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Recently, our friends at The Gospel Coalition released a book by various authors called \u201cBefore You Lose Your Faith<\/em>\u201d which was intended to provide guidance for those going through Deconstruction and\/or to educate those who just don\u2019t know what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n Sadly, The Gospel Coalition doesn\u2019t really understand what Deconstruction is all about, either.<\/p>\n So, their book includes tone-deaf statements like these:<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever your struggle, it gets better with more\u2014not less\u2014Christianity.<\/strong> It might be tempting to leave the church in order to find the answers. But we want you to reconsider the church as the best place to deal with your doubts and deconstruction.<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 Ivan Mesa [from the Introduction to the book]<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps you\u2019re in a season of questioning, or have even arrived at a moment when \u201cdeconstruction\u201d best describes your current state. I\u2019d like to be upfront about three things in response. First, whenever I address those who describe their faith journey in this way, I remain committed to doing my best to persuade them of the truth and beauty of Christianity, because I hold on to the hope that a reconstructed faith on the other side of this journey of doubt can be stronger and more vibrant than anything they\u2019ve experienced so far. Second, a reconstructed faith will require recovering Christian orthodoxy, not departing from it. Let me put it this way: recovering your faith will include recovering the faith, not altering Christian words like \u201clove\u201d and \u201cgrace\u201d and \u201cmercy\u201d by filling them with meanings derived from contemporary culture. <\/strong>Third, no matter how long friends remain in a state of disbelief in the gospel and disobedience to the Lord, I remain devoted to them and their wellbeing\u2014and that\u2019s why I pray they\u2019d be haunted by the Jesus of the Gospels until they are mesmerized by his power and love, taken with his beauty, and yearn to once again belong to his people.<\/strong>\u201d\u00a0 \u2013 Trevin Wax [From Chapter 1]<\/em><\/p>\n All through their book the various contributors expose their ignorance on this topic by suggesting that people decide to Deconstruct, people should not leave their Church just because they have questions, and that once Deconstruction is over, people should return to exactly the same place they started out from.<\/p>\n None of these things make any sense for any person who has actually Deconstructed their faith.<\/p>\n First of all, Deconstruction isn\u2019t something anyone just decides to do. As if it\u2019s on your \u201cTo Do\u201d list somewhere between picking up the dry cleaning and walking your dog. Instead, those who actually understand this process already know that Deconstruction happens to you somewhere along the way. Before you know it, you\u2019ve asked one too many questions, read one too many books or watched one too many YouTube videos that totally dismantle your previously held suppositions about the Christian faith.<\/p>\n Once you see it, you cannot \u201cun-see\u201d it. Once you know something, you cannot \u201cun-know\u201d it.<\/p>\n Secondly, people who leave their Church due to Deconstruction do not do so because they think it will be safer or easier to do so. Instead, they leave their Church because they either A) were asked to leave by their Pastor because they just wouldn\u2019t stop asking questions, or B) they are made to feel so unwelcome by their Church that to stay would require more strength and energy than they have left.<\/p>\n The Gospel Coalition book suggests that \u201cchurch should be the best place to deal with doubts.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>And, while I agree with that statement \u2013 it SHOULD BE the best place to deal with doubts \u2013 the sad reality is simply this: Churches are NOT safe places to deal with your doubts.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This is why people are leaving. This is the only reason they are leaving.<\/p>\n The other huge mistake the Gospel Coalition makes in their misguided book is pretty huge. They suggest that, after one has Deconstructed their faith, they MUST return to EXACTLY the same place as they were before they began.<\/p>\n This is not only ludicrous and impossible, it\u2019s frankly insulting to anyone who is currently going through the Deconstruction process.<\/p>\n To Deconstruct is to question your faith. No one who questions their faith will remain exactly where they started from. If they do, they\u2019re not done asking questions.<\/p>\n And I can\u2019t help but feel that, ultimately, this is what the Gospel Coalition really would prefer everyone do. Stop questioning. Stay where you are. Maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n In other words, \u201cIt isn\u2019t broken. Let\u2019s not try to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n But, for everyone who finds themselves Deconstructing the very obvious truth is that it IS broken and it really, really does need fixing.<\/p>\n When I first heard about this book and read the first 50 pages of it, I knew I wanted to \u2013 needed to \u2013 respond. After speaking to several author friends of mine, we all agreed to collaborate together to publish a response to their book with one of our own\u2026one written by authors who have actually Deconstructed their faith and who understand why it happens, how painful it is, and what people going through it really need.<\/p>\n So, I am very, very proud to announce the publication of \u201cBefore You Lose Your Mind: Deconstructing Bad Theology In The Church\u201d\u00a0<\/em>today on Amazon.<\/p>\n First of all, the Kindle edition is 99 cents. That is not a sale price. That is the price. Forever.<\/p>\n The print edition is $9.99 and it clocks in at 246 pages.<\/p>\n The book features incredible chapters from some of the most inspiring authors I know. People who live and breathe Deconstruction and Reconstruction.<\/p>\n Our contributors are:<\/p>\n A few of these authors recently joined me for a live Zoom webinar to talk about this project. You can watch this here:<\/p>\n\n