Deconstruction has become something of a “buzz” word in recent years, with many ‘well-known’ Christians deconstructing their faith, and sometimes abandoning their beliefs altogether. So what’s going on? How do we make sense of this new “threat” to Christianity?
Meet our guests
Sean McDowell is an author, podcaster, and associate professor in Biola University’s Christian Apologetics program. His co-authored new book ‘Set Adrift: Deconstructing What You Believe in Without Sinking Your Faith’ (with John Marriott) is out now.
Chad Gardner is the founder and frontman of rock band Kings Kaleidoscope. Prior to touring full-time with his band, Chad worked as a worship leader at the Mars Hill megachurch, which he resigned from in 2013. He has written extensively about his experience walking alongside people undergoing deconstruction.
Links
Welcome to the tenth season of Undeceptions!
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A transcript of the episode is available here
Check out these helpful links below for more info on what was discussed in this episode.
To Read
- Theologian Kirsten Sanders wrote this excellent piece for Christianity Today in 2022 which tells you all you need to know about deconstruction
- Lifeway Research has this fascinating study on deconstruction as observed by numbers in American churches
- Jaques Derrida’s definition of deconstruction is incredibly complicated, but if you fancy yourself a philosopher, here’s an essay all about it
- Here’s an essay courtesy of The Gospel Coalition covering Bart Campolo’s renunciation of Christianity
- Chad spoke extensively about his Mars Hill experience with Christianity Today back in 2022. Check out the full interview
- Here’s the Barna survey that tracked the top reasons for people experiencing doubt in church
To Watch
- Here’s Josh Harris, speaking with Mike Allen about his deconversion
- Audrey Assad is a singer and former Christian. Here she is sharing her own reflections on why so many creatives seem to be deconstructing
- Sean McDowell’s video on Tim Sledge’s de-conversion caused a huge stir online. Here it is
- Christian rapper Lecrae realised he “had to deconstruct” in order to deepen his faith. Here’s why
To Listen
- Kings Kaleidoscope album Zeal deals head-on with deconstruction. Stream it here
- Christianity Today has produced an incredible podcast with its Rise and Fall of Mars Hill series. Check it out here
- Here’s Sean McDowell’s excellent Think Biblically podcast, hosted alongside Scott Rae
… and finally
- Here’s Chad talking about how Kings K formed, and how he’s seen God at work through the music industry
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