Walking through deconstruction How to be a companion in a crisis of faith

Harber, a marketing manager at digital ministry Endeavor, addresses his substantive debut to Christians whose loved ones are having doubts about their beliefs. Examining some of the factors that trigger deconstruction--a "crisis of faith that leads to the questioning of core doctrines... settles into a faith that is different from before"--he details how churches overrun by partisan politics and a "cultural Christianity" that prizes celebrity pastors over true shepherds of faith have left believers feeling anxious and alienated. In Harber's view, rigid, all-or-nothing religious communities that discourage doubts end up widening cracks in one's faith, causing believers to pick apart "doctrines like heaven, hell, creation... and the trustworthiness of Scripture" until the "whole sweater has unraveled." Clarifying that this needn't mean the death of one's faith, Harber outlines how believers can rebuild their Christianity (and encourage others to do the same) by embracing God's complexities, among other strategies. While the guidance isn't as user-friendly as Harber advertises (concrete suggestions for change are relatively few, and casual readers will have a tough time with such terminology as "moralistic therapeutic deism"), his detailed assessment of deconstruction on individual and social levels enlightens, and his promise of a path that balances doubt and faith inspires. It's a comprehensive consideration of a pressing issue affecting today's church. (Jan.)