List of former Protestants

This is a list of people who were, but no longer are, followers of Protestant churches. It is organized by what church they left; when applicable, the religion they joined is mentioned. As implied it is limited to those who left Protestantism for a non-Protestant faith and so does not include those who switched from one Protestant denomination to another.

Baptists

• Julie Galambush, a former American Baptist Minister, she converted to Judaism.
• Ahuva Gray – former Baptist minister, who converted to Orthodox Judaism.
• Keith Ham (a.k.a. Swami Kirtanananda; 1937–) – The son of a fundamentalist Baptist pastor, Ham met ISKCON founding guru A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in New York City in 1966. After Prabhupada's death, Ham assumed leadership of ISKCON, claiming to be the sole successor to Prabhupada. He was later expelled after various criminal charges were brought against him.
• Carolivia Herron, author – Convert to Judaism. [4]
• H.P. Lovecraft, fantasy-horror writer who rejected the practice as a teenager, and became an atheist.
• Gene Roddenberry – Television producer and creator of Star Trek. Raised Southern Baptist, denounced his former faith and became a secular humanist.
• Thomas Roper, an ex-Baptist minister, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.
• Britney Spears, pop singer who converted to the Kabbalism sect of Judaism and then renounced her belief in organized religion.
• Andre Tippett, NFL player, who converted to Judaism.

Lutherans

Christina: Her conversion to Catholicism led to her abdication

• Louis Bouyer – Lutheran minister who converted to Catholicism in 1939.[5]
• Ole Brunell – Lutheran pastor who converted to Orthodox Judaism.[6]
• Christina of Sweden – Swedish queen-regent.[7]
• John Hove, a former Lutheran pastor, he converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1988.
• Richard John Neuhaus – Lutheran pastor who converted to Catholicism.[8]
• Jaroslav Pelikan – Lutheran historian who deemed his conversion to the Orthodox Church in America to be a "return."[9]
• Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian and later American composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. He had converted to Lutheranism only to later embrace Judaism.
• Johann Peter Spaeth, was raised Roman Catholic, later converted to Lutheranism, and became a Lutheran theologian, he later left Christianity entirely and embraced Judaism.
• Ola Tjørhom – Norwegian theologian, converted to Catholicism [10].
• Sigrid Undset – Convert to Catholicism.[11]
• Wilhelm Volk – Convert to Catholicism.[12] (JSTOR)

Methodists

• Sam Brownback – Converted to Catholicism
• Kate Capshaw – Converted to Judaism
• Isla Fisher, Australian actress and author, convert to Judaism
• Capers Funnye, converted to Judaism; he is the first African-American member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, serves on the boards of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and the American Jewish Congress of the Midwest, and is active in the Institute for Jewish and Community Research; he is also the cousin of Michelle Obama
• John P. Greene – Methodist minister who joined the Latter Day Saint movement and became a Council of Fifty member.[13]
• Julius Lester – Son of a Methodist minister, and famous author who converted to Judaism. [14]
• Arnold Lunn – Son of minister Henry Simpson Lunn, who converted to Catholicism after initial opposition to that religion.[15]
• Margaret Noble (1867–1911) – Daughter of a minister of the Wesleyan Church in North Ireland (a branch of Methodism), she was a fervent Christian as a child, desiring to become a missionary to India. In 1895, Noble met Swami Vivekananda in London, converted to his version of Hinduism and was renamed "Sister Nivedita." Moved to India where she worked for nationalist causes and wrote several books, most notably, Kali The Mother.
• Carlos Samuel Salas, a former Methodist minister, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.
• Asher Wade an ex-Methodist pastor; he converted in 1978 to Orthodox Judaism after studying the history of the holocaust.
• Earl Williams – American basketball player; converted to Judaism

Pentecostals

• Benjamin Klugger, former Pentecostal missionary, now Orthodox Jew and head of counter-missionary organization
• Yaakov Ephraim Parisi, former Pentecostal minister converted to Judaism
• Duane Pederson – Leader in the Jesus movement who joined an Eastern Orthodox Church.[16][17]
• Skipp Porteous, former Pentecostal minister convert to Judaism.
• Gavriel Sanders, former Pentecostal minister and missionary who tried to convert Jews to Christianity, converted to Orthodox Judaism
• Sheldon Christopher Smith, a former Pentecostal Pastor converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1987
• Yahweh ben Yahweh – Founder of the Nation of Yahweh. [18]

Presbyterians

• Scott Hahn – Former minister who became a Catholic apologist.[19]
• Frank Schaeffer – Son of Calvinist theologian and social critic Francis Schaeffer who converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.[20]
• David N. Weiss, Former Presbyterian minister David Weiss (born in a secular Jewish household) returned to Judaism and is now a successful screenwriter living in Los Angeles. He has been the screenwriter for several films, including Shrek 2, Clockstoppers, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. He has also been the screenwriter for some TV series.

See also

• List of former atheists and agnostics
• List of former Christians
• List of former Latter Day Saints
• List of former Jews
• List of former Muslims
• List of former Roman Catholics