People falling away from Christianity should not shock us, however, said Parr, who told his viewers that 1 Timothy 4:1 warns that people will fall away from their faith: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Parr spent the rest of his video evaluating four key reasons why people leave Christianity, saying he hoped that by doing so he could help those who are currently struggling with doubt or who know someone who is.
The first reason the ministry leader offered for why people leave Christianity is “intellectual doubts and skepticism.” They might doubt that certain biblical accounts, such as those describing miracles, are true. Or they might struggle with reconciling the idea of a good and all-powerful God with the evil and suffering that takes place in the world, a challenge that is referred to as “the problem of evil.”
Parr urged people who are experiencing such doubts to speak with a “trained apologist.” He emphasized that this person should not be a pastor or a YouTuber, but someone who is specifically skilled in apologetics.
“It’s ok to have doubts,” Parr noted, also pointing out that Christianity does require faith and “trusting in things that we don’t understand.” However, just because someone is doubting the reliability of Christianity does not mean that Jesus did not rise from the dead.
Parr also challenged people who reject Christianity on the grounds that it requires faith. He questioned whether or not they are applying this view consistently in other areas of life, such as their trust in science, a pilot flying them across the country, or a surgeon operating on them.
The next reason Parr addressed for people leaving Christianity was “negative experiences with church or religious community.” Some people leave the Christian faith because of “church hurt,” and Parr even mentioned two examples from his own life that could have led him to reject Christianity. “I’ve had some horrendous church experiences at the very hands of church leaders,” he said.
One was that Parr had a male pastor make a pass at him. Parr had seen this person as a mentor, but it “turns out he had some other intentions in mind.” Another occurred when Parr was in seminary. He was serving at a church where, at one point, a pastor “called me the n-word from the pulpit.”
“This is not a lie,” he said. “I’m not making this stuff up.”
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 leave the Christian faith. Parr offered his views on the validity of those reasons, as well as advice for people who are doubting. ){kind=link}