How to Leave the Church
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Ready to leave toxic religion behind but scared of where the journey will take you?
Find reassurance and direction from someone who walked the same path and shares how to break free from indoctrination without losing yourself.
By the time she turned 30, Grete Rachel Howland had mastered the art of being a good evangelical Christian. She’d attended weekly church services since she was an infant, been educated in a faith-based elementary school, helped lead her youth group as a teenager, attended an evangelical college, lived as an international missionary, and earned a master’s degree in theology from a prominent seminary. But something always felt a little off about the doctrine she was told to proclaim. As she entered her fourth decade of life, Grete sensed that the beliefs she was raised with no longer rang true for her–that they may be doing more harm than good. Soon, the dissonance became unbearable, and Grete made the frightening decision to leave the church for good. With her life as a devout Christian behind her, Grete shifted her focus to writing and education, skills she now uses to guide others on their journeys from fundamentalism to freedom.
Part memoir and part self-help guide, How to Leave the Church confronts the heartbreaking, hilarious, and often embarrassing aspects of life spent deep in the evangelical Christian church to chart a path toward self-reclamation, even if it means leaving behind everything you’ve known up to that point. Using her own experiences as examples, Grete Rachel Howland offers commiseration and wisdom for readers who come from a similar background and a glimpse into the strange world of American evangelicalism for those who don’t.
In this book, you’ll discover:
- A step-by-step breakdown of how to disentangle yourself from unhealthy Christianity
- Specific recommendations for dealing with obstacles you may encounter along the way
- Unflinching exposure of harmful theology
- Support for the process of self-forgiveness
- Connection to a new, post-church community
How to Leave the Church is a much-needed light for those lost in the darkness of oppressive religion and unsure of how to get out. If you crave practical guidance from a caring, hopeful, down-to-earth friend who’s been where you are and found a way to save herself, this is the book for you.
Buy How to Leave the Church to begin your journey of liberation today!
Reviews
This is an excellent and quick read for anyone experiencing cognitive dissonance around Christianity. Grete offers practical, insightful, and judgment free steps, not only for breaking free from the shackles of Christianity entirely, but also more simply for evaluating whether the faith makes sense. I highly recommend. -Erik
A very good lesson for Christian leaders, teachers and believers. Written very well and honestly.
It will stimulate your consideration of what matters in your faith. Who do you believe, what matters, have we over complicated things? -Skip Howland
This is a book that I can relate to having grown up Catholic and with an Uncle that was a Bishop. I could never question anything about my religion until really after my parents’ passing. Sadly, I did not want them to ever be disappointed. We hide our thinking and questions in order to “fit in” to family or society. In my case, it was family. Well written and thought-provoking! – Carla J.
Reading Howland’s book was like listening to a friend work through their upbringing with a critical lenses, but more importantly kindness for their younger self. – Mons
