Was Steve Jobs a Christian? New 'Exclusive' Biography to Explore Apple CEO's Faith?
When Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away Oct. 5, he left admirers curious about his faith and convictions, with many wondering if the technology innovator was a follower of Christ. A new biography from Walter Isaacson, who has also written about Benjamin Franklin, Henry Kissinger and Albert Einstein, says Jobs was "driven by demons" in his pursuit of innovation and success. This new bio, which Jobs fully authorized, promises to not only offer insight into Jobs' mind, but it may also offer revelations about the deeply-private tech genius' faith.
Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute and a former journalist, has penned a new 656-page biography simply titled Steve Jobs.
The book, to be released by Simon & Schuster on Oct. 24, 2011, is based on dozens of interviews with Jobs done over a two-year period, as well as interviews Isaacson conducted with "more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues."
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Described as a "riveting story" of Jobs' "roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality," Steve Jobs tells of how the man behind the personal computer also revolutionized music, movies, phones, and the world of digital publishing.
According to the publisher, the usually-private Jobs "put nothing off-limits" and "encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly."
Isaacson, who has attracted critical acclaim for his thorough biographies, says he is often drawn to chronicle the lives of those "with interesting minds."
"I try to explore the various aspects of intelligence: common sense, wisdom, creativity, imagination, mental processing power, emotional understanding, and moral values," Isaacson has said. "Which of these traits are the most important? How do they make someone an influential or significant or good person?"
Did Jobs or any of the hundred or so people Isaacson interview discuss the Apple co-founder's faith, or his troubled relationship with his biological father, who was never a part of his life? The world may have to wait until Oct. 24 to find out.
Jobs, who was adopted, was baptized a Christian early in life and eventually grew into the Lutheran Church, but discovered Buddhism later in life, according to a previous CP report.
As Jobs struggled with the illness that would eventually claim his life, did he turn back to the God he was first introduced to?
Bob Stith, a national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention, told CP that it is possible the word of God was brought back to Jobs during his last hours.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone would turn to any other religion after coming to know Jesus Christ as their savior," Stith said. "But we can pray that the teachings he received when he was younger were brought back to him during his last days on earth. Once a child of God, always a child of God."
Fans of the tech genius and the empire he helped build, are already eager to delve into Isaacson's tome.
Steve Jobs available for pre-order online, has already attracted nearly 30 ratings on Barnes & Noble's website.
Some of the comments were published before Job's death, but many of them are recent.
One visitor to BN.com said of the new biography on Jobs, "The only Steve Jobs biography which exposes Steve Jobs completely in terms of his work and personal philosophy. We finally know Steve as a mortal through this book."
Jobs died Wednesday at his home in Palo Alto, Calif., after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
