15: She Walked Away from God for 20 Years — Then Co-Wrote a Book That Sold 500,000 Copies

She didn't want it to be true. For 20 years, Katherine Alsdorf — Silicon
Valley CEO, three-time tech executive, UVA MBA — ran as far from God as
she could. Then she surrendered. One month later, she was asked to run a
company as a brand-new Christian.

What followed was a decade of wrestling with one question: What difference
does it actually make if I'm a Christian at work?

That question eventually became the Center for Faith and Work at Redeemer
Presbyterian Church in New York City — and a book she co-wrote with Tim
Keller that has now reached over 500,000 readers in 17 languages.

In this conversation with Bob Varney, Katherine shares:
→ Her 20-year journey away from — and back to — faith
→ Why her conversion felt like truth, not joy (and why that's more common than we think)
→ What it looked like to lead companies as a follower of Christ
→ How she built a groundbreaking faith & work ministry from a blank sheet of paper
→ Why the Gospel changes not just your soul — but your work, your city, and the world
→ What she wishes every pastor understood about workplace discipleship

Whether you're a business leader, pastor, or someone who has ever felt the gap between Sunday faith and Monday work — this conversation is for you.

📖 Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller & Katherine Alsdorf:
https://www.amazon.com/Every-Good-Endeavor-Connecting-Work/dp/1594632820

🌍 Learn more about Cities Project Global:
https://citiesprojectglobal.com

Article: https://citiesprojectglobal.com/articles/she-walked-away-from-god-for-20-years-then-she-co-wrote-one-of-the-most-influential-faith-work-books-in-history/

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⏱ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction — Katherine's background
2:17 Growing up in the church & walking away at 17
6:30 Why she came back to faith — and what it cost her
9:10 "Flooded with truth, not joy" — an honest conversion story
11:37 Becoming a CEO one month after surrendering to faith
13:00 What difference does it make to be a Christian at work?
16:30 The dot-com collapse & wrestling with God
18:00 Building the Center for Faith and Work at Redeemer
22:00 The R&D lab: Gospel change is always innovative
24:04 Every Good Endeavor — and why they wrote it
30:00 Calling: we're broken people invited into God's work
42:00 What churches are missing about workplace discipleship
47:00 What Katherine is doing today

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🎙 The Intersection: Faith, Work and Life is hosted by Bob Varney and
Hugh Brandt. We're committed to helping people see that discipleship means
living by faith in God in all areas of life — all the time.

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