Sunday, August 4, 2024

What Is Ex-vangelicalism?


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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
"An intimate window into the world of American evangelicalism. Fellow exvangelicals will find McCammon’s story both startlingly familiar and immensely clarifying, while those looking in from the outside can find no better introduction to the subculture that has shaped the hopes and fears of millions of Americans." —Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne

The first definitive book that names the growing social movement of people leaving the church: the exvangelicals.

Growing up in a deeply evangelical family in the Midwest in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Sarah McCammon was strictly taught to fear God, obey him, and not question the faith. Persistently worried that her gay grandfather would go to hell unless she could reach him, or that her Muslim friend would need to be converted, and that she, too, would go to hell if she did not believe fervently enough, McCammon was a rule-follower and—most of the time—a true believer. But through it all, she was increasingly plagued by fears and deep questions as the belief system she'd been carefully taught clashed with her expanding understanding of the outside world.

After spending her early adult life striving to make sense of an unraveling worldview, by her 30s, she found herself face-to-face with it once again as she covered the Trump campaign for NPR, where she witnessed first-hand the power and influence that evangelical Christian beliefs held on the political right.

Sarah also came to discover that she was not alone: she is among a rising generation of the children of evangelicalism who are growing up and fleeing the fold, who are thinking for themselves and deconstructing what feel like the “alternative facts” of their childhood.

Rigorously reported and deeply personal, The Exvangelicals is the story of the people who make up this generational tipping point, including Sarah herself. Part memoir, part investigative journalism, this is the first definitive book that names and describes the post-evangelical movement: identifying its origins, telling the stories of its members, and examining its vast cultural, social, and political impact.

Interview with PBS Newshour
The Exvangelicals, by Sarah McCammon
8 min



Losing My Religion
NPR’s Sarah McCammon on EXvangelicals in Trump's America
1:07:26



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What Is Ex-vangelicalism?

by R.E. Slater


2 Thess. 2:15 "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter."


What does it mean to lean into your faith and not into your fear? Consider the motifs of "Betrayal v. Re-Commitment" - whether God is Love or whether God is Not Love. DaVinci, in his masterpiece, "The Last Supper," painted Jesus as the Selfless Sacrificial Servant of God (Isaiah 53) - all descriptors of Love.

Serving Christians do not let falsely led Christians fall away from love. They reprove, educate, and lead them back to the God who loves while asking that they likewise love.

Faithful Christians do not let misled Christians fall into the lies and fears of the Evil One (2 Th 2).

The decades-old failing story of Christian Evangelicalism must become the renewing story of love and not the story of fear, lies and exclusion. (2 Th 2)

Those who have moved away from their former evangelical fellowships into newer, serving churches known as Ex-vangelical = Progressive fellowships, want a ministry, message, and mission defined by love and not a story of corupting political power and control.

Not power.

Not control.

Not exclusion.

Love.

Many Christians know this, feel this deeply within themselves, and want this to be true in the church's civil service within a democratic society. 

Which is why many former evangelicals are purposely following Jesus away from poorer Christian gospels marked by conflicted Christian messages of politicized power and control.

Ex-vangelicals wish to restore their bible faith towards more positive, strengthening gospels, messages, and missions, speaking by word and deed of united Christian outreach, welcome, and embrace.

This is the gospel of Ex-vangelicals compared to their old-timey Evangelical brothers and sisters preaching and believing mixed uncivil messages of fear, power, control, division, and derision.

Peace,

R.E. Slater
August 4, 2024
*As a side note, there are some evangelical churches which continue to lean into love and not into the Christian Nationalist message of Dominionism = Covenantal Reconstructionism = Kingdom Theocracy. They are to be prayed for and stood with as they resist the evil one of lawlessness. For the mainstream of evangelical churches, whether Protestant or Catholic, we acknowledge your legacy, heritage, and standing in Christ but cannot sympathize with any current messages reducing Jesus' Gospel of love. Like Paul, we preach Jesus, and him crucified, without adding non-loving motifs such as OT Law over NT Grace which is contrary to Jesus' ministry.

* * * * * *


Kristin Du Mez: Project 2025 Will Redefine [the United State's]
Constitution in Name of Christianity | Amanpour and Co.
18:15

Jul 23, 2024 - The political blueprint for the next Republican president, known as Project 2025, has drawn criticism not only from Democrats but also from Donald Trump himself, who has called the 900-page document "seriously extreme." Yet the authors of the conservative playbook include some of his closest policy advisors, as well as organizations with Christian nationalist leanings. Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez speaks to Michel Martin about the rise of evangelicalism in politics and the impact it could have on American democracy.

* * * * * *

Below is advice to evangelicals who wish to recapture / save their
faith from false teachers and preachers amongst their fellowships.... - re slater



Why I’m Not an Ex-vangelical


Oh my, these are disorienting times. First, the rise in deconstruction, and now a jump in the Exvangelical movement.

You’d have to have your head in the sand to miss the fact that many people are leaving the church, and many of them are deconverting. About 40 million Americans have become de-churched, which is a staggering number.

Dig only a little deeper, and you soon discover among that number are more than a few pastors who have also either left the faith entirely or are completely rethinking their alliances.

In the midst of this, we’re witnessing a surge in the Exvangelical movement, an umbrella that a growing number of people (and pastors) are adopting to signal that they are, well, ex-Evangelicals.

What is the meaning of Exvangelical? Per Wikipedia, “Exvangelical is a social movement of people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, agnosticism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof.”

Someone should revise that article to add that some Exvangelicals are faithfully following Jesus these days too. Not everyone has given up on Christianity.

That said, it’s wise to think through what’s happening right now, and as conflicted as I feel about so much of what I’m going to share, I wanted to share it now before the dust settles so we see where we’re heading and where we might want to head as a church.

To that end, here’s why I’m not an Exvangelical.

Let’s begin with some nuance.

The Critics are Right About so Much

This is not a slam against anyone who has identified as an Exvangelical.

They have some very valid criticisms of the Capital C church and the expressions of the church they’re leaving or critiquing.

I, too, am tired of the abuse, corruption, arrogance, shallow thinking, anti-intellectualism, partisanship, and politicization of the Christian message. I’m done with the racism, toxic culture, and the abuse of power we see again and again.

I know… that’s a long list. And it’s not even a complete listing of the wrongs committed on our watch.

Any attempt to pretend that the problems raised by so many who left the church are ‘isolated’ incidents doesn’t ring true. There are widespread issues that need addressing, and something is honestly broken about the way so many of us have done or are doing church.

In many ways, the critics are right. And we need to hear their voices.

There are widespread issues that need addressing, and something is honestly broken about the way so many of us have done or are doing church. In many ways, the critics are right. And we need to hear their voices.

Still, I am not willing to walk away from thinking of myself as a Jesus follower who is also an evangelical.

Why? Here are a few reasons for any of us who feel deeply conflicted right now, regardless of the label we might wear or not wear.

The Term Evangelical Has a Rich History and Doesn’t Belong to a Deluded or Corrupt Fringe

The word “evangelical’ springs from the New Testament itself (a transliteration of the Greek εὐαγγέλιον—pronounced euangelion); it didn’t come to describe Christians until the Reformation.

Martin Luther referred to his followers as “evangelicals,” emphasizing their focus on the gospel, particularly justification by faith alone.

In the 18th century, the term gained broader use with the Evangelical Revival (or Awakening) in Britain and the United States. Leaders like John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards emphasized personal conversion, the authority of the Bible, and active piety.

This period saw a shift in the term’s usage to indicate a movement within Protestantism that focused on evangelical theology, personal faith, and reform.

The 20th century witnessed further evolution of the term, especially in the United States. By the mid-20th century, evangelical was used to describe a broad coalition within Protestantism that upheld the authority of the Bible, personal conversion, and evangelism while often engaging with social issues.

This era saw the rise of prominent evangelical institutions and leaders who played significant roles in religious and public life.

My point: for centuries, evangelical was primarily a term that united people across the theological spectrum rather than divided us. And, despite its Protestant origins, many Roman Catholics consider themselves Evangelicals. It’s a very broad swath of Christians who have donned that moniker.

Although the term has now come to be associated with conservative partisan agendas and even been hijacked by non-religious right-wing people as a self-descriptor, does that mean we have to abandon the term entirely? Isn’t Exvangelicalism dividing us further?

And more importantly, can we reclaim a historically good term rather than abandon it to an angry fringe?

But I’m guessing you’re thinking that labels and terms are both loaded and unnecessary these days.

Sure, well, let’s talk about that.

For centuries, evangelical was primarily a term that united people across the theological spectrum rather than divided us. Exvangelicalism, on the other hand, is dividing us.

Who Needs Labels Anyway?

I grew up in a post-Christian culture (Canada), so I’m familiar with the stigma associated with certain terms, including calling myself either a Christian or a pastor.

Both are loaded terms when 90% of people don’t and won’t attend church on any given weekend.

I remember, as a young pastor in the 1990s, trying to engage a grocery store clerk in conversation. I was coming back from a funeral and in those days (for a very short period) I wore a clerical collar at occasions like funerals or weddings.

I’m usually pretty friendly, so I tried to strike up a conversation. It not only went nowhere, she refused to talk to me or even make eye-contact after she briefly scanned me.

I couldn’t figure it out, but as I walked back to the car, I put two and two together. I’m pretty sure it was my collar. Stories of clergy abuse were in the headlines, and I guess she thought I must have been one of them. I shudder to think of what her story might have been.

I stopped wearing a collar shortly thereafter.

I also soon learned that telling people I was a pastor when they asked me what I did for a living would also shut down a conversation quickly.

So, when meeting someone new, I’d often lead with my background in law, find out more about them, and, if they really wanted to know what I did, eventually share that I’m a ‘person of faith’ and that these days I worked for a church that had a lot of people who didn’t go to church attending, and kind of ease into the conversation that way.

It worked a lot better. I needed to let them get to know me even a little before they wrote me off as ‘one of those.’

So, back to not wanting to call myself an Exvangelical, still thinking of myself as an Evangelical but not loving what’s happening to that term over the last few years.

The real question becomes, “So what’s the alternative?”

And that’s where the bigger problems emerge.

Evangelicalism is Historically About What We’re FOR, Not What We’re Against

If you look at a lot of the Exvangelical dialogue, it’s a broad canvas of people who have various issues. Many are still solid in their faith. Some want to distance themselves from the radical and partisan way the term Evangelical is used these days.

Others are reeling from abuse and toxic culture. Still, others have deconverted and are actively campaigning against churches and Christians.

Here’s the challenge with the Exvangelical label: it’s a critique that’s more about what’s wrong than what is right. It’s more about hurt in the past (which has to be addressed), but offers little for hope for the future.

It’s one thing to leave, but the question you have to ask yourself is where you’re going and what you might accomplish.

Often, movements directed toward what they’re against have no unifying cause or cry that directs people to an end greater than their pain. There’s no better alternative, other than ‘not that’.

Here’s the challenge with the Exvangelical label: it’s a critique that’s more about what’s wrong than what is right. It is more about hurt in the past (which has to be addressed) but offers little hope for the future.

And that kind of negative movement doesn’t invite people new to faith into the fold. If anything, it helps the potentially curious outsider to become more cynical.

I realize there are exceptions to this, but when the overall movement is focused on what’s wrong, it’s hard to move into a future into what can be right.

So… What Do You Do?

This problem feels a little like an election with only undesirable candidates on the ballot. Which of the least bad options do you choose?

Well, here are a few things to consider.

The Evangelical Movement May be Flawed, but so is Your New Venture

I understand that the abuses and challenges associated with Evangelicalism over the last few decades are themselves toxic. And to escape the situation you’re in and continue in a healthier communal faith journey is critical.

But wherever you go, there you are. As much as you’re exiting a flawed community, you’re also entering a new flawed community.

Perhaps the new reality is healthier (which is fantastic), but the same human flaws that created the situation you left are present in the situation you’re in now.

And with the predominantly negative, deeply hurt, reactionary tone associated with the Exvangelical dialogue, I’m personally not ready for that alternative yet.

Communities without a positive vision for the future, at best, face a consensus-less future and, at worst, are fated to further splinter and divide.

So, remember that as much as you’re exiting a flawed community, you’re also entering a new flawed community.

There’s Also This: Isolated Individualism is Poisoning Us

Adept commentators, including atheists and agnostics, are concerned about the social breakdown in the West right now.

The decline of social clubs, communal life, and the church in America and the declining commitment to marriage and family are reasons many think our society is splintering at the seams.

Combine the growing number of Nones (professing no religious affiliation) and Dones (still believe, just done with church), and the growing Exvangelical movement, and you have more isolated, upset, cynical, and disconnected people than ever.

When historians look back on the last 50-100 years, one of the narratives will surely be that we went from being a communal culture to a deeply isolated culture, insulated from each other and often pitted against each other. We’re turning in on ourselves.

Perhaps Exvangelicalism is one more step in that isolated direction.

When your main devotion is to yourself, to your particular perspectives, and to your list of grievances, things can get dark very quickly. A life devoted to self (and what you’re against) ultimately leaves you alone.


Changing a system from within is harder, but it’s also deeply rewarding and possibly the best strategy if you want to effect change.

Back to the Original Question

So yes, I’m dismayed by what’s happening in the Evangelical world right now.

(Related: Tim Keller and I had an in-depth conversation about the rise and fall of the American Evangelical church on my podcast).

2024 is an election year, and I’m entering the months ahead with serious trepidation and prayer, hoping that somehow, the church recovers our historic commitment to sharing the love and hope of Christ with the world. I’m not holding my breath, but I’m not done hoping or working toward that end, either.

In the absence of knowing how else to identify, other than with an idiosyncratic list of personal beliefs, grievances, frustrations, hopes, and dreams, I’m left hoping and clinging to the broad orthodoxy of the Christian faith expressed over many centuries.

And yes, a faith with an outward focus, believing that others, too, need forgiveness, grace, healing, mercy, and transformation that faith in Christ brings. Which means yes, an Evangelical orientation.

I’m not ready to give up on the church. Nor am I ready to give up on an honest, truthful, loving, compassionate advance into the world of our friends and neighbors.

I don’t think God’s quite done with the evangelical posture of a church united around Jesus.

Perhaps people who think of themselves as Evangelicals, and even some who formerly thought of themselves that way, could band together to forge a better tomorrow.

If ever our culture needed a positive alternative to the madness we see around us, now is the time.

Our culture needs an alternative to itself, not an echo of itself. And perhaps now is the time for all of us to come to the aid of that cause, more unified and less divided.


* * * * * *

Exvangelical


Exvangelical is a social movement of people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, agnosticism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof.[1][2][3] People in the movement are called "exvangelicals" or "exvies". The term prodigals is sometimes used for exvangelicals by people who remain evangelical.[4]

Many exvangelicals attribute their departure to experiences of homophobia, misogyny, and racism in evangelicalism, to skepticism toward the Church's moral and social teachings, to a personal crisis of faith, or to sexual abuse in a religious setting, particularly if the abuse was covered up.

The movement is disseminated largely via podcasts and social media hashtags. The name was coined in 2016, though the movement built upon criticisms of the church that were already widespread among people raised Evangelical.

History

The hashtag #exvangelical was coined by Blake Chastain in 2016 to make "a safe space for people to find solidarity with others who have gone through similar experiences".[1]

The movement built upon existing skepticism of Evangelicalism's official social and moral agenda, such as its rejection of LGBT and abortion rights, from within Evangelical communities themselves. The movement was catalyzed by Evangelicals' enthusiastic embrace of Donald Trump, and his perceived lack of "values fit" with Evangelicals' nominal beliefs.[5]

Podcasts spread the movement and provide space for evangelicals to work through the process of de-conversion. Popular exvangelical podcasts include Almost Heretical, Straight White American Jesus, and Chastain's podcast Exvangelical.[6][1]

Non-fiction books related to the movement include Pure by Linda Kay Klein, Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans, and The Exvangelicals by Sarah McCammon. Exvangelical novels include Hell Is a World Without You by Jason Kirk.[7]

Motivations

Many exvangelicals are young people who choose to leave their religion following disagreements over issues such as science, the role and treatment of women,[8] LGBT rights, sexual abuse cover-ups,[9][10] and Christian nationalism. Specific incidents cited by exvangelicals for leaving include the Nashville Statement and evangelical support for Trump, which they perceived as hypocritical.[11]

Purity culture

Exvangelicals often cite bad experiences with purity culture as a major factor in leaving their church; this is particularly true among women. Exvangelical women often reject being held responsible for men's thoughts, and resent the disproportionately harsh punishments women face for sexual sins. Both men and women report difficulty living up to their church's expectations, and surprise at the hypocrisy of church officials who do not live up to (or do not appear to believe in) their own sexual standards.[12]

For example, exvangelical author Linda Kay Klein writes that treating all girls as potential "stumbling blocks" for evangelical men results a cycle of fear and shame, which she and other girls experienced in secret. Klein began to question purity culture when a youth pastor in her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl.[1][13]

Joshua Harris wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye in 1997, a book foundational to purity culture, which encouraged young people to avoid dating and instead practice courtship and abstinence. Harris repudiated his work in 2018, apologizing for its content and withdrawing it from publication.[14] The following year, Harris announced that he was no longer a Christian, describing his experience as a "deconstruction" of his faith and apologizing for his previous teachings against LGBTQ+ people.[15]

Abuse

Some exvangelicals experienced sexual abuse in a religious setting, or by a religious leader or volunteer. Some report the abuse was ignored or actively covered up. In some cases the victim was subject to DARVO treatment.

For example, exvangelical journalist Becca Andrews writes that, because Evangelical purity culture taught her the role of sexual gatekeeper, she was at first unable to identify a sexual assault forced upon her during her involvement with Christian organization Cru.[16]

Deconstructing faith is a process or movement in which a person challenges their personal beliefs and traditions. It results in some people leaving the Christian faith, while others remain in it but in a different setting (such as leaving a conservative Evangelical church which opposes homosexuality for an LGBTQ+ affirming one), and still others may return to the faith they originally held.

The #churchtoo movement seeks to draw attention to sexual abuse in churches. Vocal critics of sexual abuse are Emily Joy and Hannah Paasch.[8][17][1][6]

The #emptythepews movement urges opposition to evangelicalism in the United States due to its support for former president Donald Trump. It was started by exvangelical Chrissy Stroop.[18]

Reception

In Christianity Today's podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, Baylor University professor Matthew Lee Anderson said the experiences of exvangelicals were "something very different than deep, difficult, self-examination in order to find the truth" and any bad experiences that drove people to leave were "sociologically, actually quite marginal experiences inside of white evangelicalism".[19]

When a Gallup poll showed that fewer than half of Americans belonged to any church in March 2021,[20] some commentators acknowledged criticisms raised by the exvangelical perspective. Russell Moore, director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today, speculated that if he were a teenager today, he may also have left the church. He found that "they have come to think the church doesn’t believe its own moral teachings" and so "the presenting issue in this secularization is not scientism and hedonism but disillusionment and cynicism".[21]

Exvangelics themselves frequently report that they miss their community, to some degree, upon leaving it. They miss their congregation's support during life events such as childbirth, and opportunities for creative expression such as church music and performance arts. On the other hand, exvangelicals typically feel relief at escaping their community's judgement. One exvangelical reported "I don't miss feeling that I have to live my life in a certain way because somebody else might tattle on me to someone."[22]

Outside the United States

Although it started in the United States, the exvangelical movement has also been noted in Brazil during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.[23]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Onishi 2019.
  2. ^ Frantz, Kenneth E.; Perry, Samuel L. (August 28, 2019). "The Unignorable Plight of the Exvangelicals | RealClearReligion". www.realclearreligion.org. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "What It's Like to Leave the Evangelical Community". www.vice.com. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Bullivant 2022, p. 133.
  5. ^ Bullivant 2022, pp. 146.
  6. ^ Jump up to:a b Kight, Stef W. "Exvangelicals are breaking away — and spreading the gospel". Axios. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Altman, Dr. Michael J. "'Hell Is a World Without You' shows readers how squarely they would have been on the path to Jan. 6 if they'd come of age in Evangelicalism'". Religion Dispatches.
  8. ^ Jump up to:a b "As a Teen, Emily Joy Was Abused by a Church Youth Leader. Now She's Leading a Movement to Change Evangelical America". Mother Jones. May 25, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "The sin of silence". Washington Post. May 31, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "The sexual abuse scandal rocking the Southern Baptist Convention, explained". Vox. June 7, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Herrmann 2021, pp. 12–13.
  12. ^ Bullivant 2022, pp. 136–142.
  13. ^ Klein, Linda Kay (2018). "Pure:Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free".
  14. ^ "Joshua Harris Says 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye' Will Be Discontinued, Apologizes for 'Flaws'". www.christianpost.com. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  15. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (July 29, 2019). "Author of Christian relationship guide says he has lost his faith". The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  16. ^ Andrews, Becca (September 2018). "Evangelical Purity Culture Taught Me to Rationalize My Sexual Assault". Mother Jones.
  17. ^ "Exvangelical TikTokkers Aren't a Sign of the End Times, But Here's What Evangelicals Need to Understand About 'The Falling Away'". Religion Dispatches. July 22, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  18. ^ Barnett, C. (August 27, 2017). "#EmptyThePews Advocates Quitting Church to Protest Trump". World Religion News. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  19. ^ Chastain, Blake (August 28, 2021). "Evangelicals: You're still not really listening to what exvangelicals are saying". Religion News Service. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  20. ^ Jones, Jeffrey M (March 29, 2021). "U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time". Gallup.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  21. ^ Moore, Russell. "Losing Our Religion". createsend.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  22. ^ Bullivant 2022, pp. 140–141, 151.
  23. ^ Barreto, Raimundo; Py, Fábio (2022). "Ex- and Post-Evangelicalism: Recent Developments in Brazil's Changing Religious Landscape". International Journal of Public Theology. 16 (2): 197–222. doi:10.1163/15697320-20220040. S2CID 251266321.

Sources

Further reading



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