Walking Through Deconstruction: How to Be a Companion in a Crisis of Faith - Paperback

by Ian Harber (Author), Gavin Ortlund (Foreword by)

Christianity Today Book Awards--Apologetics and Evangelism, Award of Merit

The Gospel Coaltion Award of Merit--Christian Living

However you define it, deconstruction is impossible todeny.

"I'm deconstructing my faith." As any pastor can tell you, hearing these words is simply a regular feature of ministry these days. How we respond to those who are deconstructing will reveal the kind of church--and the kinds of Christians--we really are.

Ian Harber knows the fear and grief of deconstruction firsthand. In Walking Through Deconstruction, he tells the story of his own process of deconstruction and reconstruction over more than ten years and exploreswhat is actually happening, both culturally and spiritually, when someone deconstructs their faith.

Deconstruction doesn't happen in a vacuum; it is catalyzed by a comfortable society, cultural Christianity, compromised churches, and the compounding anxieties of life. But the Christian faith has better to offer. Harber lays out a vision for the kind of faith environment that can foster genuine reconstruction through healthy relationships, robust doctrine, healthy institutions, a better theology of suffering, and the peace of God.

Walking Through Deconstruction

• tells the author's real life story of deconstruction and reconstruction
• provides a clear definition of deconstruction
• acknowledges theurgency of deconstruction while prioritizing patience and trust over fear
• describes common contributing factors and phases of deconstruction, and
• casts a vision for healthy communities that help people hold onto faith.

Wedesperately need healthy models of ministry to those who are deconstructing. Whether you're a pastor, parent, or friend of someone on this path, Walking Through Deconstruction offers hope for a renewed faith--stronger than it was before.

Author Biography

Ian Harber is a writer and Christian media producer. He has written for The Gospel Coalition, Mere Orthodoxy, and RELEVANT. He writes about reconstructing faith in his newsletter Back Again, and about faith, media, and technologyat Endeavor. He lives in Denton, Texas, with his wife and sons.

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. He was previously a research fellow for the Creation Project at the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Finding the Right Hills to Die On, Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals, and Anselm's Pursuit of Joy.