A new survey from Lifeway found that just 36 percent of Protestant churchgoers said they were familiar or very familiar with "the concept of an individual deconstructing their faith in which they systematically dissect and often reject Christian beliefs they grew up with."

Just 32 percent said they were "somewhat familiar" or "not that familiar" with deconstruction, while 28 percent had "not heard the term deconstruction before," and 3 percent said they were "not sure."

Lifeway surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. Protestant churchgoers in September for the survey, The Christian Post reports.

Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell said he was not surprised "the majority of churchgoers are not very familiar with the term ‘deconstruction,' since it often describes a person's private journey or one that's shared within a limited social set.

"The fluid nature of the term and its affinity among those on social media or podcasts distances it from many Christians," McConnell stated. "The term can be used both to represent a total abolishing of one's faith or to describe one's personal questioning and working out their salvation to greater faith."

Among respondents, those ages 18-34 were most likely to be "very familiar" with the term.

Recently, many Christian public figures have discussed deconstruction.

"Deconstruction is not a bad thing if it leads to reconstruction. Sometimes you have to demolish a building that has mold and then build something else on that foundation," Christian artist Lecrae said of his own journey with deconstruction.

"We're not getting rid of the foundation. The foundation is Christ. But we're building on that foundation and tearing down some things that were unnecessary."

Other former Christians have also come forward with their own deconstruction, which ultimately led them to leave Christianity.

Former Caedmon's Call singer Derek Webb publicly talked about his "deconstruction" of faith and how he walked away from Christianity.

Author Joshua Harris, of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" fame and former pastor, also announced that he was "falling away" from faith and no longer a Christian after he divorced his wife.

Kevin Max, of the popular DC Talk band, announced his own deconstruction in 2021, calling himself an "ex-evangelical."

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