’m a Christian now, too.



