Overview

""We have a right to encounter God where we are. We have a sacred responsibility to experience God authentically."" What happens when the God we've been taught to believe in seems powerless to help us in the struggles of life? What do we do when the God we personally encounter no longer resembles the God we've been shown in narrow interpretations of the Bible? Many of those raised in the world of fundamentalist Christianity have been manipulated into accepting a false reality that runs counter to lived experience. The result is confusion, isolation, fear, shame, and trauma, often carried throughout one's entire life. This book is for the victims of this spiritual abuse--anyone looking to reclaim their faith from legalism, nationalism, sexism, anxiety, intolerance, and other mechanisms of control utilized by God's self-appointed gatekeepers. It's for anyone who has learned that the real God is infinitely complex, that authentic faith is perfectly compatible with doubt, and that our suffering is not something we've earned. Gaslighted by God is not a book of easy answers--it's a companion for those mourning the loss of a belief system who need their pain recognized and legitimized. Tiffany Yecke Brooks shows--through stories from her own life, conversations with Christians from a variety of backgrounds, historical anecdotes, and messy episodes from Scripture--that there can be faith after disillusionment. But it will be a different faith--bruised, battered, nuanced, and real, rather than one wrapped in tissue-thin platitudes and three-point sermons. It will be a faith empowered to see beyond who God ""should"" be to who God is.

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9780802878687

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Reviews

""Complemented by discussion questions and a Scripture index, this compelling discourse is both academic and accessible, a strong entry to current discussion on the subject."" Booklist ""Brooks speaks directly to those who are struggling, but her writing would also benefit pastors or friends seeking to offer spiritual support. Gaslighted by God has many different opinions that could make for excellent conversation in a small group or for individual deliberation. It is, however, a hard read. It covers topics that churches often consider taboo, such as sexual assault and abuse. I highly recommend it for this very reason! It may help the church discover different ways to approach difficult topics and just may help some people along the way."" The Presbyterian Outlook ""Gaslighted by God is a rich resource for any spiritual caregiver or leader who is looking for a thought partner to help articulate exactly how people are harmed by Christianity and to assist them as they begin to repair the damage. Brooks demonstrates how to construct a new and sturdier structure for a liberative, transformative, and life-giving faith--one that invites us to bring about a world where all of God's creation can experience the healing, wholeness, and abundant life that Jesus promises."" The Christian Century ""Tiffany Yecke Brooks has written a moving book full of honesty, courage, wisdom, and faith. In always-searching scriptural reflections and sometimes-searing personal ones, Tiffany reveals to her reader what the Gospel writers already know: that the cross of Jesus Christ offers neither a tidy answer nor a magical solution to the problem of human suffering, only a humble, just, and holy human response."" -- Matthew Ichihashi Potts Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University cohost of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text ""In Gaslighted by God, Tiffany Yecke Brooks eloquently gives a voice to those of us who through seeking God have found ourselves in the midst of deconstruction. Those who don't understand deconstruction may seek to condemn it, but Tiffany shows us that deconstruction is nothing to fear--indeed wrestling with faith is something we see God's people do throughout Scripture. With in-depth biblical study, modern-day narratives of people of faith, and an understanding of cultural evangelical conditioning, those who deconstruct will feel seen and validated. As Tiffany suggests throughout her book, perhaps deconstruction is not the end, but the beginning of living authentically in our relationship with God."" -- Meghan Tschanz author of Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice host of the podcast Faith and Feminism ""If you've ever felt you just didn't need another Sunday sermon, or someone saying, 'It'll all be okay, ' and you'd rather receive answers about tough faith questions, then Tiffany's book Gaslighted by God should be on your nightstand. In her often-hard-to-read, raw book, she shows us a picture of a God that cares deeply for us, even through hardship and despair. These are the difficult, never-discussed-in-church-pews conversations that need to happen in a modern world among believers, which aren't happening in the building in which we thought they should happen most. This book may not have all the answers--and it doesn't claim to--but it has the power to show a struggling world that there's more than one way to appropriate ourselves to a God beyond measure."" -- Jerushah Duford author, speaker, LPCA, granddaughter of the late Rev. Billy Graham ""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 faith deconstruction coach and founder of the Deconstructing Faith Summit ""In my work as a chaplain, I often meet with faithful people who are seeking healing after spiritual trauma, guidance through times of doubt, and little bits of wisdom for their frantic lives. Gaslighted by God is a book that speaks into those conversations and will be a resource for the winding spiritual journey."" -- Sara Barton University Chaplain and Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life at Pepperdine University ""In the age of deconstruction, Gaslighted by God provides the tools not only to identify and dismantle toxic faith but the blueprints for rebuilding a deeper, more resilient, and life-giving faith in its place. Through engaging stories and a close examination of the biblical text, Tiffany bears witness to a faith that allows you to shake your fists at injustice, express frustration when life is unfair, and cry furious tears when the unimaginable occurs."" -- Micheal Felker executive director and pastoral coach for Kicking at the Darkness ""This is a difficult book to read, thus I can only imagine how difficult it was to write. The wounds still seep. The aches still sear. The cries still rattle. Such is the experience of many who sit upon the ash heap of disillusioned faith. Faith in God has been found wanting in the light of abusive infidelity enacted upon the vulnerable by religious leaders and a global pandemic that has been politicized by those desperately clinging to power. It is so easy to walk away from faith, from community, from God. Many have. Many more will. Yet this book is not about deconstruction, for that is only part of the process of crafting a faith that will survive--no, thrive--in times when hope is merely a flickering ember. This is about the hard process of reconstructing faith, of punching through the dark and screaming with all one's might into the ether--praying, begging, for God to hear and come near. If this is you, I humbly invite you to read these words. My friend Tiffany has been where you are and has come through to the other side. In her, you will find a compassionate friend, a gentle guide, a kindred spirit."" -- Rob O'Lynn associate professor of preaching and ministry, director of Graduate Bible programs, and dean of the School of Distance and General Education at Kentucky Christian University ""Tiffany Yecke Brooks puts a new spin on an old problem--that problem being the seeming lack of compassion by Christians who the public assumes should be more compassionate than most. Those who are less familiar with God's Word sometimes construe Christian attitudes as if they belong to God. This projection causes anxiety about who God is and whether or not they can trust their own relationship with God. The topics brought up will make some uncomfortable, but, in the end, God comes out a winner. Tiffany's comments are thought-provoking and hopefully conversation-provoking as well. A good read."" -- Cheryl Durham dean of students at Master's International University of Divinity

Author Information

Tiffany Yecke Brooks is the lead or contributing writer on more than two dozen books, including multiple New York Times bestsellers. She is the coauthor of Fear Is a Choice: Tackling Life's Challenges with Dignity, Faith, and Determination (with NFL running back James Conner), Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance (with Paralympic gold-medalist Mallory Weggemann), and the narrative nonfiction historical thriller Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth (with historian Claire Bellerjeau). She holds a PhD from Florida State University, where her dissertation covered, in part, cultural adaptations of stories from the book of Genesis. A popular speaker for student groups, faith conferences, and academic lectureships, Brooks has taught literature and writing at Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

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