In 2020, after returning to the U.S. from missionary work in Lebanon, I felt deeply compelled to engage with a community I hadn’t connected with in years: Christian hip-hop artists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Having been part of this vibrant group in the 2010s, I had observed an alarming trend over time—many friends and acquaintances undergoing a spiritual crisis, often referred to as deconstruction. For some, this process led to a radical transformation of their faith; for others, it resulted in abandoning Christianity altogether.
Hearing these stories left a profound impact on me. I saw how distressing circumstances—poorly addressed by local church environments—failed to help those enduring these crises. Reflecting on these patterns, I identified three major contributing factors:
Cultural Pressure: Many felt forced to conform to narrow expressions of faith rooted in American Evangelical culture, stifling their ability to authentically integrate their own cultural and personal identities into their spiritual lives.
Neglected Emotional and Spiritual Needs: Legitimate issues like mental illness, grief, and suffering were often minimized or dismissed, leading to inadequate emotional and spiritual care within their church communities.
Inadequate Bible Study Frameworks: Popular approaches to understanding Scripture failed to provide sufficient answers to pressing questions about God’s character, humanity’s spiritual realities, and cultural or theological challenges.
These failures left many feeling unsupported and forced to make painful decisions about their faith during moments of crisis. Out of a deep sense of compassion and frustration, I began cultivating a project titled Golden Apples.
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
