Having briefly responded to some of the views of exvangelicals in my last few blogs, I think it’s important to understand why so many of the younger generation have abandoned the church and walked away from biblical Christianity. It's complex and would be oversimplifying to attribute one factor to all cases; however, a common theme I've read in the stories of those who “deconstructed” appears to be some kind of traumatic experience in their personal lives, often referred to as a trigger event, that pushes them away from the faith. Here are a few of the more prominent ones:

Abuse

It’s easy to understand how a young person could become completely disillusioned with Christianity because of the abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents or spiritual leaders. The heart-breaking stories of how deceitful, manipulative predators have taken advantage of children and young people is endless. The psychological scars and emotional damage inflicted on the innocent is abhorrent to God. In fact, Jesus said, “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) What these poor victims desperately need to understand is that it was wicked sinners and not Christianity that committed these evils.

Evil and Suffering

Evil and suffering in the world continues to be the number one reason for rejecting belief in God. Formally stated, “If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?” While there are no easy answers to this question, disbelieving in God doesn’t ever mitigate the issue. Acknowledging the existence of evil and suffering reflects an underlying belief that such things should not be, that this isn’t right. What exvangelicals need to understand is that Jesus Christ came into a world broken by sin to ultimately redeem it and end all pain and suffering forever.

Misinterpretation of Scripture

Surprisingly, many depart Christianity because of the Bible’s “toxic” theology. To some of these the biblical teaching on marriage and sexuality is morally repugnant. To others, the doctrine of original sin is construed as psychologically damaging. Many have issues with certain passages in the Bible which they can’t rationally justify, such as the eradication of the Canaanites, or the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter, and the doctrine of hell. While such passages require thoughtful answers, there are other “offensive” scriptures that have been taken out of context and grossly misinterpreted.

Abuse, pain and suffering, and difficult passages in the Bible are challenging issues that need to be patiently and lovingly addressed. But it must be said that those who use these problems to justify their departure from Christianity have never been truly converted in the first place. Through knowing Jesus true believers find healing from abuse and hope in suffering. They seek answers to problem passages through sound biblical exegesis. For those truly born again, the seed of the gospel found fertile soil in their hearts and bore fruit. But for the exvangelical, that seed fell into hearts hardened by sin, choked by worldly values, or into shallow emotionalism (see Matthew 13:18-23).