Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ

Is Deconstruction A Rebellion Against God or a Prophetic Movement Resisting a Distorted Gospel?

In recent years, we've seen an increase in the number of Christians who are "deconstructing" their faith—critically analyzing Christianity and the church and finding that it falls short. Many end up leaving behind the beliefs and commitments they formerly held. While many have written on how to reverse this trend, Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips believe that deconstruction isn’t a problem but a voice…

And we need to listen to what it is saying to the church.

Deconstructors are uncovering serious weaknesses in today's church—a renewed fundamentalism, toxic leadership, and legalistic thinking among them. Utilizing the results of recent studies by Pew, Gallup, and others, McKnight and Phillips take a careful look at what deconstructors are really saying, seeking to better understand why many are shedding elements of the faith and church of their youth but also engaging in a reconstruction process, finding Jesus afresh. They are losing their religion, but not losing Jesus.

Filled with stories of those who have walked the path of deconstruction without losing their faith, Invisible Jesus is a prophetic call to examine ourselves and discern if the faith we practice and the church we belong to is really representative of the Jesus we follow. Each chapter looks at a different topic and offers biblical reflections that call for us to not only better listen, but to change how we live out our faith as followers of Jesus today.

Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) has been a Professor of New Testament for more than four decades. He is the author of more than ninety books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One.Life, The Blue Parakeet, Revelation for the Rest of Us, and Kingdom Conspiracy.

Tommy Preson Phillips is pastor at Watermark Church in Tampa, Florida. He is also a songwriter and a recording artist with his band Preson Phillips. He holds an MA in New Testament from Northern Seminary. His writing can be found at tommypresonphillips.substack.com.