I read a review that this book didn’t “go far enough,” but I actually appreciated that Sarah McCammon kept it to a journalistic lens while sprinkling in her own childhood and experiences. If I wanted to share this book with family &/or friends while trying to explain my aversion to the “evangelical” self-title and my disgust toward Trump and what he’s done to our country, I wouldn’t want a book that’s too extreme. McCammon dove into the rise in hatred since trump’s presidency and the hypocrisy within religion which leads to my talking points on backing away from evangelicals on the whole. I appreciated all the different interviews and the wide range of viewpoints and that it wasn’t all Christian-bashing. Overall, I believe that my parents and my childhood community were doing what they felt best, and I can grapple with my upbringing on other terms outside the acknowledgement that a lot of that community I mostly look back on with fondness has genuinely gone off the rails. It’s hard to articulate why I feel so frustrated and saddened by people I once admired and I felt like The Exvangelicals really put my thoughts into words incredibly. I will definitely be recommending it.

Woah. I was not ready for this book, but am I ever glad I read it. In her compelling and rigorously researched book, "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church," journalist Sarah McCammon delves into the heart of a seismic social movement: the exodus of people from the white evangelical church. Part memoir, part investigative journalism, this work provides a poignant and insightful exploration of faith, doubt, and the unraveling of deeply ingrained beliefs.

Growing up in the Midwest during the '80s and '90s, McCammon was steeped in the evangelical tradition. She was taught to fear God, obey unquestioningly, and view the world through a narrow theological lens. Her upbringing was marked by persistent worries: Would her gay grandfather be condemned to hell? Could she save her Muslim friend from damnation? And what about her own salvation?

As McCammon matured, her worldview expanded. She grappled with questions that clashed with her evangelical upbringing. These internal conflicts intensified when she covered the Trump campaign for NPR, witnessing firsthand the political influence wielded by evangelical Christian beliefs. It was during this time that she discovered she was part of a rising generation (the children of evangelicalism) who were questioning, deconstructing, and ultimately leaving the fold.

"The Exvangelicals" introduces us to this generational tipping point. McCammon shares her own journey alongside those of others who have walked away from the white evangelical church. She meticulously traces the movement's origins, revealing the emotional toll on those who've left and the role of social media in facilitating their deconstruction.

The book sheds light on the complexities of leaving a faith community. McCammon dissects the lasting emotional impacts, the struggle for authenticity, and the complicated choices faced by exvangelicals. Through interviews, personal anecdotes, and deep research, she paints a vivid picture of life inside the evangelical bubble and the courage it takes to step outside.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of the post-evangelical movement's vast cultural, social, and political impact. McCammon examines how exvangelicals navigate relationships with family, friends, and former church communities. She explores the tension between newfound freedom and the loss of a familiar identity. The stories she shares are both heartbreaking and empowering.

McCammon's writing is compassionate and incisive. She captures the nuances of faith transitions: the grief, the relief, the loneliness, and the exhilaration. Her exploration of the role of social media in fostering community among exvangelicals is particularly enlightening. Online spaces provide solace, validation, and a sense of belonging for those who no longer fit within the evangelical framework.

As a memoirist, McCammon bares her own doubts, fears, and moments of clarity. Her vulnerability invites readers to reflect on their own spiritual journeys. She doesn't shy away from the messiness of deconstruction—the messy beauty of rebuilding one's beliefs from scratch.

This is a timely and necessary addition to the conversation about faith, doubt, and religious identity. It challenges us to examine the power structures within organized religion and to honour the courage of those who choose authenticity over conformity. Whether you've left the church, are questioning your faith, or simply seek to understand this growing movement, McCammon's book offers valuable insights and empathy.

"The Exvangelicals" is a compassionate and illuminating exploration of a movement that is reshaping the religious landscape. McCammon's voice is a beacon for those who've found their way out of the fold, and her work invites us all to consider what it means to live authentically, even when it requires leaving behind the familiar.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC. I am anticipating reading this soon and reviewing on my socials.

one of my few non-fiction reads and, even more rare, a faith-related read for me. only recently have I felt ready to read on this subject matter and I’m so glad it was this one. Sarah McCammon, a journalist and NPR correspondent, shares others & her own experience in leaving the white evangelical church. it felt so validating to hear SUCH similar experiences & thoughts from someone who grew up and out of these spaces. whether you feel like an exvangelical and/or someone who is deconstructing or decolonizing their faith, it can easily feel isolating when you divest from a familiar place of identity. I’m not too familiar with resources like this but this helped me feel less alone in these thoughts & experiences.

McCammon talks about the familiar names I used to revere and the resources and voices I’ve come to gravitate towards now, like Stephanie Stalvey’s illustrated comics on purity culture & Tyler Burns & Jemar Tisby’s podcast Pass the Mic.

this won’t be a neat pile of reasons why people left church. this well researched journey reads less like a textbook and more like the collective experience that left so many feeling alone in white evangelical spaces.

if you’ve felt any ounce of cringe or discomfort from evangelical christian spaces growing up or looking back, this might be worth a read to see if something resonates. I hope more stories, studies, and resources like this one continue to get published and end up in the hands of those who need it.

Part Memoir part journalistic piece, Sarah McCammon sheds light on a movement that has been going on behind the scenes of Evangelical churches. Many who grew up in these circles are coming to terms with what they have been taught about the world and the reality of their adult lives.

This book was a very interesting read. In this book we hear from someone who grew up evangelical, but is now self described as an exvangelical. So many controversial topics are covered, like sexuality, purity culture, politics, the LGBTQIA+ community, and abuse and religious trauma, with details and also sensitivity.
I appreciated how the author, a journalist, approached the evangelical culture from a journalists perspective, but did take a star off because I wish she had chosen to write it purely as her memoir, or as a piece of journalism, the going back and forth between the two styles felt a bit disjointed to me. That being said it was an interesting read and one I’d recommend to someone wondering how the far right has been formed and how they are rising in political power. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Insightful. I have extended family who would consider themselves Evangelical and I have always wondered they do certain things. This book was eye opening and gave me that understanding.

Between growing up in the evangelical world and covering the Trump campaign, Sarah McCammon certainly had the background to write this book. I believe her journalistic credentials allowed her to present a balanced viewpoint. Though I was not raised in an evangelical religion, I was drawn to them as an adult until becoming disillusioned with the scandals and hypocrisy. It was interesting to learn so much more about figures such as James Dobson and Joshua Harris. In fact, I could see many parallels between the evangelicals and Jehovah's Witnesses. We all need to be more respectful and accepting of people's differences. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

I wish I could shove this book into so many people's hands to tell them that there is a way out and there are people who can help you!

The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon

Part memoir part sociopolitical study - this book was meticulously researched and showcased the author’s investigative journalism skills. This author used her own experiences and pulled from other Evangelical followers’ experiences to illustrate the exvangelical movement.

We’ve all heard the adage - never discuss religion and politics… but this book did both. Because Evangelicalism is more than a religion, this book explored the Evangelical church and politics, racism, sexuality, trauma, discipline, and education (to name a few).

The author did a great job forwarding the discussion about deconstruction and some of the reasons that it is happening. I found her to be very respectful of religion while also sharing some critiques. I would’ve preferred more memoir instead of the heavy-handed journalistic “current events” lens. I was expecting something more along the lines of Educated by Tara Westover, but it was not.

I would recommend this read to those who enjoy books that are written in a journalistic way or books that explore religion and culture. Check out trigger warnings before diving in and take care of yourself before, during, and after reading.

I actually read this in ebook for mat and also listened to the audiobook, in hopes that the author's story or experiences or general point of view would become clearer, but it did not. It felt disjointed, like a random collection of essays about the same topic as opposed to a coherent narrative with a thruline. I was actually confused by the end as to what the narrator's feelings were about the Evangelical church.

arah McCammon, the author, is a reporter for NPR. She grew up in a very conservative, evangelical home, attending Christian school and college, where the Bible was infallible, science didn't matter, free choice didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was what her pastor, her teachers and her parents taught her. When one's belief system allows no skepticism, no allowance for change, it makes it more plausible that one will only accept the “facts” that suit your narrative, regardless of their accuracy. Many stay because if they leave they will be shunned, abandoned by all they have held dear for their entire lives. She had a grandfather, ostracized by her family. He was a scientist, gay and an atheist. She was rarely allowed contact with him because he was seen as a sinner.

When she went out into the real world, her beliefs were put to the test. McCammon was a reporter following Trump as early as 2016. Their beliefs should have lined up, right? McCammon started to see the cracks in the Christian evangelical movement.

She uses a lot of her own life story and experiences to tie into the greater leaving from conservative evangelical churches. Churches that do not welcome anyone seen as "different" from what they have been taught to believe or force out those whose lifestyles are not on the approval list. These churches often lack compassion, concern for fellow man and follow Trump as their lord and master, all the while holding up the Bible as the infallible word, forgetting what the New Testament taught about loving and caring for others.

McCammon is preaching to the choir with this work. Perhaps it will make those who have left or are thinking of leaving more comfortable in their choices and make them feel less alone.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for my advance copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:
Growing up in an evangelical family in the Midwestern US in the 1980's and 90's, Sarah McCammon was immersed in a world of obedience to God and to her religious tradition as interpreted by its leaders. As she grew and matured, she began to see the dissonance between that worldview and her own experiences and observations, a process that eventually led to her joining an increasing number of individuals from her generation and others declaring themselves to be Exvangelicals. This book is an engaging combination of memoir and investigative journalism for all audiences, ranging from the curious to those who find themselves somewhere along the same journey as McCammon.

As someone who was raised in an evangelical tradition, I found SO MUCH to relate to in this book. McCammon's reflections and discoveries were interesting and factual--and seeing that someone else also went through what I did and has had the same reaction to it validated my own experience as well. The combination of memoir and investigative journalism helped put into words my personal journey, helping step back and put into words in an impersonal way what I and so many others have felt. I did not at any time feel that this was a "church-bashing" or even "preachy" work, rather a respectful and responsible reflection her own story as a case study of a larger socio-religious journey--a case, if you will, for why so many people leave evangelicalism. Each person experiences spirituality and society through their own worldview, and I especially related to McCammon's observations on her own.

Triggers: religious triggers (much of the book is centered around these, including various types of abuse)

It felt like this book couldn’t decide if it was journalism or memoir and so it missed the mark on either. I did find it interesting regardless and will recommend it.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I was expecting more of a memoir and less of a journalistic view at this topic. I found my mind wandering often.

I thought this was going to be a memoir. I thought I’d get a better understanding of the author’s personal experience and emotional state as her views changed. She included some anecdotal segments, but this did not have much depth, as far as one human being goes.

So, what is this? It’s investigative journalism. I’ve read (or partially read) a couple other books written by journalists that were presented as memoirs and I’ve been sorely disappointed. When I pick up a memoir (or what I believe to be a memoir), I want authenticity and vulnerability. I don’t want information reported to me. After a few chapters of this, my frustration was growing, but I managed to get over it because I finally recognized that this was actually quite good, despite not being what I had anticipated.

For the record, I do like investigative journalism. I just don’t like it when it pretends to be a memoir.

Anyway, enough of that particular gripe. Let’s talk about what made this book shine.

Sarah McCammon covered a multitude of problematic areas within the evangelical church structure, but not necessarily to convince the reader that Christianity in itself is bad. She remained respectful of religion/religious beliefs. She simply reported on the harmful aspects of the evangelical church that psychologically traumatized her and many other individuals. She illustrated with specific examples (such as purity culture) and included quotes from a number of people who were negatively affected by the Christian church and/or Christian family they grew up in. Some have walked away from the faith completely. Others have found ways to separate themselves from toxic teachings while maintaining their love for Jesus and trying to build on an authentic foundation of that love.

McCammon’s book provided me with a lot to consider while helping me process some of my own experiences surrounding the church. She was, in my opinion, fairly gentle with her criticisms. I do not mean to imply that she didn’t take a firm stance. She did not, however, aim to dehumanize the people who had harmed her and others. She acknowledged they were trying based on what they genuinely believed, which certainly doesn’t exonerate them. I believe she was, at least, aiming to not fuel hatred, and whether she was successful will depend on individual reader perception.

I do believe the content will resonate with those who have been trying to heal from spiritual abuse, whether they consider it weaponized or simply misguided, and that this book may help guide them through that process.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for my copies. All opinions are my own.

I picked this book up because it was personally relevant to me, I struggle, personally, with the term exvangelical, because it can mean so many things to different types of people.

Some people leave the evangelical church because they were hurt by the un-christ-like behavior of the constituents, but they still believe in God.

Some people leave the evangelical church because the church has sided with Christian Nationalism and other unsettling political movements.

Some leave the church because they don't believe the Bible is infallible; they have a more liberal view of who God is, but they still embrace some type of spirituality that is personal to them.

I left for none of those reasons. I left because I don't think the religion makes any sense, and I have seen no proof that God exists. I much prefer living a life completely free of all forms of spirituality. Spirituality gives me anxiety.

I have had trouble finding books about this recent movement from people like me, who left it ALL behind. This book, however, I think does a good job of acknowledging the broadness of the trend. Several stories are presented from different people who left the church. The book focuses more on our shared experiences of growing up in the church and less so on how we've reinvented ourselves since then. I kind of like that; even though we ended up going in different spiritual directions post-Christianity, we can all relate to the discomfort of growing up in purity culture, etc. These stories are validating to someone who has been through them, and informative for someone who never understood why people go to church in the first place.

This is a really valuable intro to the topic of folks who have left the evangelical church, and I was honestly a little surprised at how closely I found myself identifying with some of the grief and narratives that McCammon described, even though my deconstruction from liberal Catholicism on the surface isn't anything like what these folks were going through. I never had my information restricted, was always taught evolution concurrently with my religious studies classes, and had enthusiastic debates with my parents and classmates about every topic under the sun. But that feeling of trying to figure out how the world makes sense and where you fit in it now that you've realized that you don't believe what you always thought was the truth is just such a profound feeling of betrayal, I'm really glad that I read this book.

I also really appreciated McCammon's contextualization of the conservative political beliefs of many evangelicals in the history of the movement going back to before she and I were ever born. I just can't help but comparing it to Tim Alberta's "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory," which I also read earlier this year. I found that book (which was, admittedly, trying to do something ENTIRELY different than this book!) super frustrating because Alberta kept trying to trace the issues he was talking about back to the mid 2010s, as though this were a recent trend, instead of recocking with the long history that McCammon has correctly laid out.

If you have deconstructed out of evangelical expressions of Christianity, I think there are many aspects of this book that will feel very relatable.

Journalist Sarah McCammon seeks to provide an overview of the phenomenon known as "exvangelicals", a large and growing group of people leaving evangelical culture in search of better expressions of faith or the freedom to leave religion behind altogether.

Considering deconstruction culture is largely online, Sarah McCammon interviewed a swath of folks in the online deconstruction space, almost all of whom I recognized by name. My key critique, however, is that of the 30+ people she pulled from, there were only 7 people of color referenced at all, four of them being exclusively featured in the chapter on racism (chapter 8, the first time we see any person of color featured in the book entirely). For two of the individuals, the author doesn't mention they are people of color; it would be up to the reader's initiative to find these people on their own to gather that their perspectives are distinct from the traditional exvangelical narrative.

Furthermore, at the end of the book, the author compiles a list of resources - books and podcasts - for the reader's benefit; of the 57 listed, only 8 are by people of color.

Considering the author is a journalist for NPR, she clearly understands the importance of seeking out context and alternative perspectives to fill out a story. The lack of diversity of perspectives and background in this book is disappointing. While it is true that mainstream evangelicalism is largely white and therefore, mainstream exvangelical culture is largely white, the lack of diversity in this broad survey of exvangelical culture means that so many voices are falling through the cracks - voices that are necessary and vital to helping move theology and church culture towards more healing and liberating orthopraxy.

Again, this book felt very relatable, as one who has left evangelicalism. But overall, this was a very surface-level overview of what felt like a largely singular perspective of exvangelical culture and left quite a bit to be desired.

I've followed Sarah McCammon's reporting at NPR for the last several years, and always enjoyed the way she explored the religious aspects of the rise of Trump. So I was very excited to learn she was writing a book about her own experience growing up Evangelical and leaving the church.

In the book, Sarah McCammon captures so clearly what the experience was liking growing up an Evangelical home and church between the late 80s and aughts. She includes details that brought back so many memories for me that at times I had to set the book down and take a breather. The book is written as a mix of personal memoir, journalistic explanations of historical trends, and interviews with others on a similar journey. That makes it extremely accessible and readable. I appreciated that the book also ended on a hopeful note for those of us who are on our own deconstruction journey.

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.