Walking Through Deconstruction - by Ian Harber (Paperback)

About the Book

However you define it, deconstruction is impossible to deny. Ian Harber knows the fear and grief of deconstruction firsthand. Here, he tells the story of his own process of deconstruction and reconstruction over ten years and lays out a vision for a faith environment that can foster genuine reconstruction through healthy relationships.

Book Synopsis

However you define it, deconstruction is impossible to deny.

"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 explores what 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 the urgency 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.

We desperately 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.

Review Quotes

"After growing up in the church, I deconstructed Christianity in college, as the apparatus of my youth group was removed and questions I'd never dealt with began to bear down on my fragile faith. I wish I'd had Ian Harber's Walking Through Deconstruction then, but I am immensely grateful that with we have it now. With both compassion and conviction, equal parts comfort and confrontation, this book will help those deconstructing see a path toward reconstruction, guiding us toward a faith more rich, robust, and dynamic in discipleship to Jesus."

--Jay Y. Kim, lead pastor of WestGate Church and author of Analog Christian

"For too long we've treated deconstruction as an intellectual problem. We think that if we can correct someone's bad ideas, then we can argue them back into the faith. But people aren't brains on sticks. They're people. Each has a story, emotions, hurts, joys, and unfathomable complexity. Ian Harber's Walking Through Deconstruction is the first book I've encountered that cuts to the heart of deconstruction: a painful, confusing, heartbreaking crisis of faith. And Harber goes one step further, gently walking readers through the process of reconstruction. Not with modernist apologetics, but with ancient wisdom--the very beauty that pulled him out of his own crisis. Whether you're deconstructing or someone you love is, Walking Through Deconstruction is a generous, hopeful invitation back to Jesus."

--Patrick K. Miller, pastor and director of digital relationships at The Crossing in Columbia, Missouri

"Having gone through it himself, Ian Harber is well-positioned to tackle the delicate topic of faith deconstruction in a way that is both loving and truth telling. This book will make those in the deconstruction process feel seen but also challenged. And it will help loved ones be better equipped to walk with the deconstructing in compassionate and constructive ways."

--Brett McCracken, senior editor at The Gospel Coalition and author of The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World

"I picked up this book in hope of finding a resource to help me walk alongside those who are deconstructing. I found not only that, but also a powerful reminder of why the Christian faith drew my own heart back from the brink of unbelief. What a gift!"

--Amanda Held Opelt, speaker, songwriter, and author of A Hole in the World

"Ian Harber neither valorizes deconstruction nor dismisses this painful experience. As a result, he's written a book that can help anyone undergoing this process as well as everyone who loves them. Walking Through Deconstruction deserves a wide audience and careful reading."

--Collin Hansen, vice president for content at The Gospel Coalition and author of Timothy Keller: His Intellectual and Spiritual Formation

"The conversation around deconstruction has too often turned into an abstract online battleground. Ian Harber reminds us what deconstruction is actually about: the people going through it. Wise, measured, and thoughtful, this is a book that meets this moment with grace and hope."

--Kaitlyn Schiess, author of The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor and The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused and Where We Go from Here

About the Author

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 technology at Endeavor. He lives in Denton, Texas, with his wife and sons.