428: High profile deconversions and secular 'churches'

In this episode of Humanize Me, Bart Campolo and John Wright talk about two recent deconversions from Christianity and a recent article by Faith Hill in The Atlantic which looks at the trajectory of secular 'churches' like Sunday Assembly and analyzes their declining numbers. Joshua Harris's well-known 1997 Christian book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, shaped the relationships and sexual ethics of many of the young people who read it. In recent years, Harris has apologized for the impact of his book, which he now regards as largely negative. Earlier this summer, it emerged that Harris has separated from his wife and no longer considers himself a Christian. Marty Sampson was a worship leader and singer-songwriter with Hillsong United, a band born at Hillsong church in Sydney that routinely topped the Christian charts worldwide. He recently wrote an Instagram post announcing the deconstruction of his faith. Further reading: Secular churches rethink their sales pitch: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/secular-churches-rethink-their-sales-pitch/594109/ Joshua Harris separates from wife, leaves Christianity: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/29/joshua-harris-i-kissed-dating-goodbye-i-am-not-christian/1857934001/ Marty Sampson announces lost faith: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/08/12/famed-christian-songwriter-renounces-religion-im-genuinely-losing-my-faith/ — Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date: Twitter: @HumanizeMePod Instagram: @HumanizeMePodcast Facebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280 Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedback, and the ‘Campolo Sessions‘, long-form conversations between Bart and his dad Tony Campolo.) Got a question for Bart to answer in a future show? Call the ‘Q Line’ at (424) 291-2092. Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by John Wright at JuxMedia.com.