One of the Few

Marine fighter pilot Jason B. Ladd grows up in a military family with loving parents but spends his young life filled with spiritual apathy. In One of the Few, Ladd struggles with doubt during his search for truth and a reasonable defense of the Christian faith as he prepares for combat and wages spiritual warfare during his mission to become a better husband and father. Ladd enters the US Marine Corps, becomes a fighter pilot, and sees combat in Iraq before life events align to nudge him into profound spiritual inquiry. Digging deep into his quest for truth, he realizes the art and science of fighter pilot fundamentals can help him on his journey. Filled with stories that contrast his spiritual apathy with his post-Christian worldview passion, One of the Few is the compelling life story of a spiritual seeker engaged in a thrilling profession combined with a strong, reasonable defense of Christianity. Many people fail to recognize the importance of establishing a coherent worldview. As a result, they are unable to think critically, solve problems, or provide their children with answers to life's biggest questions. The purpose of this book is to show how a search for truth will lead to a Christian worldview allowing parents to provide meaningful answers, defend against false teachings, and protect their children from the dangers of spiritual apathy and secular evangelism. One of the Few describes Ladd's journey from apathetic atheist to impassioned evangelist. "Part I: Seek And You Will Find" follows the path from clueless teenager to combat veteran as Ladd describes growing up as a military dependent, military basic training, and Navy flight school. Chapters describe his first experience with colliding worldviews, meeting the girl who would later become his wife and lead him to the Christian faith, and the difficulty of answering important questions without a recognized worldview. Stories contrast his spiritual apathy with post-Christian-worldview passion and show how fighter pilot fundamentals helped prepare him to conduct spiritual reconnaissance during his mission to find the truth about God and Christianity. "Part II: Be Not Deceived" describes how his new worldview and role as husband and father shaped his perspective on important cultural issues including alcohol abuse and sexual immorality. Chapters explore common misconceptions about Christianity and discuss topics including faith versus science, the problem of evil, the perceived femininity of Christianity, and the importance of strong marriages. "Part III: Always Be Ready" uses military principles to prepare the reader for spiritual warfare and the defense of the Christian faith. Chapters include Ladd's struggle with doubt after investigating Christianity, use peace, war, and defense as a framework for developing a worldview, and challenge readers to guard against the New Spirituality. It concludes with a reminder from Matthew 22:14 ("Many are called, but few are chosen"), and poses a final question to the reader: will you be one of the few? For fans of Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel, and Frank Turek, Ladd's remarkable journey shares the transformative power of faith during a time when belief in God is dismissed and religious liberty in the military is attacked.