Also by this author: Exploring the Paranormal: Miracles, Magic, and the Mysterious, Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist
Published by Eerdmans on February 3, 2026
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life
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Deconstruction isn’t the end; it’s the starting point for something new. This book points you toward what comes next.
Among exvangelicals and former fundamentalists, it’s common to hear discussions about faith deconstruction―the process of relinquishing long-held religious views that turned out to be uninformed, untrue, or unjust. But it’s less common to hear people talk about what happens next. After you reject some or all of your old beliefs, what new beliefs will you put in their place? How will you redefine what the Bible is and what faith means? How will you construct a new worldview?
When grappling with these questions, it can be helpful to hear from thoughtful Christians who have asked the same questions themselves. That’s why James McGrath―an award-winning New Testament scholar and educator―has created this book. Writing in a personal, conversational style, McGrath shares his experiences of outgrowing a narrowly defined Christianity and learning how to inhabit a more spacious, dynamic Christian faith. In addition to sharing his own story, McGrath offers practical advice for discerning the next steps in your unique faith journey. He doesn’t tell you what to think; instead, he introduces you to more expansive ways of thinking about Christianity, the Bible, the church, and more. And he encourages you to bring your whole self to the creative process of learning to live in meaningful relationship with God and with others. For anyone who feels stuck in the deconstruction space, Beyond Deconstruction will empower you to move forward―and will give you hope about what lies ahead.
In recent years, the phrases “exvangelical” or “deconstruction” have become common as more and more folks who grew up in conservative, evangelical Christian spaces moved away from those beliefs. Deconstruction refers to a tearing down, in this context specifically, a tearing down of faith. I, myself, have gone through this process of deconstruction as I’ve evaluated the spiritual “house” in which I was raised and found places in it that were weak, wobbly, or even rotten. Many others I know have done the same.
It can be difficult, when deconstructing, to know where to stop. In anger or frustration or righteous indignation, our inclination can be something more akin to demolition and deconstruction. The former is a wrecking ball into faith or an explosive bomb that leaves only rubble in its wake. The latter is a measured, considered teardown of what needs to be torn down, leaving what is good and having plans to rebuild. In Beyond Deconstruction, James F. McGrath leads readers into that rebuild phase. Having dismantled the systems of patriarchy and nationalism, having denounced xenophobia and homophobia, having rethought things like origins and eschatology…what do we do now? Is there a faith to rebuild? Can we call that faith Christian? In this short book, theologian James McGrath offers a path forward.
McGrath sections his book into five chapters. The first details deconstruction. What do we do when faith collapses? He details some of his own journey and offers some practical, cautious steps forward. Something that I really appreciate is that McGrath invites readers to be deliberate in the rebuild. He writes that when a building or a worldview collapses, it is due to structural issues. We can’t replace it with the same structure before critically investigating what went wrong. The four chapters that follow don’t talk about doctrine but about what comes out of faith. He calls readers into a faith that works, that explores, that experiences, and that connects.
Beyond Deconstruction guides readers toward an acted-out faith. McGrath talks about how faith is not doctrine-based but practically and experientially felt. Faith is not as much about believing the right doctrine, but believing in—and being like—the right Person. In “A Faith That Explores,” he talks about how God is not bothered—and in fact would encourage—our skepticisms. In “A Faith That Experiences,” he leans into the emotional and spiritual side of faith.
For all that’s good about it, though, Beyond Deconstruction does have a tendency to wander. It’s a bit of a stream-of-consciousness conversation and the topics don’t always flow from one point to the text. While the book is conversational, it is academically conversational which means that McGrath speaks informally but not always accessibly to every reader. I love this book’s philosophy and heart, but one thing I think would’ve made it better is a more structured and clear format.
Overall, Beyond Deconstruction is the type of book that’s desperately needed. So many folks are wanting to know what do after deconstruction. James McGrath points them the way forward.