New Course: When Belief Falls Apart—Understanding and Surviving Deconstruction

Everywhere people are deconstructing their faith. How can we understand this trend? What can be said? What can be done? And what can be saved?

Hello Still Point readers. I thought I’d make you aware of a course I’m offering on deconstruction in September through Three Things, a newsletter I edit with my friend, Phillip Johnston. I’ll be consolidating and reorganizing a lot of the writing I have done on Still Point in the new format of an online course. Details are below.

Cheers,
Andy

There is a seismic shift happening. People are moving away from Christianity and toward other forms of faith. Many are finding traditional Christianity morally, emotionally, and rationally dissatisfying. And they are leaving.

But why are they leaving? And what can be done about it? 

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Join us for a four-session course on why people are deconstructing their Christian faith. We will look at stories from the experiences of those who are deconstructing; we’ll try to put religious disaffiliation in a larger cultural context; and consider what, if anything, can be said or done to shore up the viability of Christianity for those who are in the grip of a deconversion.

Session Topics and Dates

September 4—Deconstruction 101: Why Are People Leaving the Faith?

Many of those who are leaving the church or leaving Christianity altogether have adopted the label “deconstruction” to describe their experiences. The difficult process of making one’s peace with Christianity is not unique to the 21st century, but the experiences and stories that have been gathered together under the heading deconstruction do have a powerful, new momentum. This opening session will look at some of these stories and place them in context.

September 18—Belief Isn’t Binary: What is Happening When Our Beliefs Change?

Most Christians talk about belief as if it were binary—on or off, black or white, open or shut. We think of people as being in or out. We say things like, “She lost her faith” and “He’s not a Christian anymore.” Christians are the believers, everyone else is an unbeliever. But we should be more careful about how we use language; it shapes reality. And this is one area where common Christian ways of speaking of unbelief haven’t served us well. While it is certainly true that people can leave Christianity, if our basic metaphor for belief is an on/off switch, we are not living in reality. In this second session, we’ll explore how the truth is more nuanced, patchwork, and humbling. 

October 2—Deconversion and the Modern Self: What if Your Deconstruction Is a Conversion to Modernity?

The modern self has everything to do with modern deconstruction. In this third session, we’ll see how modernity is the plausibility superstructure in which we live and move and have our being, the web in which we are caught. When you sow the seeds of the modern self, the tree bears the fruit of deconstruction. What if hard deconstruction is merely a conversion to modernity?

Oct 16—Deconstruction Survival Kit: What to Do If Someone You Love is Losing Their Faith?

The catch to loving someone who is deconstructing is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to the problems they are facing. Sometimes it seems like nothing helps at all. On top of that, like the old adage about the drowning person reminds us, sometimes when you jump in the water to try to help, you only make things worse. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing to say to those experiencing deconstruction, rather, our words and actions can do them a world of good. We will close the course with a discussion of how to respond.

Course Details: When? What? How?

How

We’ll meet on Zoom. We will send a Zoom link out a few days before each session.

Length

Each session will be about 90 minutes — 60 minutes of lecture-style content followed 30 minutes for questions.

Time

The sessions will start at 2:00 pm Central Standard Time on Sundays, which is the afternoon for America and evening in Europe. (8:00 pm for you, U. K.)

Recordings of Each Session

If you miss a session, no worries. The recording will be sent out after each session to everyone who is signed up for the course.

How Much Does It Cost?

The course costs $50, but only if you are not a paid subscriber of Three Things.

For members, the course is free.

So, you have a choice:

Option 1: This Course Only ($50=Course)

Use this link to pay $50 for this course only.

Option 2: Become A Member ($5/mo=Course+Free Book+Member Perks)

Use this link to become a member for $5/mo and get this course thrown in. (Also, we buy all our new members a new, custom-recommended book as a welcome gift.)

Three Things Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.