COVER REVEAL for Exvangelical & Beyond

Coming September 24, 2024

Folks, here it is. The cover for my forthcoming book, Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That’s Fighting Back.

I am so incredibly excited to share this with you. This is what I’ve been working on since 2021–and more than that, publishing a book is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Here’s the description from the publisher, TarcherPerigee:

A pioneer of the “exvangelical” movement examines how toxic right-wing beliefs took over American Christianity—and why people are leaving the church and speaking out against it

With the rise of Trumpism, the American evangelical movement has more political influence than ever—yet at the same time, people are leaving Christianity in record numbers. Why are so many people walking away from the right-wing religion they were raised in, and what are they doing to overcome the past?

Writer and podcaster Blake Chastain is uniquely positioned to understand this phenomenon. Raised evangelical, he went to a Christian college intending to become a pastor—until he found himself unable to reconcile his faith with the prejudice and even abuse he saw being done in God’s name. He created the popular hashtag #exvangelical and the hit podcast of the same name, and soon became part of a growing movement of people walking away from toxic religion and using the unique tools of the internet to speak out, find healing, and build new communities.

In Exvangelical and Beyond, Chastain delves into evangelicalism’s deep roots in American politics and society, and explains why and how so many Christians—and ex-Christians—are forging a new path online. Blending history, personal narrative, and incisive analysis, this is a must-read for anyone who has left the church, is deconstructing their own faith, or simply wants to understand religious culture in America.

A lot of people assume that conservative evangelical culture codified in the 1970s with the formation of the modern Religious Right (I did too for a long time!), but its history goes back at least a century earlier. Its history isn’t defined solely by theological tenets—it is also defined by whiteness, capitalism, and power.

In Exvangelical & Beyond, I highlight the work of academics, writers, journalists, and activists who have studied the development of modern white evangelical institutions, beliefs, and practices from the 19th century to today. By consistent investment in the overlapping spheres of religion, media, commerce, and education, white evangelicalism became a true alternative lifestyle—one whose history extends beyond living memory.

I also look at how, time and again, the conservative factions of evangelicalism have triumphed over the progressives in their own communities, creating a social and religious environment that routinely resists and rejects reform.¹

Finally, I consider the last decade or so of discourse that has taken place largely online. In this book, I orient the exvangelical and deconstruction conversations that occur across social media and through podcasts within the history of would-be evangelical reformers—and why the decision to leave and repudiate one’s prior faith community is completely legitimate after decades of being denied acceptance in evangelical circles.

The persistence of exvangelical and deconstruction stories and perspectives online has resulted in a formidable counterpublic response to the evangelical perspective that has dominated the public for so long. I hope that this book adds to all the important ongoing conversations surrounding religion & American life.

I am so excited to be able to start talking and writing about this with you!

I’ll be writing and talking about the book more in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already.

I’ll have even more to share as we get closer to September, but in the meantime, please pre-order the book and share this post—and thank you so much for reading today.

1. Something I’ve written about before.