CCM: Doubt and deconstruction can be such a scary, lonely thing, and we really don’t talk about it enough in evangelical circles. I don’t think we always know how to prepare each other for it, or care for each other as we ask hard questions. So I’m curious, what was helpful for you?
AA: Here is a list of some things I have been aided by along the way, in no particular order:
Therapy, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, the Enneagram, Madeleine L’Engle, Brene Brown, painting, learning to breathe, learning to listen to my body when I’m angry or sad or scared, prioritizing rest and good nutrition, speaking to friends openly about my thoughts, journaling.

CCM: What would you want to say to someone going through a faith crisis?
AA: Lean in, be brave, and learn what your fear and pain are trying to tell you. Seek refreshed ideas about God if your usual ideas are making you feel panicky. Read authors who know what this struggle is like. Drink a lot of water and take care of yourself. Go to a therapist if you want to! Try your best not to be worried about the outcome, because attempting to control the outcome will ruin your ability to be present to the process.

CCM: How can we—as the church, as Christians—do a better job of making room for uncertainty?
AA: I think for starters we could try to, as communities, create space for these conversations to happen without penalty. I think a member of a church should be able to sit down in a room with their pastors or their fellow laypeople and speak openly about what they’re feeling in this regard, without facing the threat of being ostracized. And if everybody out there read Thomas Merton I think it would help things.

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