A Recipe for Disaster

The statistics speak for themselves; record numbers of individuals who at one time identified as Christians are deconverting from the faith and identifying as unbelievers. Why is this happening and what can be done to prevent it? A Recipe for Disaster seeks to answer those questions by focusing on the four ways churches and parents unwittingly contribute to the deconversion process. By over-preparing, under-preparing, ill-preparing, and painfully preparing those they are responsible to disciple into mature believers, churches and parents instead set them up for a crisis of faith that all too often leads to the loss of faith. In response to each of the four methods of poor preparation, A Recipe for Disaster offers a recipe for success, four alternative methods of preparation designed to instill lifelong faith. Before I started reading A Recipe for Disaster, I expected it to be just another apologetics book. Wow, was I in for a shock! Marriott provides believers and those who have left the faith with a deep, accurate analysis of why people deconvert, what can be done to keep this from happening, and how we can reclaim those who have left the faith. To be honest, there is simply no book of its kind, and A Recipe for Disaster fills a big hole in our understanding of the deconversion problem. This is a must read for parents, pastors, and parachurch leaders. Be ready for a surprise. The book will challenge you to see discipleship and the dangers surrounding its employment in a new light.--JP Moreland, author of Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Defeat a Dangerous IdeologyDeconversion is a growing concern that we need to address. This first thing we believers need to do is look in the mirror, and we need a guide to help us do that. Dr. John Marriott is that expert and compassionate guide. In A Recipe for Disaster, Dr. Marriott provides a compelling analysis of the ways well-meaning Christians unwittingly contribute to people losing their faith. He helps us see the issues clearly, and more importantly, shows us how to do our part to foster a life-long faith. I highly recommend this book to all Christian leaders and anyone who has been touched by the struggle of deconversion.--Todd W. Hall, co-author of Psychology in the SpiritWhen Christians leave the faith, the church tends to blame either the one departing or the culture--or both. John Marriott suggests that we instead look in the mirror. Without absolving the one departing of ultimate responsibility, he asks the church to consider how it often fails to educate and socialize the young in ways that make faith winsome and believable in the modern context. Well-researched, well-argued, and well-written, this is not only a good book, it is an important one.--Daniel Taylor, author of The Myth of Certainty and The Skeptical BelieverJohn Marriott is the chair of the World Religions department at the Institute of Religious Studies at Missional University, and an adjunct professor in the Philosophy and Intercultural Studies departments at Biola University. He is also the director for Cultural Engagement at the Renaissance Forum and an editorial consultant for the Center for Christian Thought.