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Deconversion From Christianity

Deconversion From Christianity

Last updated on: September 19, 2026 at 7:47 am by Frank Viola

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Deconversion From Christianity 2026-08-22T07:50:36-04:00 Frank Viola

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the 131st episode of the Christ is All podcast, I listed the reasons that ex-Christian leaders employ when they explain why they decided to stop following Jesus.

And I responded to each one.

My answers were surprising to many, and I received some push back from some (what’s new?).

You can hear the episode on any podcast app or on our YouTube channel. It’s called When Christian Teachers and Musicians Deny the Faith.

Well, there’s another point to this topic that I want to address today.

It’s summed up in the phrase “Deconversion from Christianity.”

Recently, I saw someone on social media write, “On this week’s podcast, I will be interviewing Joey Gagootza about his deconversion from Christianity.” (Yea, I changed the dude’s name.)

Ah, his deconversion from Christianity.

Hmmm.

In those very words lies much of the problem.

If a person is converted to CHRISTIANITY then I’m not surprised when they DECONVERT from it.

Why?

Because “Christianity” is a non-living entity. It’s a religion, a philosophy, a set of ideas, concepts, moral values, and teachings.

Christianity is an IT.

It’s a THING.

It’s like joining Sam’s club. You can join it, get your membership card, then cancel or let it expire at any time.

In the same way, people convert to Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, etc. every day. And many deconvert from these religions every day.

Strikingly, if you open up your New Testament and read it from cover to cover, you’ll NEVER find anyone “converting to Christianity.”

Instead, you will find them converting to someone named Jesus of Nazareth, who the New Testament argues is the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ and Lord of the world.

In other words, you find people converting to a living Person.

They were NOT converted to a thing or an it. They weren’t recruited into a religion, a philosophy, or a movement.

And therein lies the issue.

Converting to Jesus Christ is profoundly, radically, completely different from converting to “Christianity.”

Oh Frank. Chill out, man. This is just semantics.

Is it?

I don’t think so. Our words betray our hearts.

I met Christ when I was 16. Since that time, the words “converted to Christianity” never rolled off my tongue.

The same is true for most of the people I know who genuinely met the Lord.

Jesus is not the equivalent of “Christianity.”

I have zero interest in converting anyone to Christianity.

Encountering Jesus, this world’s true Lord, is my interest.

And the two aren’t the same.

In short, the Insurgence isn’t about making converts — or even disciples — to Christianity.

It’s about bringing the kingdom of heaven on earth in visible form. And that only happens when people have a head-on encounter with Christ and begin to follow Him in the here-and-now.

Perhaps those who are “deconverting from Christianity” today will someday find Jesus Christ tomorrow.

And God willing, they too will join the Insurgence.

WANT TO GO DEEPER?

Join us on the Insurgence podcast where my conversation partners and I are currently riffing on every reference to the kingdom of God in the Gospels in order.

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