(Un)broken Faith – Doubt and Departure in the Evangelical Church of Malaysia

This thesis explores deconversion and disaffiliation in the lives of 27 Evangelical Malaysians. 27 English-speaking, heterosexual and LGBT Malaysians questioning their faith and churches were recruited for in-depth interviewing. The interviews were analysed using NVivo 12, a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software. My research findings reveal that Evangelical family beliefs and practices influence deconversion and disaffiliation in Malaysia, challenging research on deconversion and disaffiliation in America and Europe. While American atheists, agnostics, and “secularists” adopt “coming out” that champions the Western value of individualism, my study shows that Asian societies situate the individual within the family and the Evangelical church.