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Exvangelical is a term to describe people who have left evangelicalism, especially white evangelical churches in the United States, for atheism, progressive Christianity, or any other religious belief, or lack thereof.
People in the movement may also be called "exvies". The term prodigals is sometimes used for exvangelicals by people who remain evangelical.
Many exvangelicals attribute their departure to experiences of anti-LGBTQ beliefs and practices, misogyny, and racism in evangelicalism, to skepticism toward the Church's moral and social teachings, to a personal crisis of faith, and/or to sexual abuse in a religious setting.
The movement built upon existing skepticism of evangelicalism's official social and moral agenda, such as its rejection of LGBT and abortion rights, from within evangelical communities themselves. The movement was catalyzed by evangelicals' enthusiastic embrace of Donald Trump, and his perceived lack of "values fit" with Evangelicals' nominal beliefs. Exvangelicals would be considered part of the larger movement away from churches and the decline of religious participation in the United States that has been documented by The Pew Research Center, and PRRI.
spread the movement and provide space for evangelicals to work through the process of de-conversion. Popular exvangelical podcasts include Almost Heretical, Straight White American Jesus, and Chastain's podcast Exvangelical.
Non-fiction books related to the movement include Pure by Linda Kay Klein, Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans, The Exvangelicals by Sarah McCammon, A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings, Exvangelical and Beyond by Blake Chastain, and Star-Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy. Exvangelical novels include Hell Is a World Without You by Jason Kirk. Other writers and journalists would include Chrissy Stroop and Rick Pidcock. Exvangelical musicians include Kevin Max and David Bazan.
For example, exvangelical author Linda Kay Klein writes that treating all girls as potential "stumbling blocks" for evangelical men results a cycle of fear and shame, which she and other girls experienced in secret. Klein began to question purity culture when a youth pastor in her church was convicted of sexual enticement of a twelve-year-old girl.
Joshua Harris wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye in 1997, a book foundational to purity culture, which encouraged young people to avoid dating and instead practice courtship and abstinence. Harris repudiated his work in 2018, apologizing for its content and withdrawing it from publication. The following year, Harris announced that he was no longer a Christian, describing his experience as a "deconstruction" of his faith and apologizing for his previous teachings against LGBTQ+ people.
For example, exvangelical journalist Becca Andrews writes that, because Evangelical purity culture taught her the role of sexual gatekeeper, she was at first unable to identify a sexual assault forced upon her during her involvement with Christian organization Cru.
Others who have left evangelical settings report varieties of spiritual abuse in the form of shaming and gaslighting behavior to create group cohesion and enforce internal power structures. Licensed psychotherapist Laura Anderson, PhD, explores this in When Religion Hurts You.
The #churchtoo movement seeks to draw attention to sexual abuse in churches. Vocal critics of sexual abuse are Emily Joy and Hannah Paasch.
The #emptythepews movement urges opposition to evangelicalism in the United States due to its support for president Donald Trump. It was started by exvangelical Chrissy Stroop.
When a Gallup poll showed that fewer than half of Americans belonged to any church in March 2021, some commentators acknowledged criticisms raised by the exvangelical perspective. Russell Moore, director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today, speculated that if he were a teenager today, he may also have left the church. He found that "they have come to think the church doesn’t believe its own moral teachings" and so "the presenting issue in this secularization is not scientism and hedonism but disillusionment and cynicism".
Exvangelics themselves frequently report that they miss their community, to some degree, upon leaving it. They miss their congregation's support during life events such as childbirth, and opportunities for creative expression such as church music and performance arts. On the other hand, exvangelicals typically feel relief at escaping their community's judgement. One exvangelical reported "I don't miss feeling that I have to live my life in a certain way because somebody else might tattle on me to someone."
Motivations
Many exvangelicals are young people who choose to leave their religion following disagreements over issues such as science, the role and treatment of women, LGBT rights, sexual abuse cover-ups, Christian nationalism, and general spiritual abuse embedded in evangelical culture. Specific incidents cited by exvangelicals for leaving include the Nashville Statement and evangelical support for Trump, which they perceived as hypocritical.
Purity Culture
Exvangelicals often cite bad experiences with purity culture as a major factor in leaving their church; this is particularly true among women. Exvangelical women often reject being held responsible for men's thoughts, and resent the disproportionately harsh punishments women face for sexual sins. Both men and women report difficulty living up to their church's expectations, and surprise at the hypocrisy of church officials who do not live up to (or do not appear to believe in) their own sexual standards.
Sexual Abuse and Spiritual Abuse
Some exvangelicals experienced sexual abuse in a religious setting, or by a religious leader or volunteer. Some report the abuse was ignored or actively covered up. In some cases the victim was subject to DARVO treatment.
Homophobia
Many exvangelicals cite personal experiences—such as having a family member or close friend who identifies as LGBTQ+—as the catalyst for questioning their church’s teachings. Seeing the pain caused by evangelical rejection or conditional acceptance often forces a reevaluation of theological doctrines and their ethical implications. LGBTQ+ individuals raised in evangelical communities often face immense pressure to conform to heterosexual and cisgender norms. For those who come to accept their identity, leaving the church may feel necessary for their emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Biblical Literalism
Exvangelicals often reject the literal interpretation of the Bible, seeing it as overly rigid and inconsistent with understandings of biblical criticism, history, science, and morality.
Related movements
Deconstructing faith is a process or movement in which a person challenges their personal beliefs and traditions. It results in some people leaving the Christian faith, while others remain in it but in a different setting (such as leaving a conservative Evangelical church which opposes homosexuality for an LGBTQ+ affirming one), and still others may return to the faith they originally held.
Reception
In Christianity Today
Outside the United States
Although it started in the United States, the exvangelical movement has also been noted in Brazil during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.
See also
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