Tota Scriptura: Chapter Outline
July 24, 2025
Evangelicalism originally arose as a reform movement with a commitment to be always reforming. At its heart is the conviction that God’s gospel stays the same, but the church is always changing—and thus always at risk of departing from its moorings. In America, evangelicalism has increasingly become associated with conservative politics, apologetics, and wars for American culture, and this has coincided with an alarming increase in dechristianization and the growth in popularity of deconstructionist movements.
Tota Scriptura explores commonly cited problem areas within evangelicalism, both in theology and practice, and argues that we can’t hope for healthy reconstruction of our floundering members without significant reconstruction of the church that is commissioned to disciple them.
Primary Discipline(s): Hermeneutics, Theology, Apologetics, Ethics
Base Community: Staff
Leader: Jordan Pickering
Primary Author(s): Jordan Pickering
Collaborators: n/a
Acknowledgements: Craig Bartholomew, Peter Altmann, George Athas, Cas Monaco, Jen Pollock Michel, Mark Ryan, Wesley vander Lugt
Partner Organisations: A publisher is attached.
Funding: None
Problem: Deconstructionists who are critical of evangelicalism and leaving the church are often portrayed as being the problem, but this prevents us from seriously considering where our theology and ethos may be to blame, and it means that disillusioned believers are treated with enmity and driven closer to deconversion. Deconstruction can be a positive if there is a route into reconstruction of a stronger faith, but the church must be willing to pursue its own reformation first, and to provide healthy community for those whose faith is failing.
Process: At present, this project is focused on the fulfilment of a book contract. A detailed proposal and outline has been accepted by a publisher. The process ahead involves a phase of source discovery and reading, potentially some call for conversation partners and collaborators on certain topics, the writing of a full first draft, and some calls for review and critique prior to submission.
Aims and Outcomes: This project is aimed primarily at engaging those who recognize that the rate of social change and dechristianization in our world demands an urgent response. It means to be a conversation partner for pastors, college lecturers, and all those who are attempting to support Christians who are deconstructing their faith, and who are eager to shape their Christian communities wisely in response to our changing world. I hope that it will be clear and compelling enough also to be readable by thoughtful laypeople, especially those who are deconstructing.
It’s intended impact is:
Production Goals: Publication of a book (already contracted to a publisher).
Next Meeting: None set
Projected Completion: April 2026 (writing process); publication c. January 2027.
Quick Notes: Seeking key journal articles, research on world/black evangelicalism, and anecdotes about experiences within evangelicalism.
Read about the proposed chapter outline and discussion topics that we plan to address in this book. There are specific areas where community expertise and advice could be especially helpful (see “Collaboration Opportunities”) and this contents page may help to clarify what kind of help we’re after.
KLC has been instrumental in facilitating links with a top publishing outlet, and as a result of the generosity of our academic fellows, who read and interacted with the very lengthy proposal document, their motivations helped to secure a publishing contract.
If you have something to contribute to the following questions, email your thoughts to tota@kirbylaingcentre.co.uk.
Your contributions are greatly appreciated and are integral to our vision of collaborative, interdisciplinary research. We endeavor to acknowledge all the efforts of our collaborators and to give due credit, but note that we can’t guarantee that any contribution will be used in the final product.
Do you have access to any essential journal articles on evangelicalism, evangelical hermeneutics/theology, the approach to politics/ethics, deconstruction etc. that you could send? I have plenty to read (!) but it would be good to know if there are any recent, must-read pieces on these topics. I do not have ATLA access at present.
While none of us is ever able to speak reliably for whole communities of believers, this research is interested in how evangelicalism is perceived outside of the picture in US media. What does it mean to be an evangelical outside of US conservatism? In other parts of the world? To what degree is your corner of evangelicalism affected by the politicization of US evangelicalism?
At this stage, anecdotal opinions are welcome, but I wouldn’t want anyone to generate fresh research on these topics; it is too early to know to what degree I will be using them. However, if you have existing publications or your own research that you are willing to share, it would be appreciated (and your research would be credited).
This does not intend to drag us all into controversy, but I know that many of us have experienced deeply negative aspects of evangelical theology or practice that either have caused us to leave or to consider leaving evangelicalism (or even Christianity itself).
Most of us rightly choose not to air these grievances publicly because we don’t wish to do reputational damage to the wider kingdom of God. This book likewise is not aimed at causing more harm. However, in the interests of taking seriously that the church may teach or do things that provoke crises of faith, I would like to publish anecdotes that illustrate problems with the modern movement.
If you have a story to tell, it should ideally be something that (a) is at least partly attributable to a feature of evangelicalism (rather than, say, the evil actions of a lone wolf among the sheep); (b) you are willing to have published; and (c) will not expose us to legal action.
When the team produces research components and additional resources that may be of public interest, these will be made available here.
Noteworthy passages from Kinnaman and Lyons’s book Unchristian (2007).
