It took years of painful, sometimes excruciating struggle as I awakened to reason.
Understanding
&
Responding to Deconverts
Having a friend or loved one leave their faith can be disheartening and confusing. It is often very difficult for those who remain believers to understand how someone they know and care for could renounce their beliefs and depart from the community of faith. And yet, it happens more often than one might realize.
With that in mind, I have created this page to assist those who are seeking to understand the hows and whys of deconversion and how to respond well. It is my hope that through these resources those who are seeking to come to grips with the deconversion of a loved one will find a means of orienting themselves and taking helpful steps in responding to former believers in the midst of what can be a distressing experience.
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Understanding Deconversion
Responding to Deconversion
Academic
Research
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If you are interested in understanding deconversion from an academic perspective, here you will find a 70-page summary of nearly all of the relevant academic studies on deconversion over the last 40 years. It will be continually updated.
Here are two helpful websites
related to deconversion.
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Switching Sides is a blog by Joel Furches a Christian behavioral psychologist who researches deconversion. Lots of good articles and the latest research.
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Political Scientist Ryan P. Burge posts at Religion in Public. Ryan regularly provides data on deconversion, exvangelicals, and the state of Christianity in the United States. Highly recommended,