From Deconstructing to Reconstructing: Finding Wonder Again [373]

This is one of my favorite interviews! Today I’m talking with my friend, Dr. Tiffany Yecke Brooks, author of Gaslighted by God, Holy Ghosted, and her brand-new book, To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction.

If you've walked through the painful process of deconstructing the toxic theology you inherited, this conversation is going to knock your socks off. 

Drawing from Dante's Inferno (I know, right?!), classical literature, and deep theological study, Tiffany shows you how to create a new spiritual lexicon that actually reflects the heart of God.

(Listen to find out what that even is!)

This isn't about burning it all down. It's about holding up each piece to the light and deciding: Does this stay or go?

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The one thing fundamentalism can't tolerate (and why that's actually your doorway to freedom)
• What Dante's Inferno has to do with your faith journey, and why the final line matters so much
• The Greek word that completely reframes what forgiveness actually means
• Why the images you were given for God might be keeping you stuck in an outdated script
• What happens when you stop trying to be perfect and start focusing on being good

Resources mentioned: 

📰 Tiffany’s Substack Newsletter (but only if you like to laugh - otherwise stay away)

📚 Her new book: To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction.

🎧 Her OTHER interviews with me (all AMAZEBALLS): 

1. Confronting Religious Trauma
2. Overcoming Spiritual Anxiety 

👹 The book Dr. Brooks copy-edited for me AND that is a perfect illustration of what her book Holy Ghosted is talking about: All the Scary Little Gods

🆓 And hey - listen to my book FREE by going to scarylittlegods.com!

Tiffany Yecke Brooks is the lead or contributing writer on more than two dozen books, including multiple New York Times bestsellers. She is the coauthor of Fear Is a Choice: Tackling Life’s Challenges With Dignity, Faith, and Determination (with NFL running back James Conner), Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance (with Paralympic gold-medalist Mallory Weggemann), and the narrative nonfiction historical thriller Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth (with historian Claire Bellerjeau). Her newest book, To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith After Deconstruction, was released in March 2026 by Eerdmans. She has also published articles in peer-reviewed journals and the Smithsonian. Tiffany holds a PhD from Florida State University, where her dissertation covered, in part, cultural adaptations of stories from the book of Genesis, and an MA from the University of Bristol in the UK, where her thesis examined cultural influences and literary techniques in the Gospel of Luke. A popular speaker for student groups, faith conferences, and academic lectureships, Tiffany has taught literature and writing at Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and the University of South Carolina – Beaufort.