By now most of us know at least a few people who have begun to pull their faith apart, and we have heard of many more who are doing it publicly. It is a frightening thing to watch, and most of us feel poorly equipped to respond. Here are books I recommend on deconstruction and doubt.
Top Recommendation
The Deconstruction of Christianity
The Deconstruction of Christianity is a timely book that has been written to address an urgent contemporary issue. If you have been wondering what deconstruction is or where it came from, if you have been grieved by those who have begun it or if you have been considering it yourself, this is exactly the book you need. It is kind and compassionate in its tone but also unwavering in its commitment to truth. It would be hard to recommend it too highly.
Other Recommendations
Walking Through Deconstruction
Where Childers and Barnett explain the phenomenon, Harber—who went through it himself and came out the other side—helps you walk with someone who is in the middle of it. Deconstruction is a scary process to witness, but he is proof that it doesn’t have to be the end of a person’s faith.
Rather than describing someone walking away from God, this one describes someone drawing closer to him. A powerful contrast to those who have chosen to revoke their faith.
Not about deconstruction as such, but about the quieter danger of drift—and about the specific ways each one of us is prone to it. Those chapters are pure gold.
An account of New Thought, a movement that has shaped far more of contemporary spirituality than most Christians realize. You may not have been influenced by it, but you probably know and love someone who has.
The Thing That Would Make Everything Okay Forever
A memoir that runs the other direction—out of psychedelics and the New Age and into the Christian faith. The writing is top-tier and so is her self-understanding.
