Out of the Fog, Into the Sun - Paperback

by Jo Kinnard (Author)

Are you intrigued by the idea of faith? Are you searching for answers to questions about God as you try to make sense of the circumstances of your life? Have you ever wondered what it means to experience religious conversion? In Out of the Fog, Into the Sun, Jo Kinnard shares her personal story of life transformation. She talks freely about what it means to be brought into faith through Christ as an older adult, after being born and raised Hindu. As someone who has a background in religion and philosophy, and holds a doctorate in one of the main schools of Indian Philosophy underlying Hinduism, Dr. Kinnard is able to articulate questions that seekers have about God and faith. Her story makes a powerful confession of the Gospel in a world marked by religious pluralism, atheism, and agnosticism. It is written for individuals and for discussion groups--exploring what it means to be a Christian today from both an "outsider" and an "insider" perspective--and underlining that in Christ, there are no walls.

Author Biography

Jo Kinnard is an ordained pastor on the clergy roster of LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ), and is the pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Inwood, Iowa. She also teaches a graduate course titled Theology and World Religions in the MDiv program at the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings, South Dakota. Kinnard offers a workshop titled Christian Engagement with Hinduism for pastors and congregations interested or engaged in doing mission in India.

She is the author of Out of the Fog, Into the Sun: My Journey from Hinduism to Christ. (Wipf and Stock, 2010). In addition, she has previously written and published: From Crayons to Cyberspace: Creating a Professional Teaching Portfolio (2007). Her educational background includes a doctorate in Indian Philosophy from the University of Madras, India, a MS in Computer and Information Sciences from Temple University, Philadelphia, an MDiv from Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, and two other graduate degrees.

Before becoming a pastor, she worked as a university professor and a software technology professional. She has taught religion, philosophy, logic, computer science, and management courses at undergraduate and graduate levels at four US universities, and has worked in the corporate sphere as an analyst, developer, and as project manager developing software for manufacturing and higher education.

Her hobbies are painting (acrylics on canvas) and writing. She is married to Mike Kinnard, a senior database administrator, who passionately supports Jo's calling to pastoral ministry. Mike and Jo live in Inwood, Iowa, with their dogs Java and Hershey.