Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity
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- Create Date：2021-09-27 11:21:13
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- Author：Alisa Childers
- ISBN：1640917942
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Summary
Alisa Childers never thought she would question her Christian faith。 She was raised in a Christian home， where she had seen her mom and dad feed the hungry， clothe the homeless， and love the outcast。 She had witnessed God at work and then had dedicated her own life to leading worship， as part of the popular Christian band ZOEgirl。 All that was deeply challenged when she met a progressive pastor， who called himself a hopeful agnostic。
Another Gospel？ describes the intellectual journey Alisa took over several years as she wrestled with a series of questions that struck at the core of the Christian faith。 After everything she had ever believed about God， Jesus， and the Bible had been picked apart， she found herself at the brink of despair 。 。 。 until God rescued her， helping her to rebuild her faith， one solid brick at a time。
In a culture of endless questions， you need solid answers。 If you or someone you love has encountered the ideas of progressive Christianity and aren’t sure how to respond， Alisa’s journey will show you how to determine—and rest in—what’s unmistakably true。
Another Gospel？ describes the intellectual journey Alisa took over several years as she wrestled with a series of questions that struck at the core of the Christian faith。 After everything she had ever believed about God， Jesus， and the Bible had been picked apart， she found herself at the brink of despair 。 。 。 until God rescued her， helping her to rebuild her faith， one solid brick at a time。
In a culture of endless questions， you need solid answers。 If you or someone you love has encountered the ideas of progressive Christianity and aren’t sure how to respond， Alisa’s journey will show you how to determine—and rest in—what’s unmistakably true。
Reviews
Jillian Sevilla-Sales
，
Enjoyed the book and made me want to read more of christian history books。 HahaDefinitely will recommend this to church leaders。 New christians can read this also but need supervision from his/her leaders。
Anthony
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Either you believe in the real Jesus or you don’t。 There is no bending， changing， or twisting Jesus to make him fit into what you think may or may not be right or wrong。 There is only one Jesus and he is solid！ Childers does a great job of opening your eyes to Progressive Christianity and how it is most definitely not the real thing。
Lindsay Hart
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Alisa sets a good example of responding to challenges to her faith by investigating why she believed what she believed and reasoning her answers out so she could be built up in her faith （rather than deconstructing）。 This is an apologetic exercise （or training） that I would like to emulate。 She tells her story about how her faith was attacked and breaks down each question and explains the answers she found in historic Christianity。 She also does a great job of laying out her sources （including b Alisa sets a good example of responding to challenges to her faith by investigating why she believed what she believed and reasoning her answers out so she could be built up in her faith （rather than deconstructing）。 This is an apologetic exercise （or training） that I would like to emulate。 She tells her story about how her faith was attacked and breaks down each question and explains the answers she found in historic Christianity。 She also does a great job of laying out her sources （including books by Michael Kruger， the writings of the church fathers， and others） so her readers don’t have to take her word for it， but can consult the same sources and come to their own conclusions。 Overall， this is a beautiful story of how the Lord preserved Alisa’s faith when she was surrounded by many who were throwing it out。 He lead her through the fire， and she came out with a refined and tested faith ready to be used in greater ways for His glory （one of those ways is thorough writing this book）。 。。。more
Alisa Jeffus
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3。5 Stars - Alisa walks us through a class she attended that challenged its students with questions about Christianity。 These progressive questions shake her faith & so she researches answers through apologetics and historical Christianity。 Each chapter discusses different topics like the inerrancy of scripture and Jesus’ need to die on the cross。 A section in her last chapter about building legos really brought it all together for me。 We each construct our faith/worldview like bricks in a lego 3。5 Stars - Alisa walks us through a class she attended that challenged its students with questions about Christianity。 These progressive questions shake her faith & so she researches answers through apologetics and historical Christianity。 Each chapter discusses different topics like the inerrancy of scripture and Jesus’ need to die on the cross。 A section in her last chapter about building legos really brought it all together for me。 We each construct our faith/worldview like bricks in a lego build and sometimes questions about life come up， knock us down， and reveal to us where our building was faulty。 We should take the time to rebuild， brick by brick until we reconstruct a faith that is stronger & able to withstand the storms in life。 While I wouldn’t say I’m deconstructing or progressive and none of these topics were new to me， I think this book is a great resource for anyone struggling with those hard questions about Christianity。 I didn’t personally align with everything one hundred percent， and she may err a little to the conservative side， but nonetheless her points are valid and helpful to anyone wanting to know more。 A great starting point for deeper study for sure。 。。。more
Nanette
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Wow！ So good！ Loved all the research and can't wait to look in to some of the resources。 Wow！ So good！ Loved all the research and can't wait to look in to some of the resources。 。。。more
Lawrence
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So grateful for so many powerful insights， observations， confessions and warnings， really， at this time， in this book。 I had seen the American Gospel videos， but this book will remain on my ‘quick reference’ shelf for many reasons。 So much of Alisa’s story is my story， our story。 The Lego analogy on faith was one part that really resonated with me - I needed that。 Clarity and much needed admonition taught here。 In these post modern times， it’s hard enough to see through a glass darkly， how much So grateful for so many powerful insights， observations， confessions and warnings， really， at this time， in this book。 I had seen the American Gospel videos， but this book will remain on my ‘quick reference’ shelf for many reasons。 So much of Alisa’s story is my story， our story。 The Lego analogy on faith was one part that really resonated with me - I needed that。 Clarity and much needed admonition taught here。 In these post modern times， it’s hard enough to see through a glass darkly， how much more so to get taught up with these dark， soiled lies parading as truth unexposed。 Additional lesson here， no less important is away with easy believeism also…。 It takes work and persistence in the Word。 There is Joy in the journey。 Soli Deo Gloria。 。。。more
Kathy
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Couldn't put this book down！ Soo much great information。 Couldn't put this book down！ Soo much great information。 。。。more
Melissa
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4。5/5 starsReally enjoyed this！ Quick and easy read with a long list of resources for more in-depth study。
Gryferin
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Great Book！ Offers deep insights and questions the growing views of progressive Christianity。 What I liked:• Chapter 4 and chapter 9。 I thought these chapters related to many common issues I have heard or seen in progressive Christianity today。• Chapter 10 provides really great insights on hell and life after death。 What I disliked:•I found the writing in some areas a little sloppy or hard to understand。“When I have doubts about my faith， or deep nagging questions that keep me up at night， I don Great Book！ Offers deep insights and questions the growing views of progressive Christianity。 What I liked:• Chapter 4 and chapter 9。 I thought these chapters related to many common issues I have heard or seen in progressive Christianity today。• Chapter 10 provides really great insights on hell and life after death。 What I disliked:•I found the writing in some areas a little sloppy or hard to understand。“When I have doubts about my faith， or deep nagging questions that keep me up at night， I don’t have the luxury of finding “my truth” because I am committed to the truth。”- Another Gospel？ 。。。more
Arden Whitehurst Clark
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This is the best， most thorough theological/Christian living book I have ever read。 Alisa Childers asks and answers the questions facing so many Christians today as the Bible， the definition of Truth， the necessity of the cross and so much more are being attacked from both culture （which is expected） and from progressive churches （false teachers）。 Alisa does all of this in a down to earth， well researched， easy to comprehend book that anyone could read。 It’s not a dense theological book， but rat This is the best， most thorough theological/Christian living book I have ever read。 Alisa Childers asks and answers the questions facing so many Christians today as the Bible， the definition of Truth， the necessity of the cross and so much more are being attacked from both culture （which is expected） and from progressive churches （false teachers）。 Alisa does all of this in a down to earth， well researched， easy to comprehend book that anyone could read。 It’s not a dense theological book， but rather a story of her own doubts and process to rebuild the foundation of her faith。 Absolutely can’t recommend enough！！！ 。。。more
Allegra
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Well researched with many recommendations for additional reading。 So easy to read even though addressing difficult topics。 Alisa’s heart for The Lord really shines through！
Michael Berra
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Alisa Childers Anliegen ist wichtig und berechtigt。 Sie hat ein Buch geschrieben， das leicht zu lesen und immer wieder sogar unterhaltsam ist。 Trotzdem muss ich leider sagen， dass ich das Buch am Schluss etwas enttäuscht und genervt weggelegt habe。 Aber wer weiss， vielleicht bin ich ja zu „progressiv“…？！ ;）Zuerst， worin ich mit Childers übereinstimme:- Dekonstruktion des Glaubens anzustreben， zu fördern und aktiv bei Leuten， die gar keine Fragen haben， auszulösen ist eine Zielverfehlung！ Ich gla Alisa Childers Anliegen ist wichtig und berechtigt。 Sie hat ein Buch geschrieben， das leicht zu lesen und immer wieder sogar unterhaltsam ist。 Trotzdem muss ich leider sagen， dass ich das Buch am Schluss etwas enttäuscht und genervt weggelegt habe。 Aber wer weiss， vielleicht bin ich ja zu „progressiv“…？！ ;）Zuerst， worin ich mit Childers übereinstimme:- Dekonstruktion des Glaubens anzustreben， zu fördern und aktiv bei Leuten， die gar keine Fragen haben， auszulösen ist eine Zielverfehlung！ Ich glaube Dekonstruktion （Fragen） überfällt einen einfach und dann muss man etwas damit machen…- Die Fragen-Verliebtheit und das Antworten-Misstrauen einiger „Progressiver“ empfinde ich auch bemühend。 Fragen allein genügen nicht。 Sie geben ja auch Antworten; die entscheidende Frage ist ob diese Antworten ein gutes Fundament bilden。 Dekonstruktion kann nicht das Ziel sein， sie muss zu einer gesunden Rekonstruktion führen。- Wenn das Fundament wegbricht， dann bricht alles weg。 Wenn Jesu Tod & Auferstehung， das Evangelium， nicht mehr im Zentrum ist， dann kann kaum mehr von „christlich“ geredet werden。- Dieses Fundament ist in der Bibel gelegt， oder besser grundlegend bezeugt， und wir tun auch gut daran die Auslegung derer besonders Ernst zu nehmen， die näher dran waren als wir （Kirchenväter）。Worin ich nicht mit Childers übereinstimme （meine Kritik）:- Ihre Argumentation empfinde ich in den Hauptpunkten Bibel， Kreuz， Jesus （Irgendwie habe ich gemerkt， dass sie da nicht ganz konsequent ist， was denn nun die Hauptpunkte sind…） und einigen ihrer „Neben-Hauptpunkte“ （die dann einfach so einfliessen） sehr mangelhaft！ Sie sagt de fakto， dass nur eine ganz bestimmte Sicht dieser Hauptpunkte die einzig richtige ist und sie beansprucht fälschlicherweise， dass die Bibel und die Kirchenväter eindeutig diese bestimmte Sicht geteilt haben。 In Bezug aufs Thema Bibel scheint mir das zB eine Form der Verbalinspiration und in Bezug auf Sühne „penal substitution“ zu sein。 Ohne ins Detail zu gehen， ist das äusserst einseitig und auch nicht so einfach mit den Kirchenvätern zu stützen und ihre Argumentation im Buch ignoriert Jahrhunderte von Diskussionen， die zu diesen Thematiken schon geführt wurden。- Ihr Verständnis von Wahrheit ist inkonsistent und letztlich aus meiner Sicht zu simplistisch。 Auch hier scheint sie all die jahrhundertelangen theologisch-philosophischen Auseinandersetzungen mit einer „ist doch klar“ Handbewegung vom Tisch zu fegen und nicht klar zwischen Realität und Erkenntnis der Realität zu unterscheiden。- „Die progressive Bewegung“ gibt es aus meiner Wahrnehmung nicht… Childers stellt es so dar （obwohl sie teils schreibt， dass das nicht so ist）， wie wenn es da eine Bewegung gibt， die eine bestimmte Agenda verfolgt und bewusst das Christentum unterwandern will。 Ich glaube hingegen， dass es einfach eine zunehmende Bewegung von Menschen gibt， die gewisse klassisch-（amerikanisch？）-evangelikale Überzeugungen in Frage stellen und dabei aus meiner Sicht teils gesunde und teils mangelhafte/haarsträubende Alternativen finden。 （Aber lass mich da gern vom Gegenteil überzeugen :））。- Unter dem Strich scheint mir Childers schlicht diese spezifisch evangelikale Sicht erneut als die einzig wahre darstellen zu wollen und ignoriert dabei ganz andere christliche Traditionen， die mindestens ebenso auf die Kirchenväter zurückgehen。- Viele der „Progressiven“ streben aus meiner Sicht nichts anderes an als Childers selbst: die （Neu-）Betonung der Fundamente des christlichen Glaubens aus der Bibel und in Bezug auf die Tradition （V。a。 Kirchenväter）。 Ich finde es etwas diffarmierend， dass diese Theologen dann so dargestellt werden， wie wenn sie für sich selbst losgelöst von allem etwas konstruieren （obwohl es die sicher auch gibt）。 Dass es da teils andere Resultate gibt kann sein。 Dass es da teils Irrwege gibt， ist sicher。 Aber das gibt es hüben wie drüben。 Deshalb finde ich diese Die-Wir-Rhetorik mit viel Pathos wenig hilfreich。 Da gibt es intelligentere Auseinandersetzungen。 Persönlich hoffe ich， dass ich selbst konstruktive Beiträge zu einer heilsamen und heilbringenden Rekonstruktion liefern kann， die Menschen irgendwo auf ihrer In-Frage-Stell-Reise （Dekonstruktion） helfen。 。。。more
Deja Roden
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Along with “Fault Lines，” this should also be required reading for the modern 2021 Christian。
Melissa Moats
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Alisa shares a wonderful overview of the raw pain and fear that comes with the loss or challenge of faith and the journey back to a more robust trust in Jesus。 It was so encouraging to see the way the Lord brought her through this dark time， being her lifejacket in the sea of doubt and setting her again on the solid rock of Christianity。 When so many are abandoning the historic faith， this story brings hope and evidence that the Lord is still on the move， and the Gospel will prevail。
Emily
，
I LOVE Alisa's YouTube channel and had watched a lot of her videos prior to reading her book。 For that reason， I had heard most of her anecdotes and overall story beforehand。 She writes just as she speaks， which is conversational and accessible。 Overall， this is a great walk through of the modern church's dilemma over being "relevant" or being faithful and its not so modern corollaries。 I was most interested in the discussions of church history that show similar trends as we're seeing now - as f I LOVE Alisa's YouTube channel and had watched a lot of her videos prior to reading her book。 For that reason， I had heard most of her anecdotes and overall story beforehand。 She writes just as she speaks， which is conversational and accessible。 Overall， this is a great walk through of the modern church's dilemma over being "relevant" or being faithful and its not so modern corollaries。 I was most interested in the discussions of church history that show similar trends as we're seeing now - as far back as to the Gnostics。 What is old is new again， and what is new is old。 。。。more
Bryan Atkinson
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Relevant for today！ Childers weaves her story of taking a class from a progressive Christian pastor and the resulting doubt with well-researched quotes from progressive Christians， early church theologians and historians， apologists， and exegesis of the Bible。
Kelsey Pray
，
If you’re struggling with doubts and “unanswerable” questions about your faith and in the God of the Bible， Alisa Childers makes it clear， “there are answers！” If you’ve been shamed for asking the “wrong” questions， if you’ve been told “we don’t ask questions like that here，” well， there are answers。 Well worth the read and will be reading it again！
Alex Monseth
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So， so good。 Helps clarify our faith amidst the confusion in our current climate。
C。R。 Leverette
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This is the best book I've read in some time。 Wonderfully written with humor， knowledge， and sensitivity while still standing for historic Christian beliefs。 I can't recommend this enough。 This is the best book I've read in some time。 Wonderfully written with humor， knowledge， and sensitivity while still standing for historic Christian beliefs。 I can't recommend this enough。 。。。more
Kristen Munson
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I loved how Alisa dug deep to find the answers and the truth about Christianity。
Karen Saliers
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Wow…。。wow！Amazing truths reviewed and questioned and then spoken and affirmed so clearly！Thank-you to my pastor for recommending it！Amen
Mason Doyle
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If you don't know what Progressive Christianity is， then you need to read this book。 If you know what Progressive Christianity is but have more questions about it then you need to read this book。 If you are a Christian living in the 21st Century then you need to read this book。Progressive Christianity is a rapidly growing offshoot of traditional Christianity and is one of the greatest dangers to the faith。 Progressive Christians believe they can retain the title of Christian while denying almost If you don't know what Progressive Christianity is， then you need to read this book。 If you know what Progressive Christianity is but have more questions about it then you need to read this book。 If you are a Christian living in the 21st Century then you need to read this book。Progressive Christianity is a rapidly growing offshoot of traditional Christianity and is one of the greatest dangers to the faith。 Progressive Christians believe they can retain the title of Christian while denying almost every core belief in the Christian faith， for example: the deity of Jesus Christ， the inerrancy of scripture， the importance of the resurrection， the position of the Bible on many issues。 It is simply another gospel， not the true gospel that Jesus commanded us to preach。Alisa Childers takes us through her personal experience with Progressive Christianity。 She explains how it nearly ruined her faith as she was unable to defend her trust in the Bible against the scoffing Progressive Christians。 She explains how we can trust the Bible we have always known， and how we can defend our faith against any attacks。 Great book！ Well written。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Brendon Cearley
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Loved this book。 Outstanding defense of the truth of the gospel。 Does a great job of calling out the heresy of popular “Christian” speakers。 Alisa is becoming a leading theologian of our times。
Jeremy Bautista
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At first "glance" （what's the equivalent for audiobooks？）， it may be easy to dismiss this book as a light book about how a long-time Christian， raised in an active Christian home， one-time popular Christian musician， and now en route to raising a Christian family of her own persevered through a crisis of faith when challenged about some of the core tenants of the Christianity by a charismatic liberal/progressive （theologically， not politically， speaking） pastor。 However， by the time I got to the At first "glance" （what's the equivalent for audiobooks？）， it may be easy to dismiss this book as a light book about how a long-time Christian， raised in an active Christian home， one-time popular Christian musician， and now en route to raising a Christian family of her own persevered through a crisis of faith when challenged about some of the core tenants of the Christianity by a charismatic liberal/progressive （theologically， not politically， speaking） pastor。 However， by the time I got to the end of this book， I appreciated that this was a well-researched， thoughtful， and substantial rebuttal to the post-modern， "progressive" Christian claims that attempt to make Christianity more palatable and in line with modern American views on morality。 Alisa Childers may not be a name I originally associated with other apologists that I've listened to or read， but she will be now。 And while maybe not a style that suits all readers， I appreciated how she used an experience in a workshop on "progressive" Christianity at her church to be her book's throughline。 It's not enough to call this book a "story"， but if an uninitiated reader were to get lost in the apologetics of it all， she often and regularly came back to the class as if to remind the reader about where they were on this journey of challenging the reinterpretation of "historical" Christianity into "progressive" Christianity。I do take one issue with her inclusion of "Critical Theory" which she expands on later to have branches along various paths such as "Critical Race Theory" or "Critical Gender Theory"。 Not as well read as I probably should be on this concept of "Critical Theory" （considering current cultural forces in America at the time of this writing）， I will simply say that there is a difference in challenging the way history might be told in America and allowing various storylines from varied perspective to be told about or around a singular moment， event， or concept because America （like much of modern history） is typically told by one side--the victor， the conquerer， the champion。 However， as Alisa Childers says later in the book （and I'm paraphrasing--it's an audiobook）， a little information can lead to doubt and misunderstanding， but a lot of information can lead to confidence and security。 And as she states towards the end of the book， reading， learning， studying， questioning， researching， and analyzing biblical and historical texts should point a person closer to understanding the real historical Jesus。 I would think the process of "Critical Theory" would do the same in examining human culture。 I don't believe these things to be impossible to co-exist， but again， what do I know？That minor factor aside， I do think this book does a good job introducing these challenges to Christian beliefs by simply describing her journey through this workshop led by a "progressive" pastor and attended by other like-minded， "progressive" participants。 She often felt like the odd-ball defending "historical" Christianity。 These challenges are compelling， populist， and relatable and probably have been heard by many Christians in our culture today。 And likely many of us with significantly shorter "Christian resumes" than Alisa Childers， we would probably find ourselves hard-pressed to give a strong and vigorous defence to questions like "Isn't God a cosmic child-abuser to allow Jesus to be killed？" or "How could a loving God allow a place like Hell exist let alone throw people into simply for not believing in him？" It's not a "light" apologetics book。 What it is is an apologetics book that gives answers to some of the challenges to core Christian tenants， but also seeks to reach and encourage those with these kinds of doubt that there is a way to find and be confident that there are substantive responses that reaffirm "historical" Christianity and one's faith in Jesus。 No， she does not answer every doubter's questions （she certainly tackles many， and probably the most essential ones in the book）， but I think her bigger goal （based on her encouragements and acknowledgements at the end of the book） was more to give the reader confidence that one doesn't have to be a big-time theologian or apologist to gain confidence in their faith--but it WILL take time， effort， and work to seek those answers and build up one's faith。 However， that prize of knowing Jesus better， more fully， and having a more informed and assured faith in Him will be well worth it。 。。。more
Tim Genry
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I’m a fan of this book。 If the rating system went to 10 I’d give this book 9！At first I didn’t think I’d complete this book as I’ve read many apologetics books in the past and this one wasn’t setting itself apart … that is until I engaged myself fully in her story。 She was learning what she believed at the same time as her faith was being challenged and deconstructed。 The environment was probably the most challenging and coercive place a Christian can have their faith challenged … within the chu I’m a fan of this book。 If the rating system went to 10 I’d give this book 9！At first I didn’t think I’d complete this book as I’ve read many apologetics books in the past and this one wasn’t setting itself apart … that is until I engaged myself fully in her story。 She was learning what she believed at the same time as her faith was being challenged and deconstructed。 The environment was probably the most challenging and coercive place a Christian can have their faith challenged … within the church， in a classroom where differing opinions （from the teacher） are taken lightly and not fully discussed。 Childers choose to stick it out and study for herself。 I loved her tenacity as she searched for truth。 We need more people like her who search， find， and enter the battle for faith！ 4。5 stars！ We’ll done！ 。。。more
Ryan Sisson
，
I saw this book and checked it out from the library （the audiobook read by the author） after an Evangelical catalog mysteriously arrived at my door。 I think there was a mistake in the analytics of whoever tracked me -- yes I am going through a breakup and major life change， but -- no I am not the target audience for that catalog right now。Or am I？ I am the type of person who is deeply interested in why people believe what they do。 The flap summary described this as the story of how a lifelong Ev I saw this book and checked it out from the library （the audiobook read by the author） after an Evangelical catalog mysteriously arrived at my door。 I think there was a mistake in the analytics of whoever tracked me -- yes I am going through a breakup and major life change， but -- no I am not the target audience for that catalog right now。Or am I？ I am the type of person who is deeply interested in why people believe what they do。 The flap summary described this as the story of how a lifelong Evangelical encountered Progressive Christianity， and her intellectual journey back。 I came to know Jesus Christ myself when I was six years old， and have recently experienced a deconstruction （"the desert season"） myself。 Part of me was interested in the apologetics against Progressivism， because deconstruction is painful。I have heard that losing your faith when it once framed your whole world is so intense that many therapists who have not experienced it themselves have a hard time understanding it。The following is an unapologetically subjective reaction to Alisa's book。 Openly， I feel like it would be good for me spiritually to take time to do this。 And I feel entitled to including my projections， because there is so much projection in Alisa's book that it just feels like fair game。 In years to come， people may look back at books like this as a roadmap to what conservative Christians actually thought during this time of enormous cultural change。 And it is important to take account of just how this split in the church has occurred （the Progressive Split）， and where the points of difference are。---I want to offer Alisa Childers a benefit of the doubt that she does not offer me。 Make no mistake -- Childers disregards Progressive Christianity as un-Christian， and believes I am going to hell。 I won't say that I've read every book， or that I am convinced I am right and she is wrong。 I want to take a page from my Catholic friends and say that Christians should not be in the business of deciding for themselves who is going to hell。But， reading this book honestly made me truly understand why some people hate Christians。It is at times a painful read。 Childers provides the reader with an invaluable understanding of why people resist Progressive concepts。 It is a stubborn and deeply defensive book。From the beginning pages， Alisa Childers paints Progressive Christianity as a threat to "true" Christians。 In a telling passage， she quotes Anne Kennedy in saying that Progressives cannot sit "at the same table" as other Christians。 The final study question is: "What steps will you take going forward to resolve any remaining doubts in your Christian faith？"Childers paints a straw man of the Progressive and the Marxist in the same way that she accuses Progressives of painting a straw man of God。 She does not realize that every person paints God "in their own image，" including her。 Time and time again， she proves that she is not truly interested in listening to the concerns of Progressive Christians。 She encourages readers to take sides， and regard them as dangerous wolves。 There is an arrogance in this book that is not conducive to actually reforming the church or society in any meaningful way。 Childers seems unable to grasp the ways that her own culture has influenced her。 This isn't geographic。 She grew up as a minister's kid in the Valley in SoCal。 But I recognized many scenes from my own upbringing in the Bible Belt。 Childers says opaquely that there are some problems in the church， but barely lists specifics and presents no solutions。 This was the first major disappointment of the book。 She does not actually engage with the concerns Progressives have about the long-term health of Christians in the current church。 This makes me doubt the impact of her claimed deconstruction。Childers thinks that people who leave Christian faith are confused， uninformed （"illogical"）， or have just experienced a "bad" version of Christianity。 This makes me doubt that she is willing to believe the reported experiences of deconstructionists。 "If you love someone， don't you want to know what they actually believe？"Homosexuals （LGBTQ+） aren't just coming out because they're "tired of fighting their sin。" People aren't leaving the faith because they are "hating and rebelling against God，" or "choosing sin over repentance。" This is not at all my experience with people who have left the faith， nor is it what it is like to grow up outside the faith。 I know this， because I believe Progressive， deconstructionist testimonies。 （Just like Childers believes conservative Christian testimonies。） And laughably， people aren't disturbed by the violence in the Old Testament because they don't realize that， "the sins of Jericho as a military outpost would have made us cry out for justice。" They're disturbed because of the reasons they say -- the God of Christianity has its roots in an Israelite tribe with highly cultural laws， and it slaughtered children， raped women， and burnt cities to the ground。Childers is uncomfortable with the idea that each person must define for themselves what sin is in their life。 She is unwilling to admit that this is what everybody does， regardless of their faith。 And she hides behind verses like 1 Cor。 2:14， which says that those who don't have the Holy Spirit won't understand spiritual things。 This gives her amazing permission as a Christian to disregard what other belief systems have to say about life， culture， sin， and God。Childers does have a "bibliolatry。" For her， authority of Scripture is key。 A major key is realizing that Childers must place authority in Some thing。 This book is an account of the trauma of her realizing that she might live in a world where Scripture is reinterpreted with each era。 The only way for her to resolve this， rather than accept that the world has many gray areas， was to recast Progressives as her demons and take an obsessive journey of gathering evidence toward "the truth。" Which ironically -- is actually "her truth。"This is someone who has accepted testimonies like Sam Allberry's， who infamously claims that the cost of Christianity is giving up internal psychological wholeness。 Childers references Deepak Chopra as a joke， without unpacking any of his ideas， despite the fact that many have looked to him as a spiritual mentor and found wholeness。 She rejects the theory of evolution and rights to abortion out of hat， with no explanation。 She waxes long about how God's wrath against the evils of the Nazis proves that he is Just， but omits discussion of how people have suffered under the GOP， and how President Trump was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people during Covid-19。---I've reached the point in my deconstruction where I've stopped looking for people who believe the same things I do， and just assume I will disagree with some part of everyone's argument。 It's a good feeling。 Childers is not foolish， but she summarizes the same apologetics that have been rehashed for the past 50 years， and adds very little to religious conversation。 There are a few times where she responds to misinformation in Progressive talking points， and she is dead accurate about the way that Progressives are sometimes condescending and intolerant。 So many of the Progressive theologians she name drops or quotes are worth reading directly， as are many of the "historical" apologetics speakers she references。 However， she just doesn't seem to understand the people she is responding to。Childers won't use the term "Conservative Christianity，" but it is apt for her worldview。 She defends a conservative idea that there is nothing special about our particular era。 She argues that Christianity has always been a certain way， and therefore， after 2020 years， the theology of the modern church is robust。 For her， there is no possibility that there were wrong turns along the way needing correction。Let me dissect another example of a blind spot。 Childers claims that from Genesis to Revelation， sexual purity is important to God。 In fact， her bibliography has 7 books listed just about sexual purity and the debate on gay rights -- even though this barely comes up in her book。 In previous eras， maybe people wouldn't expect a story where God condemns sexual abuses in the Bible。 But something is different about our time， and we do see this as a disturbing omission by the writers of Scripture。 God doesn't condemn polygamy in the Bible either; now， we have polygamous Christians。 I don't think he condemns homosexuality either。 It's not categorically different - these practices are popular in different times， and this doesn't seem to be the concern of God。Christians today recognize that there have been wrong turns in Theology， and are interested in reconstructing better than before。Conservatives like Childers do not understand the major obstacles people have in encountering God， because one of them is the politics that Christians lump up in their definition of "sin。" I predict that Childers' version of the faith will not die out soon， but will become harder to hold by people with each generation。 I don't believe there is anything that can be said to change their minds。 What it took for me to leave "the cult" were encounters in the wider world that forcibly transformed my image of Evangelicalism's God into a bigger one， by virtue of personal experience。This book showed me that religious debates are about values， and nothing more。 What are Alisa Childers' Values？-Heterosexuality-Anti Marxism-Creationism-The warm feelings that her faith gave her as a child-She does not want things to ever changeWhen she found out there were other people who could let her off the hook of deconstruction， she jumped at the chance。 That's all her book really says。 。。。more
Carina
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A worthwhile read。。。but at times a little tedious with Childers' repetition。。。 A worthwhile read。。。but at times a little tedious with Childers' repetition。。。 。。。more
sydney elaine
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Really interesting look into Progressive Christianity。 Though a lot of the book is pulled from the personal experience of the author， it does lean more to the side of theology。 Highly recommend！
Kate Schreiber
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This is an unfortunate depiction of progressive Christianity。 As a Progressive Christian， I was hurt and frustrated with some of the twisted words and lies brought forth in this book。
John
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