My Best Deconstruction Resources
Books, Podcasts, Guides, and more. The Deconstruction Resources that started, impacted, and continue to guide much of my faith deconstruction.
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Books
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Just Starting Out – Deconstruction Resources
* My Favorites
Giving Up Sunday *
Kurtis Vanderpool
Giving Up Sunday is a great start to the conversation about frustrations with church and faith deconstruction. It is fun, heartfelt, and brutally honest all at once.
Also, it’s mine. So I may be a little biased!
Abba's Child *
Brennan Manning
This is less about deconstruction and more about the radical nature of God’s love and acceptance that challenges the typical Christian theology. It will connect with your deepest longing to be known, accepted, and embraced as you are.
Adam *
Henri Nouwen
This is all about the radical love and value God sees in us just as we are, even if we have nothing to offer. Rather than being “good Christians,” Henri tells the story of a disabled man that showed him God more than all his decades of study, even though he couldn’t move or speak!
Faith Unraveled
Rachel Held Evans
Rachel shares her kind but ruthlessly honest story about the unraveling off her apologetics-based faith, realizing that in order to grow, faith often has to adapt and evolve.
Searching for Sunday *
Rachel Held Evans
Kind, honest, and deeply connecting. This one’s all about leaving organized church and finding true church in authentic questioning and loving the people around us.
The Sin of Certainty
Pete Enns
Fired from his Christian Professor job teaching about the bible, Pete doesn’t pull punches. He shows how the desire to be certain is what actually kills our faith. Pete Enns is a must have for Deconstruction Resources
Learning to Walk in the Dark
Barbara Brown Taylor
All about how God is often most real in our darkest of places (like faith deconstruction or doubt). It’s a beautiful way to disccover God when we DON’T have any answers.
The Wisdom Pattern
Richard Rohr
A great start to faith deconstruction! Rohr wonderfully articulates the most common process of growing in faith and wisdom; which is construct, deconstruct, reconstruct.
Finding God in the Waves
Mike McHargue (Science Mike)
Science Mike from The Liturgist Podcast tells how he lost his Evangelical faith due to studying the bible, but found God again through neuroscience, physics, & biology.
Falling Upward
Richard Rohr
What we often feel we are losing, we are actually gaining in greater proportion. Falling Upward is an incredible book about growing through deconstruction and change.
Rethinking the Bible – Faith Deconstruction and Scripture
What is the Bible?
Rob Bell
Bell takes on some common ideas and misconceptions about the bible, opening your eyes to the beautiful poetry that it is and the deeper effect it can have on your life.
The Bible Tells Me So *
Pete Enns
Enns, with his aggressive style shows how our obsession with defending our beliefs about scripture prevent us from really understanding it at all. I agree.
What Do We Do With the Bible?
Richard Rohr
Rohr shows you how the bible actually opens you up to greater and larger truths than evangelicalism. The bible is not exclusive doom and gloom but universal and beautiful full of hope.
How the Bible Actually Works
Pete Enns
As a Professor on the Bible, Enns shows how the messiness of scripture actually serves to teach us wisdom, rather than giving simple, easy answers, which can make us very unwise in how we live life.
Inspired
Rachel Held Evans
A retelling of scriptural stories through a literary lens as the writers most likely meant it. Evans helps redisccover the beauty and complexity off scipture, and how it actually makes us more alive to God.
Rethinking God – the Heart of Faith Deconstruction
The Universal Christ *
Richard Rohr
This one’s a little bit of everything. Science, spirituality, love, purpose, connectedness, and social action, all wrapped up in the truth of Jesus, the Christ, and the nature of God in all things. A truly great read!
A More Christlike God
Brad Jersak
“Gospel” supposedly means “good news.” However the predominant theology of the Western world is anything but “good.” Brad reminds us of the true gospel that the apostles died for, and shows how it is still very much alive in our world today.
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God *
Brian Zahnd
God is not wrath! GOD IS LOVE! Zahnd takes on the predominant view of God as angry, vengeful, and hellbent on punishment (pun intended), and reveals the truth of God’s universal love.
God is Love (and Grace)
All Is Grace *
Brennan Manning
No one has taught me to ruthlessly receive God’s love than Brennan Manning. All Is Grace radically changed the way I view God and myself, and changed the course of my entire life through deconstruction.
Love Wins
Rob Bell
More than challenging the idea of hell, Rob is really pointing out that we don’t know everything and reminding us that GOD IS LOVE, and that love is biggger than we have been taught.
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God *
Brian Zahnd
God is not wrath! GOD IS LOVE! Zahnd takes on the predominant view of God as angry, vengeful, and hellbent on punishment (pun intended), and reveals the truth of God’s universal love.
Abba's Child
Brennan Manning
One of my 2 FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME! No book will overwhelm you more with the truth the God loves you as you are and not as you should be. If you’re a crier (like me)…get out the tissues.
Adam *
Henri Nouwen
This is all about the radical love and value God sees in us just as we are, even if we have nothing to offer. Rather than being “good Christians,” Henri tells the story of a disabled man that showed him God more than all his decades of study, even though he couldn’t move or speak!
Ruthless Trust
Brennan Manning
Not so much about deconstruction, but definitely changed the way I live out my faith in God. This taught me the beauty of trusting God even when I distrust everything about him/her.
Church History and Future
The Great Emergence *
Phyllis Tickle
INCREDIBLE book about the history of change in Christianity. Every 500 years, Christianity goes through a massive change in authority, theology, and methodology, which ALWAYS leads to reaching more people that had previously been considered unredeemable.
The New Testament in its World *
NT Wright
This book is a BEATING! But it’s the most excellent and thorough book on the culture, intention, and true meaning of the New Testament. Wright is the world’s leading expert on the history and language of the New Testament, and possible too smart for the rest of us but, if you can get through it, this book is an absolute game changer!
The New Testament and the People of God
NT Wright
Similar ideas and goal as his other New Testament book, but this one is smaller and addresses less, more specific theological questions. Wright argues mostly from historical and literary standpoints that many evangelicals are unaware of or intentionally avoid.
The Mystical Side of Faith
Podcasts
The Deconstructionist Podcast *
These guys started it for me. They are fun, quirky, and not afraid to ask what we’re all thinking. They bring in well-credentialed experts on all kinds of theological issues. This is a great place to start for sure!
Ask NT Wright Anything Podcast *
A great podcast with listener-submitted theological questions addressed.
NT Wright is THE LEADING EXPERT on New Testament history. He’s conservative AND progressive because he authentically approaches scripture and theology from accurate historical, literary, and liguistic perspectives.
Another Name for Everything *
Richard Rohrs The Universal Christ in conversation, podcast form. Richard talks with two of his students through several questions brought up by his book, The Universal Christ.
The Reckless Pursuit
Cody and Elaine Johnston are SO APPROACHABLE! They are definitely more experienced in the area of “asking unsafe questions” than most, but their real talent is making you feel like they are walking the journey alongside you as a friend and safe confidant. Good people. Great podcast.
The Phil Drysdale Show
Phil Drysdale is BRILLIANT!
He has a seminary education to go along with personal experience and TONS of stastistical research and data to back his claims. Plus…he has a slew of courses called “The Grace Course” and they are all ABSOLUTELY FREE! You MUST check him out.
You Have Permission
(From Website)
So many of us have been given bad answers to good questions — questions about God, suffering, prayer, fate, science, justice, and more — often by people with pure intentions. But we needn’t stop with those pat answers. You have permission to take both Christianity and the modern world very seriously, and this podcast will introduce you to people from across the Christian spectrum engaging these timeless and difficult questions in various ways
Spiritual Practice Resources
Hearing God Guide*
Kurtis Vanderpool
One simple practice that helps you hear from the love and tenderness of God regarding yourself. No Christian theology needed, just an open heart and mind.
Just This: Practices for Contemplation
Richard Rohr
The Seven Sacred Pauses*
Macrina Wiederkehr
“Living mindfully through the hours of the day”
This is an INCREDIBLE daily practice that has you check in with yourself, your attitude, and the divine throughout the day. It guides you really well through checking your spirit, and resetting toward peace, openness, and love. Cannot recommend enough!
A 30-Day Introduction to Mindfulness *
James Scott Henson
From my own therapist and life coach, mindfulness has been instrumental in dealing with my fears and anxiety around deconstruction, as well as helped me connect with God more authentically.