A quiet crisis is sweeping through churches, youth groups, and Christian families: it’s called deconstruction. Deconstruction is the process of rethinking, doubting, dismantling, and eventually discarding one’s Christian beliefs.

Deconstruction typically begins with honest questions about beliefs. But young believers find that life, “science,” or culture challenges what they were taught. If their faith is built on the opinions of man rather than the truths of God, it starts to feel fragile. Then, those honest questions turn into doubts for which no answer is good enough. When confronted with the choice to put their faith in God over the dubious opinions of man, they choose man, and reject God.

In 2020, YouTube stars Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal—hosts of Good Mythical Morning—shared their deconstruction journey on their podcast Ear Biscuits. The two had once served on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and were vocal about their Christian faith.

But things changed when they began to question the very foundation for their faith—the Bible.

Rhett stated that he became “thoroughly convinced that evolution is true and that we are related to every other animal.” He described his acceptance of evolution as the “first card” to fall and that “everything began to fall apart after that.” His stance on evolution quickly led him to reconsider the Bible’s authority altogether.

Link’s turning point was different. He got to the point where, as he puts it, “I no longer believed in the Bible as the inerrant word of God.” His growing discomfort with the Bible’s teaching on LGBTQ+ issues also left him unable to reconcile Scripture with what felt right to him.

Rather than reconciling these tensions within the framework of Scripture, both men concluded that their beliefs no longer aligned with the Bible. Today, Rhett calls himself a “hopeful agnostic,” and Link has distanced himself from organized religion, focusing instead on “giving and receiving love.”

Joshua Harris, once a poster child for evangelical purity culture, followed a similar path. The former megachurch pastor and author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye announced in 2019 that he no longer considered himself a Christian. “By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian,” he wrote in a public Instagram post.

He apologized for his past teachings and affirmed LGBTQ+ causes, signaling a complete reversal in both theology and worldview. His departure stunned many—but followed the same pattern: a loss of confidence in the Bible’s authority, followed by moral and doctrinal re-alignment.

What unites these stories is their pattern. First comes the rejection of Scripture as inerrant and authoritative. Then follows a shift in core beliefs—creation, morality, sexuality, salvation—until what remains no longer resembles biblical Christianity. And in every case, personal conviction, cultural pressure, or scientific consensus replaces the authority of God’s Word.

Since the culture no longer encourages submission to God’s truth, questions no longer become a gateway to deepening faith. Instead, a culture that prizes personal autonomy and authority leads the way to a complete break from faith and any belief formerly held. And even if they received a good answer to their questions, by the time someone deconstructs, they fit the old adage, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Rhett, Link, and Joshua Harris were once leaders, influencers, and voices for Christ. Now, they stand as reminders of how fragile shallow faith can be. Their stories should serve as a wake-up call. If parents do not train their children to view life through the lens of Scripture, the world will step in and teach them the lie that the Bible doesn’t matter.

Deconstruction is a frontline issue facing the Church today. How we respond could mean the difference between a generation that rediscovers biblical truth… and one that quietly walks away. Do your youth know what they believe, and why they believe it? Or is their faith unexamined?