Straight to Hell: Memoir of an Ex-Evangelical Pastor - Hardcover

by John Wesley Wilson (Author)

John Wesley Wilson, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, author, and former Evangelical pastor whose life journey bridges faith, identity, and healing. Raised in poverty and abuse in the deep South, he found early refuge in a small Pentecostal church-a place that offered belonging and safety. But when his sexual orientation emerged at age twelve, he found himself caught between an indispensable faith and an unchangeable truth.

Clinging to the belief that God would heal him if he remained faithful, John married his high school sweetheart, became a father, and rose to the pulpit-preaching a gospel that condemned the very core of who he was.

After decades of repression, his internal world began to collapse-culminating in the moment he removed his straight brother from life support so he could die of AIDS. That breaking point became the beginning of his transformation.

Straight to Hell is a raw and compassionate exploration of what happens when faith and truth collide. It speaks to anyone who has wrestled with identity in the shadow of religion, and to those seeking healing from spiritual abuse, identity shame, and internalized rejection. This is not just a memoir of survival-but a story of reclamation, authenticity, and the courage to stop running from yourself.