‘What is my faith? What am I doing?’ The American evangelicals ‘deconstructing’ their religion to save it

The term deconstruction has risen in popularity in recent years, particularly in evangelical Christian circles. Illustration: Dagou/The Guardian

In 2017, at the end of his first year at Samford University, a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama, Nathan Peace realized he’d never “pray the gay away” and he’d never “turn straight”.

Peace had grown up in a “churchy” family in Georgia and attended Southern Baptist services his entire life. In high school, he showed up early for Bible study and participated in group prayers before marching band performances. In the 2016 election, he voted for Donald Trump. It’s what he thought he had to do to be a “faithful” Christian.