by Eliot Li Erik McLean When Perry was 8, Pastor George pushed him beneath the roiling waves of Ocean Beach three times, once each for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The pastor held him under long enough for the sin in him to die. The first time, the chill of the rushing water jabbed his tender chest, throttled his contorted face, and he wondered if he might actually die. When the pastor’s stiff hand lifted him above the swell, Perry sucked in air like a newborn. He