Pen Name:
Jan G. Linn
Genres:
Articles, Inspirational, Mystery, Fiction: Family dynamics and relationships; Nonfiction: the intersection of politics and religion
Social Media:
Other Contact Information:
janlinn45@gmail.com
952-406-2193
Bio
Jan Linn is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He was Chaplain and Associate Professor at Lynchburg College in Virginia for ten years before serving as Professor of the Practice of Ministry at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He and his wife, Joy, also served as co-directors of the New Clergy Program for the Department of Religion at the Chautauqua Institution for two years. Choosing to give up tenure at Lexington Seminary, Jan and Joy, at the invitation of their denomination, established a new church in Lakeville, Minnesota, modeled after the Church of the Savior in Washington, D. C. During this time, Jan also served as the inaugural Dean of the School of Ministry for the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest Region, with special focus on theological education for Commissioned Lay Ministers. Joy and Jan live in Apple Valley, Minnesota and are parents to four children and six grandchildren.
Jan is the author of 21 published books. His most recent book is entitled, The Faithful Skeptic: In Search of a Humble Christianity (Sunstone Press, 2025). Other titles include What’s Wrong With The Christian Right (Universal Publishers, 2004), Evangelicalism and The Decline of American Politics (Cascade, 2018), and Unbinding Christianity: Choosing the Values of Jesus over the Beliefs of the Church (Universal Publishers, 2020). Jan also writes a popular blog called, “Thinking Against the Grain” on Substack.
Nonfiction
Title: The Faithful Skeptic: In Search of a Humble Christianity
Publisher: Sunstone Press (April 4, 2025)
Genre: Christian Faith
Why a book like this? “One of the signs of wisdom as a person of faith,” writes Jan Linn, “is recognizing the indispensable role questions play in arriving at good and sound conclusions… The truth about Christianity and all other religions is that none of them has the truth, only approximations to it. That is not a bad thing when you understand that faith is less about having the right answers and more about knowing the right questions to ask in pursuit of knowledge and any truth to which it leads. This is why skepticism is critical to a healthy Christianity. It refuses to let faith settle for answers that are afraid of the questions they raise. In today’s America, people attracted to a healthy Christianity are not looking for a message that promotes conformity of belief, but one that is open to questions because it recognizes the value of skepticism in serving as a guide to living well and making the world a better place in the process.”
Available for Sale
Fiction
Title: A Brother’s Peace: A Novel of Relationships
Publisher: Sunstone Press (September 22, 2022)
Genre: Literary Fiction
Families are messy because relationships are. The Strange family of Castle Cove, North Carolina is no different. Three brothers grow up with the same parents who love them equally and provide for them generously because they can, yet each brother turns out different. Harrison, the oldest, takes over the family sawmill business. Sonny, the middle one, goes down the rabbit hole of alcoholism, while Sydney, the youngest, becomes an Episcopal priest who is determined to save his brother from himself, driving a wedge between them that finally forces him to confront his own humanity, including his unconscious white privilege endemic to small town southern life he has always taken for granted. Caught in the tension between the demands of truth and the resilience of hope, the Strange family saga will make you laugh and cry as you experience the power of storytelling at its best. Includes Readers Guide.