Offered through the Institute for Christian Studies
“Broken Hallelujah”: Faith, Deconstruction, and Spirituality through Music
Angela Reitsma Bick · November 3 to December 8, 2026
What happens to faith when trust is broken, certainty gives way to doubt, or the Church no longer feels like home? Drawing on stories gathered for Blessed Are the Undone, this course explores experiences of faith, deconstruction, and spiritual longing through the music and poetry that give voice to what can be difficult to articulate. Alongside stories of those who have felt dismissed or silenced within Christian communities, participants will engage contemporary musicians and poets whose work wrestles honestly with beauty and brokenness, doubt and belonging, loss and hope. From Leonard Cohen’s “broken Hallelujah” to the work of contemporary songwriters and poets, the course invites us to listen for the sacred beyond familiar religious forms, and to consider how art can open new possibilities for faith, meaning, and transformation.
Listen to musicians and poets who wrestle with beauty and brokenness, doubt and belonging
Engage stories of those dismissed or silenced within Christian communities
Consider how art opens new possibilities for faith, meaning, and transformation
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Angela Reitsma Bick is the former editor-in-chief of Christian Courier and the author of Blessed Are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada, the book behind this course. She previously taught Reading the Ruins for Free to be Faithful.