#62: Losing Your Faith and Finding It Again

This episode’s conversation is especially important if you’ve ever felt like your faith was unraveling—or if you’ve watched someone you care about go through that. I’m joined by Dr. Peter Schuurman, a sociologist, pastor, and co-author of Blessed Are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada. It’s a book full of real-life stories from people who have struggled with their faith — and it addresses themes well beyond the Canadian context. Whether you’re deconstructing, reconstructing, or just trying to hang on to your faith—this conversation is for you. In this podcast we discuss: Why Peter wrote Blessed Are The Undone for this momentWhat surprised him most when interviewing believers who are “deconstructing” their faithWhy it is so important to know why Christianity is true before going to collegeThe role parents, pastors, and Christian communities can have in helping students doubting their faithDiscerning the difference between healthy doubt and losing one’s faithWhy “inerrancy” and LGBTQ are often stumbling blocks leading students (and others) to deconstruct their faithHow to rebuild a sustainable faith after deconstructionAdvice on finding a healthy churchThe importance of also deconstructing our atheistic, hedonistic culture and universitiesThe value of listening to others’ stories of their journey to faith Resources mentioned during our conversation: Peter Schuurman and Angela Reitsma Bick, Blessed Are The Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in CanadaKeith Campbell, “Filter-Free Praying When Things Get Tough,” College Faith Podcast #57Stan Wallace and J.P. Moreland, “An Introduction to Have We Lost Our Minds?,” Thinking Christianly Podcast #33Stan Wallace, Have We Lost Our Minds? Neuroscience, Neurotheology, the Soul, and Human FlourishingGordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How To Read the Bible For All Its WorthRick Mattson, “Finding the ‘Middle Way’ in the LGBTQ+ Conversation,” College Faith Podcast #40Ross Douthat, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be ReligiousJustin Brierly, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old And Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity AgainLarry Sanger, “How a Skeptical Philosopher Becomes a Christian”(see also The Gospel Coalition’s “Wikipedia Founder Embraces Christianity: Larry Sanger’s Testimony Highlights”)Joseph A. Scimecca, The Not So Outrageous Idea of a Christian Sociology