The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-30 09:21:51
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Alisa Childers
- ISBN：149647497X
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Summary
A groundbreaking book on the true nature of faith deconstructionAlisa and Tim help the reader to deconstruct the deconstructionists and thus to respond to them， both with arguments and with love and sensitivity。 This is a timely book！ -- Carl Trueman， author of The Rise and Triumph of the Modern SelfA movement called ‘deconstruction’ is sweeping through our churches and it is affecting our loved ones。 It has disrupted， dismantled， and destroyed the faith of so many， and this book can help you not only understand what’s happening but also stand your ground and respond with clarity and confidence。Maybe you have a loved one who is deconstructing their faith， and you are struggling to know how to respond;Maybe you are trying to understand the radical spiritual makeover your friend or family member is going through;Maybe your relationship with a loved one has been strained or even cut off because of your “toxic” Christian beliefs and you don’t know what to do;Maybe you’re experiencing doubt yourself and facing hard questions about truth， God， the Bible， theology and the gospel。Some who leave the faith feel wounded by the church。 Others feel repressed by some of the moral imperatives found in Scripture。 For some， it leads to a custom-made spirituality。 For others， deconstructing their faith leads them away from the truth into agnosticism， atheism， the occult， or humanism。In this seminal book， Alisa Childers， author of Another Gospel？， and Tim Barnett， creator of Red Pen Logic， will help you understand what deconstruction is， where it comes from， why it is compelling to some， and how it disorients the lives of so many。 You will be able to think through the main issues around faith deconstruction and explore wise and loving ways to respond from a biblical worldview。
Reviews
Faith
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A great resource for people who are just starting to learn about deconstruction。 Maybe a close friend or family member has announced that they are going through this transition， and you want to understand what happened or what they are doing and what it might mean， this is the book for you。 I'm a follower of Alisa Childers' podcast， so a lot of this information was review for me。 Alisa and Tim do an excellent job of describing what deconstruction is， and how it is nothing new， though it definite A great resource for people who are just starting to learn about deconstruction。 Maybe a close friend or family member has announced that they are going through this transition， and you want to understand what happened or what they are doing and what it might mean， this is the book for you。 I'm a follower of Alisa Childers' podcast， so a lot of this information was review for me。 Alisa and Tim do an excellent job of describing what deconstruction is， and how it is nothing new， though it definitely seems to be popping up all over social media right now。 They approach it with compassion， as well as facts about the Bible and the true character of God， with good tips for how to effectively respond when a loved one makes this decision。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions are my own。 。。。more
Amanda Conroy
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I loved this book！ It was a smooth， easy， and informative read。 I could have read this in one sitting if I did not have other responsibilities。The authors gave clarity about the deconstruction movement that is puzzling many。 They discussed what destruction means， why someone might deconstruct， and how to respond to loved ones deconstructing。This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about the deconstruction movement that is exploding in our culture。It is especially for those who have loved I loved this book！ It was a smooth， easy， and informative read。 I could have read this in one sitting if I did not have other responsibilities。The authors gave clarity about the deconstruction movement that is puzzling many。 They discussed what destruction means， why someone might deconstruct， and how to respond to loved ones deconstructing。This book is for anyone who wants to learn more about the deconstruction movement that is exploding in our culture。It is especially for those who have loved ones in this movement or someone experiencing doubt and facing hard questions about their faith。I highly recommend all Christians read this book。 I think it is an important topic to be thinking about and understanding。What stood out for me in the book:The authors discussed the importance of the heart motive of someone seeking truth。 If someone does not want a relationship with God， no amount of evidence will sway them。Book Quote: "。。the problem is not with God's failure to give evidence; the problem is with our failure to accept it。"Book Quotes:"Yet the goal for all Christians should be to align our beliefs with the word of God， despite our personal feelings or beliefs on the topic。" "Faith deconstruction is a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without regarding scripture as standard。""Many people want freedom from obedience。 The Bible offers freedom within obedience。""Saving faith is active trust based on the evidence。"Thank you @tyndalehouse and @netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennie
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The soon to be released book The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett is a timely book。 This book will help you to understand what deconstruction is， how it started， why it seems to be growing， and affecting each one of us。I needed to read it to understand after seeing not only some known pastors （and churches） and musicians fall into this but also a few people I know。 It is a sad movement that is taking place all around us， but this book also points to what we can do The soon to be released book The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett is a timely book。 This book will help you to understand what deconstruction is， how it started， why it seems to be growing， and affecting each one of us。I needed to read it to understand after seeing not only some known pastors （and churches） and musicians fall into this but also a few people I know。 It is a sad movement that is taking place all around us， but this book also points to what we can do to help and how to be on guard。 It seems to stem a lot from people who get hurt in church or from “Christians。” They start seeking answers but in the wrong places。 Instead of turning to God and His Word， they turn to social media， influencers， friends， that point them in the wrong direction。 I understand， I know what it is like to be hurt in church and by people。 Thankfully， I turned in the right direction。The authors share real-life stories and examples to help the reader to understand and Scripture and biblical counsel to help people going through it。 There are three sections in the book。 The first identifies deconstruction in our homes， churches， and social media， along with what it is and what it is not。 The second section helps to analyze the why and how it is happening。 And the last part， how to love and help those in our lives。I have many highlights and tabs throughout this book。 Here are a few: We need to be vigilant to resist， oppose， and refute false ideas while remaining loving and compassionate toward the people who are being taken captive by them。 Christians should evaluate the claims of spiritual teachers to determine whether they are speaking from the world or speaking truth from God。 Jesus never says， “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations， baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit， and teaching them to deconstruct everything I have commanded you。” Instead， Jesus commissions His followers to make more disciples and to “obey everything I have commanded you”。 There is no Great Decommission。 Yet the goal for all Christians should be to align our beliefs with the Word of God， despite our own personal feelings or beliefs on the topic。 Deconstruction isn’t moving toward God; it’s moving away from God。 It’s not a revival。 It’s a rerun。 As we learn from the Israelites， you can’t determine what God is like by looking at the culture。 Statistics show that biblical literacy is at an all-time low…。 About half of American evangelicals believe God learns and adapts to different circumstances and accepts worship from all religions…。 Nearly 40% have bought into the idea that religious belief is not a matter of objective truth but merely a matter of personal opinion。 Bad and untruthful ideas are harmful to people， so we should make every effort to speak truth into those lies with hearts filled with compassion and love。 Every doubter eventually comes to a crossroads where they must decide whether to continue to move toward God or to move away from Him。 We’d like to propose a better way to reexamine your faith。 Reformations， not deconstruction。I highly recommend this for all Christians and leaders to read。 。。。more
Ginger Hudock
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The phrase "deconstructing faith" has become popular recently。 It refers to individuals who had previously described themselves as evangelical Christians going through a process of changing their beliefs。 I had heard this term but was not entirely sure what it meant。 This book is targeted mainly to readers， like myself， who are committed to orthodox Christianity but who want to better understand this phenomenon and help those who may be questioning aspects of their faith。 Deconstruction is a res The phrase "deconstructing faith" has become popular recently。 It refers to individuals who had previously described themselves as evangelical Christians going through a process of changing their beliefs。 I had heard this term but was not entirely sure what it meant。 This book is targeted mainly to readers， like myself， who are committed to orthodox Christianity but who want to better understand this phenomenon and help those who may be questioning aspects of their faith。 Deconstruction is a result of postmodernism and at odds with traditional Christianity because it puts the "self" at the center instead of the Bible。 This book gives a thorough explanation of many of the topics popular among those who have "deconstructed" as well as Biblical explanations of the errors therein。 The authors also seek to give the readers ways to thoughtfully interact with people involved in deconstruction。 I believe they have succeeded in this book。 The book would be very useful for church or paraministry workers， especially those involving youth。 It could also be helpful for parents and Sunday school teachers。 I recommend this for any thoughtful Christian seeking to understand our current culture better。 I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
Christine
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3。。5* "Every Christian should know what they believe and why they believe it。 And this means being open to asking hard questions。 Leaders who can't be questioned and lack accountability make churches ripe for spiritual abuse。"In this book， the authors， Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett attempt to explore the reasons behind what has been dubbed by many， the deconstruction movement， what a Christian response should be and hope for those questioning their faith and navigating doubt。 They are harsh wit 3。。5* "Every Christian should know what they believe and why they believe it。 And this means being open to asking hard questions。 Leaders who can't be questioned and lack accountability make churches ripe for spiritual abuse。"In this book， the authors， Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett attempt to explore the reasons behind what has been dubbed by many， the deconstruction movement， what a Christian response should be and hope for those questioning their faith and navigating doubt。 They are harsh with those who throw the baby out with the bathwater or refuse to believe in a God not of their own making and are tender and encouraging with those who have been hurt by the church and its leaders' many unrepentant failures and as a result question everything those leaders have told them about Christianity。The tone seemed a little self righteous at times and some of the arguments and illustrations got a little muddy but I appreciated the overall message of the book and would recommend it for anyone who would like to get more of a glimpse into what deconstruction means vs。 questioning， doubting and wrestling with the Christian faith。Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts。 。。。more
Joan Jordan
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Doubting God and His Word dates back to the Garden of Eden and man has not changed much since then。 Even those raised in the church， or maybe especially those， are prone to question the things they've been taught。 The authors drawn a clear， and important， distinction between asking questions as a way to learn more， which Jesus never condemned， or asking questions as a way to challenge biblical inerrancy and ultimately reject biblical authority。 Unfortunately， there are those that are challenging Doubting God and His Word dates back to the Garden of Eden and man has not changed much since then。 Even those raised in the church， or maybe especially those， are prone to question the things they've been taught。 The authors drawn a clear， and important， distinction between asking questions as a way to learn more， which Jesus never condemned， or asking questions as a way to challenge biblical inerrancy and ultimately reject biblical authority。 Unfortunately， there are those that are challenging spiritual authority because of the harm churches or church leaders have done to them。 The authors of The Deconstruction of Christianity do an excellent job explaining what Deconstruction is and showing how it manifests itself in modern day deconstructionists。 This book is compassionately well written with a sprinkle of humor here and there。 It helps those who want to help deconstructionists to understand their mindset and， above all， offer hope， as these people are often hurting。 The most important takeaway from this book is that Scripture prevails。 No amount of arguments， no matter how appealing or well-reasoned， can trump God's Word。 Either we stand firmly on this Rock， or we stand on the shifting sands of culture。I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Sara
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I should start by saying: I am not the target audience for this book。 My parents are。 I am a deconstructed/de-converted former evangelical。 I was a Christian up until the age of 25， growing up in an Assemblies of God church。 I wrote human videos to ZOEgirl songs; I was one of Alisa's young fans in the early 2000s。 I chose to read and review this book for a few reasons。 1） I'm interested in the topic; this is a book I would've picked up， anyway， even though I knew I would likely disagree with the I should start by saying: I am not the target audience for this book。 My parents are。 I am a deconstructed/de-converted former evangelical。 I was a Christian up until the age of 25， growing up in an Assemblies of God church。 I wrote human videos to ZOEgirl songs; I was one of Alisa's young fans in the early 2000s。 I chose to read and review this book for a few reasons。 1） I'm interested in the topic; this is a book I would've picked up， anyway， even though I knew I would likely disagree with the authors on a lot of points。 And 2） I wanted to see if the advice was sound， if following it would lead to happy results for people like my friends and family。 Because I would very much like to maintain these relationships， and I would hope that the advice they're getting isn't going to push us further apart。So does this book give decent advice？Sort of。I do agree with most of the points in the section that is devoted to what to do when your loved one deconstructs。 The authors do say to respect boundaries and give space， they point out that you should make sure you have a close enough relationship with someone before bringing it up， and just be kind and model good behavior （I'm not likely to see the "fruits of the spirit" in you as proof of God， but I absolutely want you to be kind to people）。 As far as not affirming the pronouns of a trans family member: I understand how sticky this feels， from a Christian perspective。 You don't want to compromise your beliefs to make people happy， and you're trying to teach your children about what you think is right and wrong。 I absolutely get it。 However， I do think choosing not to affirm someone's new name or pronouns is you choosing not to have a relationship with them。 If that's not what you want， my personal suggestion would be: use the name and preferred pronouns with your family member。 When you are alone with your kids， you can tell them that you don't personally agree with it， but that we should respect other people even when we disagree。 This person does not share your Christian beliefs （even if they remain a progressive Christian， they have different beliefs from your own）， so they can choose not to adhere to your personal rules， and you can respect them， as you would an Islamic person kneeling down in a public place to pray to Mecca。 Your kids will benefit from this， as well， since they will have to go to school with and work with trans people someday; you should be teaching them to peacefully coexist and not cause conflict where it isn't necessary。 Beyond this advice section， the book breaks down what the authors mean by deconstruction （and I generally agree with them; it's a confusing term that is being used in two different ways。 I personally use "deconverted" to describe myself， instead。 When I was "deconstructing，" I didn't know I was on my way out the faith--I thought I was asking hard questions and getting closer to God。 I didn't hear about the word until after I was out）。 Then the book tries to describe deconstructionists which gets。。。 a little straw-manny。 I have no doubt that the person described exists and says things on the internet， but I do not match that description， and I hope that my loved ones don't think that's who I am。 I was not church hurt， nor am I a "slave to sin。" I'm quite happy with my life; the biggest thing I've felt since I left the church is relief。 My anxiety only stems from concrete issues now， not some unknown and ongoing source。 The writing itself is well-paced and the anecdotes aren't as cringeworthy as some of the apologetics I've read， which is why I've given it three stars。 It's not a terrible book， but I do think both authors would benefit from looking more into the perspective of the person their describing。And that's my final advice to the families of deconstructionists: please listen to your loved one。 Get their side of the story。 Don't assume their motives， intentions， reasons for leaving。 Don't insist that they were motivated by something that they say was not a factor。 Even if you think they were， what good does that do， to tell someone their understanding of their own self is wrong？ All that does is try to guilt them back into going to church。 That guilt is likely a big part of why they left。 I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
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