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Deconversion: Losing My Religion

Submitted to Program Units
1: Religious Conversions Unit

Eliza Kent, Skidmore College, Presiding

Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)

Scholars have minutely examined the process of religious conversion from diverse methodological orientations. But in a moment of rapidly declining religious affiliation, it's time to give sustained attention to the complex process of religious de-conversion. This panel examines the deconversion narratives of ex-vangelicals, the experiences of ex-clergy attracted to Spiritual But Not Religious worldviews, and identity formation among ex-vangelicals who form new networks of belonging through podcasts and podcasting. 

Papers

  • Sara Tillema, University of California, Davis

    Deconstruction, Deconversion, and the Rise of the Ex-vangelical

    Abstract

    While in many ways the political power of evangelicals seems stronger than ever, evangelicals are not immune to the trends of decline taking place across American Protestantism. This growing exodus has given rise to a subsection of former evangelicals known by a variety of names: exvangelicals, post-evangelicals, recovering evangelicals, un-fundamentalists, and more. This paper explores the relationship between ex-vangelical deconstruction and religious deconversion. How do former evangelicals understand their process of deconstruction, and how does it relate to deconversion? Does deconstruction itself constitute the process of evangelical deconversion, or is it just one framework to understanding a broader shift in personal identity? By studying former evangelical social media engagement and a set of ethnographic interviews I conducted in 2024, I will consider what ex-vangelical narratives reveal about the relationship between “deconstruction,” deconversion, and the shaping of religious/non-religious identity.

  • Emma Feyas,

    Leaving Religion for Podcast Spirituality: A Practical Theological Study of Former Evangelicals in Virtual Conversations

    Abstract

    For the last few decades, generations of young evangelicals have found themselves as the subject of countless books, studies, and discussions as older evangelicals attempt to understand what might dissuade them from leaving the church at such alarming rates. At the same time, though they have been at the center of concern, their own voices and contributions have been sidelined to the fringes. This study enters the ongoing conversations among thousands of individuals who have left evangelicalism. Often labeled as “conscientious objectors,” these individuals have not abandoned evangelicalism to adopt another religion wholesale. They continue to congregate, albeit virtually, in seemingly endless conversations. This study engages these conversations to gain a better understanding of the ordinary theology beyond evangelicalism.

  • Linda Mercadante, Methodist Theological School in Ohio and Founder of HealthyBeliefs.org

    Is it Deconversion? Former Clergy Who Identify as Spiritual but not Religious

    Abstract

    When former clergy -- once fully committed but now hesitant to serve or even attend church -- now self-identify as “spiritual but not religious,” does this qualify as an actual deconversion or just ydisillusionment? I have interviewed and done a qualitative analysis of thirty clergy, mostly Mainline Protestant, who have had difficult experiences and have left the ministry. I examine their backgrounds, church experience, and what work they are doing now. I pay special attention to their beliefs since Protestantism emphasizes the cognitive aspect of faith. Such an analysis shows that many former clergy interviewees have migrated over to beliefs very similar to the many non-religious SBNRs I previously interviewed and wrote about. The decline in Mainline Protestantism is clear but it is especially noteworthy when the most dedicated are leaving, changing their beliefs and self-identifying as SBNR. 

Responding
Sean McCloud, University of North Carolina At Charlotte

Business Meeting
Edith Szanto, University of Alabama, Presiding
Eliza Kent, Skidmore College, Presiding
Audiovisual Requirements

Resources

LCD Projector and Screen
Play Audio from Laptop Computer
Podium microphone

Full Papers Available

No
Program Unit Options

Session Length

2 Hours
Schedule Info

Saturday, 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Tags

Deconversion
exvangelical
#Exvangelical
deconstruction
#deconstruction
spirituality
church decline
spiritual but not religious
#mainline Protestantism
beliefs
theology

Session Identifier

A23-232