Ivan Mesa > Quotes

“I want to suggest that the far more radical—and truly countercultural—choice isn’t to abandon Christian faith because it is maddening, difficult, and out of step with the contemporary zeitgeist. The radical choice is to keep the faith.”
― Ivan Mesa, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church

“Too many churches have dismissed reasonable questions as a slippery slope to atheism. I cannot promise that your questions will be met with grace and good faith where you are, and that saddens me.”
― Ivan Mesa, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church

“We need more theology, nuance, grace, compassion, and understanding in our churches, not less.”
― Ivan Mesa, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church

“Many of my close friends who’ve left the church have suffered real disappointment and hurt at the hands of Christians. Some have suffered tragic spiritual abuse from ministry leaders. It’s no surprise, then, that they’ve moved away from Christian community. What an awful and tragic experience! I mourn and grieve for anyone who has searched for God and family, only to find judgment, condemnation, and abuse. Lord, help us.”
― Ivan Mesa, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church

“My hope and prayer is that you might deconstruct the promises of Western secularism (which is entrenched in the emptiness of radical individualism and leads to chronic loneliness) and rediscover the hope of a rooted, interconnected life in Christ.”
― Ivan Mesa, Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church