Dan Barker

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American atheist activist and musician

title: "Dan Barker" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1949-births", "20th-century-atheists", "21st-century-atheists", "american-atheism-activists", "american-writers-on-atheism", "american-assemblies-of-god-pastors", "american-performers-of-christian-music", "american-former-protestants", "american-jazz-pianists", "atheist-philosophers", "azusa-pacific-university-alumni", "american-critics-of-christianity", "critics-of-the-catholic-church", "delaware-tribe-of-indians-people", "freethought-writers", "former-baptists", "former-pentecostals", "former-quakers", "living-people", "native-american-activists", "native-american-musicians", "native-american-songwriters", "21st-century-native-american-writers", "new-atheism", "writers-from-madison,-wisconsin", "writers-about-religion-and-science", "quaker-ministers", "articles-containing-video-clips", "american-founders", "activists-from-santa-monica,-california", "writers-from-santa-monica,-california", "musicians-from-santa-monica,-california"] description: "American atheist activist and musician" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Barker" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American atheist activist and musician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameDan Barker
imageDan Barker.jpg
birth_nameDaniel Edwin Barker
birth_date
birth_placeSanta Monica, California, U.S.
alma_materAzusa Pacific University
known_for
occupationCo-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation, author, musician
module{{Listen
filenameDan Barker introducing himself.ogg
titleVoice of Dan Barker
embedyes
::

| name = Dan Barker | image = Dan Barker.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Daniel Edwin Barker | birth_date = | birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = Azusa Pacific University | known_for = | occupation = Co-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation, author, musician | module = {{Listen | filename = Dan Barker introducing himself.ogg | title = Voice of Dan Barker | embed = yes Daniel Edwin Barker (born June 25, 1949) is an American atheist activist and musician who served as an evangelical Christian preacher and composer for 19 years but left Christianity in 1984. He and his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor are the current co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and he is cofounder of The Clergy Project. He has written numerous articles for Freethought Today, an American freethought newspaper. He is the author of several books including Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist.

Barker has been an invited speaker at Rock Beyond Belief. He is on the speakers bureau of the Secular Student Alliance.

Biography

Barker received a degree in religion from Azusa Pacific University and was ordained to the ministry by the Standard Community Church, California, in 1975. He served as associate pastor at several churches: Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), a church in the Assemblies of God fellowship, and an independent Charismatic church. He receives royalties from his popular children's Christian musicals, Mary Had a Little Lamb (1977) and His Fleece Was White as Snow (1978), both published by Manna Music.

In 1984, he announced to his friends, family, and co-ministers that he had become an atheist, and appeared on AM Chicago (hosted by Oprah Winfrey) later that year on a show about "kicking the religion habit".

Personal life

Barker and Gaylor met when both were guests on the show. They began dating six months later and married in 1987. They have a daughter, Sabrina Delata.

He is a member of the Lenni Lenape Delaware Tribe of Indians, and in 1991 edited and published Paradise Remembered, a collection of his grandfather's stories as a Lenape boy in Indian Territory.

Freedom from Religion Foundation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Dan_Barker_introduces_the_FFRF.webm" caption="Barker introduces himself and the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]]."] ::

Main article: Freedom from Religion Foundation

He is the current co-president with his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, an American freethought organization that promotes the separation of church and state. Barker is co-host of Freethought Radio, a radio program based in Madison, Wisconsin for atheists, agnostics, and other freethinkers that began in 2006 and has included interviews with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, Christopher Hitchens, Philip Pullman, Daniel C. Dennett, Ron Reagan, Julia Sweeney, and Michael Newdow.

Media appearances

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Barker-DSouza-UCSD-201103.jpg" caption="UCSD]] in 2011." alt="Man in his fifties standing and speaking wearing a tan suitcoat holding up a red book, man in his forties seated, large audience visible at right"] ::

Barker has appeared on dozens of national television and radio programs to discuss and debate issues related to atheism and the separation of state and church. He has discussed nativity scenes on government property, the campaign against a Mother Teresa stamp, prayer in public schools, and has appeared on Oprah Winfrey, The O’Reilly Factor, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Phil Donahue, Hannity & Colmes, Maury Povich, Good Morning America, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Tom Leykis, as well as many international television and radio shows.

He was featured in a New York Times article about the growth of atheism in Southern states, has given addresses on his own "de-conversion" across the United States, and has participated in more than 140 debates around the country and the world.

Barker and his wife host a weekly one-hour radio program, Freethought Radio. It is carried on several stations throughout the Midwest and is available through podcast.

Publications

Musicals

  • Mary Had a Little Lamb (Manna Music 1977)
  • His Fleece Was White as Snow (Manna Music 1978) Books

Music albums

  • Night at Nakoma (2008, piano solo)
  • Friendly Neighborhood Atheist (2002, FFRF album)
  • Beware of Dogma (2004, FFRF album)
  • Adrift On A Star (2013, FFRF album)

References

References

  1. Lueders, Bill. (July 28, 1991}}{{Dead link). "Fervor in reverse". The Milwaukee Journal.
  2. Grauvogl, Ann. (December 18, 2009). "Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor are happily God-free". Isthmus The Daily Page.
  3. unknown. (n.d.). "The Story of The Clergy Project". The Clergy Project.
  4. [https://www.salon.com/2013/06/29/god_is_a_delusion_i_was_a_pentacostal_preacher_until_i_lost_my_faith/ "“God is a delusion”: I was a Pentecostal preacher — until I lost my faith"]. Salon.
  5. Griffith, Justin. (January 16, 2011). "Dan Barker Joins the Lineup". Rock Beyond Belief website.
  6. "Dan Barker". Secular Student Alliance.
  7. "Manna Music All Songs List". Manna Music.
  8. Von Busack, Richard. (October 3, 2002). "Heretical Animals". [[Metro Silicon Valley]].
  9. (1984). "The Oprah Winfrey Show". AM Chicago.
  10. Erickson, Doug. (February 25, 2007). "The Atheists' Calling". Madison.com.
  11. "Delaware Tribe of Indians".
  12. Barker, Dan. (1991). "Paradise Remembered a Lenape Indian Childhood and Other Stories". Dan Barker.
  13. (January 30, 2024). "Annie Laurie Gaylor".
  14. (January 2000). "Freethought Radio".
  15. (December 4, 2010). "Fox & Friends". Fox News.
  16. The Daily Show. (March 14, 2010). "Mail Mary". Comedy Central.
  17. (August 14, 2011). "Does Prayer Have A Place In Public Schools". Fox News.
  18. Sella, Marshall. (December 7, 1997). "Faith Is a Fraud; Godless And Proud of It". New York Times.
  19. Lazarus, Bill. (January 24, 1991). "Minister-turned-atheist Speaks This Weekend". Orlando Sentinel.
  20. Lyman, Wendy. (April 28, 2004). "Dan Barker Speaks Tonight at Schofield". University of Wisconsin.
  21. (April 24, 2004). "Atheism speaker attracts large crowd". University of Wisconsin.
  22. Baker, Jim. (November 13, 2004). "Former preacher 'de-converts' to atheism". Lawrence Journal World.
  23. Tonge, Shawn. (March 11, 2013). "Evangelical preacher shares story of conversion to atheism". Michigan Central Life.
  24. (May 11, 2006). "Minister-Turned-Atheist Discusses Journey to Deconversion in Lawrence University Address". Lawrence University.
  25. (April 30, 2008). "The Interminable Debate". The Harvard Crimson.
  26. (January 2000). "Freethought Radio & Podcast".

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1949-births20th-century-atheists21st-century-atheistsamerican-atheism-activistsamerican-writers-on-atheismamerican-assemblies-of-god-pastorsamerican-performers-of-christian-musicamerican-former-protestantsamerican-jazz-pianistsatheist-philosophersazusa-pacific-university-alumniamerican-critics-of-christianitycritics-of-the-catholic-churchdelaware-tribe-of-indians-peoplefreethought-writersformer-baptistsformer-pentecostalsformer-quakersliving-peoplenative-american-activistsnative-american-musiciansnative-american-songwriters21st-century-native-american-writersnew-atheismwriters-from-madison,-wisconsinwriters-about-religion-and-sciencequaker-ministersarticles-containing-video-clipsamerican-foundersactivists-from-santa-monica,-californiawriters-from-santa-monica,-californiamusicians-from-santa-monica,-california