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Ed Gungor

BIO

Ed Gungor is a rare wonder in the American church --- a veteran pastor with a strong aversion to “religion,” who often conducts well-informed discussions on philosophy and church history but can’t go more than two sentences without laughing at his own jokes. He became a follower of Christ as a teenager in the early 1970’s and has been deeply involved in the spiritual formation of others for over thirty-five years. Ed has a passion for authentic transformation, a phenomenon he feels is all too rare in today’s church. “Christianity is like a cough,” he muses. “Standing at a safe distance and imitating someone else’s cough is nothing like getting close and catching it yourself.”

As a self-described “church futurist,” he is constantly aware of the changing needs of the next generation of Christians, the ones who haven’t yet experienced spiritual formation. To effectively communicate the gospel to this group, he believes our notion of “destiny” in the American church needs to be re-imagined. Ed longs to see believers willing to abandon their Christianized versions of the self-important American Dream, embracing instead the miraculous, surprising and contagious Christianity that comes when they see themselves as the servants of God who find their home with Messiah and his people as they participate in the mission of God (mission dei).

Ed is known for his down-to-earth, engaging communication style. With transparency and his own unique brand of wry humor, he cuts through the usual “church-speak,” gleefully slaughtering any sacred cows that distort the true message of Christ. He is the author of several books, including RELIGIOUSLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES: Finding a Cure When Faith Doesn’t Feel Right. He is currently working on his fifth book, THE VOW: An Ancient Path of Spiritual Formation That Still Transforms Today, which is scheduled for release in early 2008 (Thomas Nelson, Inc.). His current release is entitled THERE IS MORE TO THE SECRET.

Ed and his wife Gail have been married thirty years. They have four children and live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ed currently serves as Lead Pastor at Peoples Church in Tulsa and travels around the U.S. and abroad speaking in churches, universities and seminars. For more information, visit .