I've been eating up losing-my-religion-style memoirs, and this was another amazing one. I connected with many of the girlhood experiences of radical "christianity" and purity culture. The author captured her experiences beautifully, and I'm sure other "exvangelicals" will adore this account of growing into one's own and finding the strength to stand up for what you feel is right.

It got a little heavy on the Trump-talk at some points for me. While I agree with the author's sentiments against Trump, and understand his connection to the topic, I just personally did not go into this book wanting to think about him as much as I did.

Having the author narrate her own story made this an even stronger audiobook, highly recommend it in audio form!

A thought-provoking look at the evangelical community and why people leave. I appreciated that the author didn't make the assumption that everyone who leaves the church leaves God. I have found that my relationship with Christ is much stronger without the influence of the conservative, evangelical community. McCammon does an excellent job of pointing out hypocrisy and contradiction while maintaining poise and integrity. An excellent read for those who are a member of the exvangelical community and evangelical community alike.

This book was fascinating. I've always been interested in the disconnect between people and religion - specifically, people who grew up religious but later strayed from their church. As someone who was raised in religious schools (but also someone who has never been religious) it's something I've run into on more than one occasion. Friends questioning their faith because the teachings of the church just... don't line up with the actions being taken by that same church.

This was a wonderful perspective to read, and I thought the author explained things very well. It was easy to see how so many in the evangelical church fall into these contradictory ideologies. It was enlightening to read the opinions of people who have been leaving the church and to see what the "last straw" was for them.

I think this had a strangely impersonal but also personal look into the exvangelical movement. It was clear that the author was impacted and invested in this, but most of the book was very "analytical" and factual and recounted information rather than feelings for the majority of the text (which did make things a little dry at times). I enjoyed this analytical look into things, but I would have enjoyed a little more personality to some chapters.

Overall, a solid read. I enjoyed the narration and the content of this book!

I have read a lot of books on evangelicalism, exvangelical, and the deconstruction movement. I, myself, have lived this experience. I appreciate new books coming out on this topic. Reading helped me in my processing, and I hope this book will do this for others in a way other books helped me when I first questioned evangelicalism.

Really enjoyed this listen! Thought it was well written and also liked the narration. As someone who has never been religious, I find the whole evangelical movement, especially in today's divided world both interesting and frustrating. I listened to this not long after reading "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory" by Tim Alberta which was fortuitous -- Tim did a great job really delving deep into the political side of things, but I appreciated this book for covering more of the author's first-hand account of being raised in an evangelical household and covering a broader scope of experiences.

An insightful read for anyone who wants to grasp the undercurrents of the United States' current political turmoil and mass exodus from the Evangelical churches. Sarah McCammon highlights the dissonance in Evangelical teachings and provides case studies where people left out of sheer disillusionment. An interesting book for people of any creed (agnostics and atheists included). A powerful text with messages that can help us all better understand each other and open up venues of discussion and connection.

This book could have been fiery and bitter. It was not. It came across as a respectful look at the reasons why so many people have left, and are leaving, the Evangelical movement. McCammon was, at one time, a fundamentalist, right-winger--exactly the way she was raised to be. She grew up, and gained life experience. She saw that there were ways of being and looking at the world other than those she was raised to follow. And that those other views had some validity. She told not only her own story, but the stories of many other exvangelicals. She does have bad memories. She has a lot of questions. She is trying to figure out what is going on. I was expecting something more like Allberts's The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. It was not that. But it was affecting and helped me to work toward understanding not one, but two American subcultures.

Sarah McCammon's "The Exvangelicals" delves into the journey of rediscovering and sometimes abandoning one's faith, offering a compelling nonfiction exploration. As someone deeply connected to my own faith, I was initially intrigued by the audiobook. However, I also acknowledge the challenges individuals face with different religions and the religious trauma they endure.

McCammon's extensive research shines through, providing valuable insights into these complex issues. Yet, I couldn't ignore the unsettling realization of how faith can be manipulated for political agendas. This aspect left me contemplative about the intersection of faith and politics.

Overall, "The Exvangelicals" proved to be an enlightening read, sparking introspection and opening my eyes to various perspectives. I extend my gratitude to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to engage with the audiobook through an ALC in exchange for an unbiased review.

While I enjoyed this book, I found it rather disjointed and without a common thread or storyline to guide the reader along. It almost seemed like a collection of random essays about the same topic as opposed to a coherent book. I learned a few things, but I wish it had been clearer.

The Exvangelicals, by Sarah McCammon, is a nonfiction book written about the struggles of rediscovering and sometimes leaving one’s faith. I was excited when I saw this audiobook as my faith is very important to me, but I also recognize problems
Individuals experience with different religions as well as religious trauma people experience. I feel that this was a very well researched book, and it taught me so much, but also made me concerned about how our faiths are sometimes used to make us believe certain ways politically. It definitely gave me a lot to think about! Thank you to NetGalley and to the author and publisher of this book for an ALC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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

Overall Grade: A-
Depth and Content: A-
Story and details: A-
Narration and Writing:A-
Best Aspect: An engaging audio that is very interesting.
Worst Aspect: Parts droned on mostly because the author/narrator has too much of a tv news voice and with all the problems in this world that gave me the ick.

This book is a good mix of memoir and general non-fiction. The author's connection to the topic is clear and serves the writing well. I think having those more personal portions also kept the book from feeling dry or boring in parts. I think that if you are someone looking to deconstruct your religious beliefs, or someone that already has, it would be really easy to connect with this book. However, I think if you are religious or never have been, it also can give some good insight into other's experiences and is just generally interesting. It's a great look into both why people are drawn to and seek the support of religious communities but also how these communities can be dangerous or harmful.

Exvangelicals provides a look into the deconstruction and evangelical movement. Of people leaving not just the church, but the white evangelical church specifically. When I received this book as an ARC, I was thrilled, and let me tell you, this book did not disappoint.

As someone who had been a conservative Christian, then on the Christian left, and then left the evangelical church around 2016, many of the stories within felt as though they were telling my own experiences. my own journey.
The reminder I’m not alone in the trauma, or the sadness over loss of family and community, as many of the church leaders and even fellow congregants, that I looked up to and formed friendships with, chose to support politics that espouse hate, lying, and cruelty to others.

This book was so incredibly interesting and pretty mind blowing. SO much scandal and pain. I definitely learned a lot of incredible information on the Evangelical church and appreciate the work that went into this book. I listened to the audio version and thought the narrator was great - 4 stars!

Thank you for the advanced reader Netgalley!

Born in late 1980 to a deeply evangelical family, my own life experiences very closely parallel those shared by Sarah McCammon in this book. I came into this world right in the buckle of the “Bible Belt”, just in time for a historic rise in evangelical power and influence over American culture and politics.

I deconstructed for the first time in the early 2000s, at a time when there wasn’t yet a name for it. It was traumatic, and by 2010 (when my oldest son was born), I was ready to scramble back to something both comfortable and familiar. Between 2010 and 2020, I returned to church and allowed myself to be entirely immersed in my restored life inside the fold, my service to the church (surely, payment for the spiritual debt I incurred while away), and the experience of mothering young children.

I slept through the seismic cultural and political shifts that occurred during those years. It took covid-19, the death of George Floyd, and the violent January 6, 2021 attack on the US capitol to wake me from my slumber.

In the three years I’ve spent actively deconstructing this second time, I’ve found so many resonant voices online that share similar experiences, and McCammon drew from many of those same sources to craft this book. The quotes from her interviews with these people feel entirely relevant and profound in the way they portray a movement that has defined the majority of my life. This time, I am not alone. This time, there are a record number of people sharing the journey with me.

Sarah McCammon has been a correspondent for NPR many years, and her authority on the topic comes from her own early life experiences and from her observations of the political and cultural landscape of the U.S. as a journalist. She has deftly organized the narrative of her own story alongside aspects of the deconstruction experience that will be reflective for many former evangelical readers: all the places where we felt cognitive dissonance that eventually led to the unraveling of our faith.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by the author and released by Macmillan Audio. Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my review. This book releases March 19, 2024, and I will be purchasing a physical copy to highlight and display alongside Jesus and John Wayne, written by Kristen Kobes du Mez.

Thank you, Sarah McCammon, for putting your voice into the text of this work. This book resonates, it validates, and it even begins to offer a hopeful path forward into the restorative work necessary to heal the cultural divides left in the wake of the evangelical implosion that brought our democracy to the brink in recent years.

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.

It’s difficult to rate nonfiction with stars, but it’s a five for me.

Reading this as a person who is a white Christian, I’m unfortunately not shocked by some of the traumas Sarah describes, and have heard many of the classic evangelical tropes in my own churches over the years. Sarah did an excellent job of sharing her own story, and including those of many other folks who have left churches over the years - some of whom have left behind religion and Christianity altogether, and others who have only left the Church as an entity but not the faith. I was reminded again how hurt people hurt people, and how much damage men with microphones (or twitter accounts) can do.

Sarah’s musings on parenting (how it was, how it is, and how it can be) were of particular interest to me, as I’m doing my best to help my children construct a faith of their own. Her honesty in every area (not limited to parenting) was so appreciated, since so many of us are out here caring deeply, desiring change, and grieving the turn of so many tides.

All in all, an extremely interesting take on exvangelicals and all that the term could imply. What more can we ask besides “just do the best you can with what you have”?

This was a fascinating and poignant read that gives an in-depth look into American evangelism. Sarah blends stories and anecdotes of her religious upbringing very well with her analysis of the sociology, politics, and cultural consequences of the white evangelist Christian movement in the US.

🎧THE EXVANGELICALS Loving, Living & Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon is a mix of memoir and investigative journalism that looks into the growing subculture of people who have left the Evangelical movement in the U.S.

This was a hard book for me to read. While listening to Sarah recount her experiences, I found myself reliving several that were similar, bringing up a sadness I have come to recognize. While this was hard, it was also comforting to know I am not crazy for feeling the ways I have, nor am I alone. I also felt grateful for many aspects of my story that diverged from hers and so many. I will be eternally thankful for a dad who encouraged my questions, never shamed me for asking, and encouraged me to find the truth by examining it for myself and to examine the lives of my teachers.

I am not exactly sure who this book is meant for. In this culture of stiff-arming any thoughts that deviate from our own, I doubt that the people who could truly benefit from understanding the hurts that so many carry will choose to take this book up and learn. It is unfortunate, because I learned quite a bit. I didn't experience the same level of disillusionment and still hold on tightly to many parts of my faith, if not the leaders. I didn't follow the paths of many in this book, but it helps me understand why so many are struggling and leaving.

I guess I am one of the people this was meant for. I am one who has struggled. I am glad to have found a small circle to process this loss and find a way forward in my faith without aligning myself in ways that feel extremely contrary to that faith.

I would like to point out that Sarah continually makes the claim that many people were truly trying to do their best. I believe that as well. There are also many who used this, and continue to use this organizational movement for their own gains, and it is fairly obvious who gains from it.

If you are fascinated by or want to learn more about this exodus, this was an insightful and nuanced look into it. Thank you @netgalley & @macmillan.audio for this thoughtful audiobook publishing on March 5th.

The Exvangelicals is an informative piece on how this group of adults, from Gen X-ers to Millenials have moved away from. the Evangelical church and its values. shaping new identities for themselves when their former religious beliefs were inextricably tied to every aspect. of their lives. Sarah McCammon presents an overview of this cultural subsect through the lens of a journalist but also as someone who has lived this narrative.
Although I'd never heard the term Exvangelical before, I knew right away that this book would resonate with my own experience. As such, it Is difficult for me to fully separate my connection to the subject from my positive opinions of the author's presentation. However. Sarah provides insight into why many have leftt he Evangelical churches they were brought up in and how they have had to carve out new places for themselves culturally and politically after realizing that values they were brought up with didn't provide the answers to understanding their own experiences in a much broader and more diverse world than they were shown in the Evangelical community, one that, more often than not, self isolates from the secular world.
McCammon's exploration of "The Exvangelicals" is an easy listen with McCammon herself providing engaging narration that moves quickly through the book.
Thanks to McMillan Audio for providing this audiobook ALC to me via Netgalley..