Evangelical Exodus: Deconstruction of American Evangelical Christianity

• In Event: 30654 - Religious Decline and Disaffiliation

Abstract

American Evangelical Christianity (AEC) is experiencing a paradox: although increasing in
power, most notably seen in recent U.S. politics, AEC is simultaneously declining in affiliation.
This research examines this decline through employing a Grounded Theoretical approach to
study the process of deconversion via twenty-five semi-structured, in-depth interviews with
former Evangelicals. In addition to revealing a complex process of deconstruction which
involved physical and mental minimization, findings also uncovered deconversion is shaped by
related processes of faith construction and reconstruction. Due to faith’s construction of identity
and community—through reinforced social and belief systems—participants experienced
struggle and loss when re-evaluating foundational values, which resulted in both the need and
freedom to rebuild these constructs outside of AEC. Ultimately, findings suggest that AEC’s
rigidity has created a paradox in which the same structures that lend it strength in certain
contexts may contribute to its loss of power in others.

Author

• Priscilla Ziegler, University of California, Irvine