Deeply moved by the uncertainty he saw in people regarding the issues of faith, Winston Sutherland, Ph.D., decided it was time to work on an idea that had been on his mind for ten years.
“It was one of those things that if you don’t get it out, it keeps coming and coming and coming,” Sutherland explained.
He gathered all his thoughts together to write a book, Informed Faith: From the Unseen to the Undeniable, published by Publish America on June 1, 2009.
Sutherland defines the concept of "informed faith" as placing one’s faith on reason or evidence, not based on tradition, custom or another person's preachings.
“It stands in stark contrast to blind faith, which advocates a trust, belief, loyalty, or confidence in people or things based upon unquestioned traditions, customs, or authority figures without the benefit of investigation," Sutherland added.
SUTHERLAND’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Sutherland was born on the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago and is one of eleven children raised by a single mother. His father left the family when he was two and the relationship between a father and son has always weighed heavily on him.
“Even in the Bible there are all these images of a father and son,” Sutherland said, adding “and of the father putting his arm around the son.”
An intensely spiritual person, Sutherland remembers questioning his place in the world, why we are all here and who God was as early as five-years old. The musings quieted for some time until when as a teen he and his family immigrated to the United States. There was a huge culture shock for Sutherland when his family settled in New York and the questions came again.
“From an early age I had many questions,” Sutherland said.
He had questions that he didn’t have answers to, so Sutherland entered Dallas Theological Seminary and received his masters degree in theology.
His desire to study theology was a very personal one. He wanted answers for himself, but was also compelled to share his awareness and try to help people understand and define faith in simple terms.
“For example, someone returns from a healing event and they find out there was no healing done,” Sutherland said, adding, “Sometimes those people would be accused by the so called faith-healers as not having enough faith.”
He feels passionately that faith transcends religious labels and is there for anyone to obtain. When looking for a publisher, instead of going through a Christian publisher, Sutherland went with Publish America because he felt he would reach a broader audience.
SUTHERLAND'S OTHER INTERESTS
As passionate as Sutherland is about issues of faith, he is equally passionate about teaching. After receiving his masters degree, he went onto receive his Ph.D in higher education from the University of North Texas.
He teaches at Texas College in Tyler, Texas. In addition to teaching in the Religion department, he also serves as an advisor to students and directs the college’s First Year Seminar program.
Sutherland sees his future in writing going very broadly and would like his next novel to delve even deeper into the topic of faith.
He’d also like to write about mentoring relationships between fathers and sons. He sees that there is a need for leadership in families and thinks mentoring programs are very important.
“If I had the mentoring, I would have gone to school sooner,” Sutherland said.
He enjoys music, European football and a good romantic comedy. He also enjoys intelligent conversations about various issues. But his mind is always pulled towards God.
“I am so sweet on the Lord,” Sutherland concluded.
For more information on Sutherland and his book, visit his website.
Source:
- Phone interview with Winston Sutherland on June 16, 2009.
