You know I’m always on the lookout for new resources and faith deconstruction books to help you deconstruct that aren’t pushy or have hidden agendas to convert you to a specific belief system. Well, good news! I found another one!
My friend, author Tiffany Yecke Brooks, Ph.D. just published a brand new book to help you navigate the emotional roller coaster of discovering that your faith is largely built upon bad translations, human error, and manipulative false doctrines designed to protect the church’s power.
Gaslighted by God is a refreshingly honest conversation about the confusion, isolation, and shame that comes from religious trauma.
The book is for those who are curious about keeping some aspects of their faith. It focuses on walking away from the trauma and toward healing and safety. What I really love is that Tiffany holds space for you to be messy, uncertain, and grieving, even while tackling the reconstruction of your faith.
It’s jam-packed with personal stories from people who are deconstructing and refreshing takes on BIble stories that might surprise you.
I even wrote this little endorsement that appears on the back cover:
“It’s rare to find an open and honest conversation about faith that doesn’t use shame and scarcity to pressure the reader into agreeing with the author, but Tiffany does that in this book. I highly recommend Gaslighted by God to anyone struggling to reconcile their church hurt with the abundantly loving God they thought they knew.”
Angela J. Herrington
The best faith deconstruction books give you stories, tools, and tips, without adding more layers of trauma with heavy-handed shame and scarcity. BUT, those can be really hard to find because many of the faith deconstruction books out there are written and published by super-conservative authors, pastors, and apologists who openly despise true deconstruction that doesn’t try to control the outcome.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Gaslighted by God:
- “This is a book for people who are fed up with pat answers and bad theology.” (7)
- “Ours is a God who welcomes engagement; God does not want mindless automatons who fail to question, challenge, or fight.” (41)
- “The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus restoring sight to the blind and health to the Lepers, but what about the people Jesus didn’t heal?” (69)
- “Blame is rooted in chaos rather than life-giving restoration of building order.” (164)
- “We are called to call out the aggressors, the offenders, the harassers, and the oppressors. And we don’t just do it on our behalf.” (172)
- “The God I had grown up with was gone now. At that point, my understanding of God was probably the most immature thing about me.” (119)
- “Righteous anger is a sacred, beautiful thing.” (173)
- “Our understanding of what the outcome ‘should’ be is rarely as accurate or as complete as God’s.” (205)
If you’re wrestling with trying to reconcile the God you were taught to love with all the new knowledge you’ve picked up during deconstruction, Gaslighted by God is a great read for you.
I would recommend going slow if you’re still feeling really tender about the BIble. If your self-protection mechanisms kick in, take a break. Let your body know that you’re safe. You can always pick it back up a few days later 🙂
And as a fun bonus, Tiffany joined me for a conversation about the book, deconstruction, and legalism earlier this week. You can watch below!
I highly reccomend picking up a copy of Gaslighted by God: Reconstructing a Disillusioned Faith at your local bookstore or on Amazon:
Angela is a Faith Deconstruction Coach and host of The Deconstructing Faith Summit who helps people break free from toxic religious culture & empowers them to recover from #churchhurt. She has led online ministries for a decade, enjoys working with clients 1:1, in groups, and is a dynamic conference speaker. She’s a Lark’s Song Certified Life Coach who reaches thousands of people in 40+ countries each month on Facebook, IG, Twitter, Pinterest, and her blog.
She’s a firstborn, Enneagram 8, Gen Xer who loves to question everything. She holds a BA from Indiana Wesleyan and a Masters in Leadership from Wesley Seminary. Her graduate research project focused on leadership development and opportunities for Gen X women in the US church.
Angela and her unique online ministry are featured in Lyz Lenz’s 2019 book God Land: Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America. She has published articles in Hope for Women and HOPE is Now magazines. She has been featured in The New Republic, Publisher’s Today, and Religion News Service.
Her first book, Deconstructing Your Faith Without Losing Yourself, Will be published by Eerdmans in February 2023.
Angela is also a wife, mom to 5, and a proud resident of Marion, Indiana with her family when they’re not traveling the US in their RV.
