Jan 20 2025 53 mins 2
Have you ever tried to ask hard questions about your faith only to run into a roadblock somewhere?
Sometimes it's simple answers. Sometimes it's others who don't want to acknowledge the questions. Sometimes it's your own heart begging to keep life simple.
Our guest today says it's worth asking the questions and offers a path through the uncertainty.
Angela J. Herrington is a faith deconstruction coach and host of The Deconstructing Faith Summit who helps people break free from toxic religious culture & empowers them to recover from church hurt.
Today, Angela shares the situation that caused her to wonder if everyone could be included in her community and the questions that arose from it. She explains how an accepting community can help, and why you can't outrun yourself. Avoiding the questions doesn't work so Angela shares how she helps others release the stigma and follow where the questions lead.
Angela's story reminds us that following Jesus isn't always easy but it is always worth it.
Listen to Angela's story now in your favorite podcast app!
Stories Angela shared:
- Growing up in Indiana around the church
Being a VBS kid, steeped in Christian culture and giving her life to Christ as a young girl
Getting involved in youth group in high school and college
Deciding to raise her children in church for their good
Finding a groundedness in her faith as she got more connected
The decisions that started to crack her understanding of faith worked out
Why viewing others as “projects” is harmful
The Bible study that became a safe place to ask questions
Deciding to go to a more liberal church and finding the same problems
Feeling weary about finding safe places to discuss and the church that created that space
The ten years of deconstruction she experienced
Growing wiser about her involvement
Why fundamentalism isn’t good on either side of the spectrum
Learning how much her pursuit of connection was driven by trauma
Why you can’t outrun yourself
What she does as a deconstruction coach
Great quotes from Angela:
Would I have been welcomed? Or would I have been a project?
What’s missing is a really humble understanding of how much in the church is influenced by power.
The more you try to outrun yourself, the more damage you’re doing to yourself.
The longer you've been in an environment that says you're bad, the longer it will take to discover your own goodness.
Resources we mentioned:
Deconstructing Your Faith without Losing Yourself by Angela J. Herrington
Angela’s free Facebook group for people experiencing deconstruction
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