Welcome to NewWalden! I’m John Gravino, the creator of this website and the author of The Immoral Landscape of the New Atheism. I am a lifelong Roman Catholic who took a vacation from his faith during his college years. Like the prodigal son, I returned to my true home, the Church, all in rags and tatters—spiritually speaking. My book and this website are partly inspired by my reconversion, which is now nearly twenty years old.
It was during that reconversion that, for the first time, I began to take the study of my faith seriously. I became a student of the Church’s ascetical theology and learned how our human nature depended on Christian asceticism and spirituality for the development of our human potential.
With the rise of the New Atheists, I realized that my study had given me an answer to the charge that “religion poisons everything!” In truth Christianity is essential to happiness, spiritual growth and enlightenment, and the progress of civilization. My book marshals a truckload of evidence to demonstrate these facts.
I see it as an important part of my vocation to promote the ideas in my book, which is why I created this website. For my efforts, I have thus far received a little bit of recognition. The book has received some excellent reviews, and I have been invited to a few speaking engagements, including one at Duke Medical School last year. My work continues here at NewWalden and on social media venues like Twitter and YouTube.
I am currently at work on my second book.
Praise for My Work
