The ExVangelicals

There are various books about people who struggle with growing up as evangelicals (or other conservative faiths). The books often discuss painful and regularly abusive childhoods. The authors have traveled various distances from their faith. Many still consider themselves Christians.

For instance, Elizabeth Esther (who has a Substack) wrote about growing up in the faith and a second book about "spiritual sobriety," a form of moderation. She also discussed her struggles with mental health. From what I can tell, she is still a Christian, just not the cultish (as I recall) version she was raised in. I don't recall much talk of her politics. 

Rachel Held Evans* is a well-known figure, especially given her passionate drive to discuss her beliefs. Also, tragically, she died from a sudden illness before she was forty. Her last book (also a separate children's book about God) was published after she died. The book was edited by a friend who is an "exvangelical" (to name drop) as well as being gay. 

(I'm wary about its somewhat assured tone concerning her wholehearted faith, especially given her overall doubts. I wonder if she would have hedged more in her final version.) 

This book, subtitled "Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church" (a telling use of race; white evangelicals are very different in various respects, including politically, than black evangelicals), is also written by someone who grew up in the faith. She includes some of her own experiences though less from her adult years [her journey from the faith is somewhat vague; she is an evangelical in college and marries and then goes into less detail, especially involving her marriage and children].

A word that comes up repeatedly is "deconstruction." Deconstruction is "the often painful process of rethinking an entire worldview and identity that was carefully constructed for them." 

The book covers standard ground, including sex, marriage, childrearing, and faith issues. It also talks about various people who have left the faith and their struggles. For instance, she notes she and her brother (she has two sisters, who we don't really hear much about) have had psychological and even physical aftereffects from some of the preaching about things like the end times (quite graphic). Their parents also used corporal punishment. 

The author of the national political correspondent of National Public Radio (which I should be a typical listener of but have rarely listened to), including during the 2016 Trump campaign. So personally and professionally, she is a good person to cover this ground. 

The book is well-written and covers a good amount of ground. By the end, it was a bit repetitive. I have read about the general material so it was not novel as a whole for me personally. That is standard on many topics for me by this point. For instance, a book about the Supreme Court is going to cover many things I know about. Still, like refreshing ground in school, it is a useful enterprise with new nuances and personal reflections. 

A general theme in many of these books is an empathetic, open-minded, and humble view of faith, beliefs, and humans. Evangelicals come in various shades. One evangelical historian (John Fea) spoke of the about 18% (comparably about the number of Republicans who didn't vote in the recent Pennsylvania primary) against Trump. This book focuses on the median group who are firmly sure about their faith. They feel passionately that they are right and are constantly being attacked for their beliefs. 

I try to follow this general thread. A consistent approach would include care in not being too full of myself regarding how much I succeed. Nonetheless, yes, I try to respect the place of religion and spirituality in this country. Some understandably are wary, angry, and disgusted at "religion." 

But, that term is just too open-ended, and humans are too complicated to not see the shades of gray. These books show this. The book addresses a community that has millions of people. How many millions is unclear but the growth of an unaffiliated "none" category (not the same as atheism or non-belief) that might be over one-quarter (maybe approaching one-third) of the popular include many former evangelicals.  

This book is a welcome addition to the conversation. 

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* ETA: I checked the Rachel Held Evans book summary that is linked and it looks like the editing software used then was somewhat substandard. 

Some of the errors picked up are unnecessary or sometimes even annoying [I see nothing wrong with them] but some should have been flagged the first time. I also have some colloquial habits that I never got past. 

Okay. So, yet again, all honors to editors, and it would be nice to have one. I also checked the Amazon customer reviews of the children's book about God. The best approach to the 1-3 star reviews annoyed about "non-biblical" or doctrinal problems is to remind these people Rachel Held Evans was the primary author. She was not Catholic. She also did not share a conservative evangelical take on the Bible. Know your source. 

My favorite RHE book was Inspired, an interesting take on the Bible. The Bible is filled with stories. Television and other platforms should do more with them. Also short story collections with various themes. Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians (nonfiction) suggests the potential.