Is there a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition? Can we question our faith without losing it?
Award-winning author, pastor, and professor A. J. Swoboda has witnessed many young people wrestle with their core Christian beliefs. Too often, what begins as a set of critical and important questions turns to resentment and faith abandonment. Unfortunately, the church has largely ignored its task of serving people along their journey of questioning. The local church must walk alongside those who are deconstructing their faith and show them how to reconstruct it.
Drawing on his own experience of deconstruction, Swoboda offers tools to help emerging adults navigate their faith in a hostile landscape. Doubt is a part of our natural spiritual journey, says Swoboda, and deconstruction is a legitimate space to encounter the living God.
Session GUides
- Session 1: Introduction, Chapter 1
- Session 2: The Theological Journey & the Problem of Freedom, Chapters 2 & 3
- Session 3: Knowing the Whole Self & Feeling Everything, Chapters 4 & 6
- Session 4: Going to Church and Learning to Tend, Chapters 5 & 7
- Session 5: Practicing Being Wrong and Discerning the Truth, Chapters 8 & 9
- Session 6: Embracing the Whole Kingdom and Trusting the Right Way, Chapters 10 & 11
For more questions to draw on, check out a document containing a complete list of chapter questions and summary statements here.
Book
After Doubt by A. J. Swobada.