if you’re going through a time where you’re not sure what you believe, welcome! you’re in good company here. this is a community of people from all religious backgrounds who are questioning their beliefs and maybe even exploring new ones. You need to know from the start that it’s okay, really, to have questions, doubts, and frustrations. no matter how you feel, somehow you’re not saddening god with your questions.
deconstruction is a word that means many things to many people (see our post on deconstruction for more information) and in some circles it is becoming a capital sin. but, at its core, deconstruction is simply taking inventory of your beliefs, one by one, to see what’s worth keeping and what’s not. It doesn’t have to mean the death of your faith (unless you want it to), but it can be the beginning of a broader, more loving, and more transformative faith.
You are reading: Books on deconstructing faith
but the thing is that deconstruction starts with a lot of confusion and questions, and nowhere to go for comfort or any kind of answer because the places we used to go (church, pastors, parents, ministries, friends, mentors) often do not understand (and may even condemn) what we are going through. however, that does not mean there are no resources available!
So, without further ado, here are 11 books (in no particular order) that we’ve found helpful on our deconstruction journeys. we’ve included brief descriptions from the publishers to help you understand what the book is about.
11 books to read if you are deconstructing your faith
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leaving the fold: a guide for former fundamentalists and others leaving their religion by dr. marlene winell
“a self-help book that examines the effects of authoritarian religion (fundamentalist Christianity in particular) on people who leave the faith. the concrete steps to healing are helpful for anyone recovering from a toxic religion.”
the sin of certainty: why god wants our trust more than our correct beliefs by pete enns
“By combining enns reflections on his own spiritual journey with an examination of scripture, the sin of certainty models an acceptance of the mystery and paradox that all believers can follow and why god prefers this path because it is only This is the path by which we can become mature disciples who truly trust God. it gives Christians who have only known the claim to certainty permission to see the faith in its own flawed, uncertain, but honest terms.”
Looking for Sunday: Loving, Dating, and Finding Church by Rachel Hold Evans
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“Like millions of her fellow millennials, Rachel maintained that Evans no longer wanted to go to church. The hypocrisy, the politics, the gigantic construction budgets, the scandals—the culture of the church seemed far removed from Jesus. however, despite her cynicism and misgivings about her, something about her drew her back to the church. and so she set out on a journey to understand the church and find her place in it.”
saving jesus from the church: how to stop worshiping christ and start following jesus by robin meyers
“Christianity itself is more about compassion than condemnation. saving jesus from the church shows us what it means to be a christian in the 21st century.”
Christianity After Religion: The End of the Church and the Beginning of a New Spiritual Awakening by Diana Butler Bass
“Using evidence from the latest national polls and her own cutting-edge research, Bass, one of contemporary Christianity’s leading trend-seekers, exposes how the failings of the church today are giving rise to a new ‘spiritual but not religious’. ‘ motion.”
out of order: making peace with an evolving faith by sarah bessey
“in the process of gently helping us figure things out, bessey teaches us how to be as comfortable with uncertainty as we are with solid answers. And as we learn to hold the questions in one hand and the answers in the other, we discover new depths of faith that will remain secure even through the storms of life.”
after evangelicalism: the road to a new christianity by david p. gushee
“millions are getting lost in the evangelical labyrinth: inerrancy, disregard for the environment, deterministic Calvinism, purity culture, racism, lgbtq discrimination, male domination and Christian nationalism. now they are conscientious objectors, deconstructionists, maybe even none and that’s it. As one of America’s leading scholars speaking on issues of religion today, David Gushee offers a clear assessment and a new way forward for disillusioned post-evangelicals.”
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Empty Pews: Church Leaving Stories by Chrissy Stroop and Lauren O’Neal
“following the election of president trump in 2016, stroop coined the hashtag #emptythepews on twitter as a call to take a moral stand against the kind of fundamentalist, authoritarian or conservative churches that helped bring about the current political situation and all the rest. their cruelty, division and hatred. the hashtag continues to circulate with the revealing and often heartbreaking stories of those who found the resolve to leave the Evangelical, Mormon, Catholic and other religious communities. empty the banks continues this campaign by sharing the unflinchingly honest stories of those who escaped hardline religious ideology, and how it failed to crush their spirits.”
the change: surviving and thriving after moving from conservative to progressive christianity by colby martin
“When Christians are kicked out of their conservative churches or leave because they no longer feel at home, they embark on a journey of freedom and fear, love and loneliness, empowerment and pain. the move from conservative to progressive Christianity is a serious change. Colby Martin traversed this treacherous territory, survived his hardships, and now turns around to share what he has learned.”
So You Won’t Want to Go to Church Anymore: An Unexpected Journey by Wayne Jacobson and Dave Coleman
“compelling and intensely personal, so you won’t want to go to church anymore” recounts a man’s rebirth from performance-based Christianity to a loving friendship with Christ that affects everything he does, thinks and says.”
it’s okay to not be okay: coping with grief and loss in a culture that doesn’t understand by megan devine
“megan devine offers a new and profound approach to both the experience of grief and how we try to help others who have suffered a tragedy. Having experienced pain from both sides, as a therapist and as a woman who witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner, Megan writes with profound insight into the unspoken truths of loss, love, and healing. she debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, happy life, replacing it with a much healthier middle path, one that invites us to build a life alongside pain rather than trying to overcome it.” note: this is particularly important for afflicting the faith and systems you leave behind.
We hope you find these books useful! We’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’ve read any of them and found them helpful, as well as any books not on this list that you think fellow travelers should check out. 💜
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