The Deconstruction of Christianity
I am sure plenty of us grew up in the church. As wonderful as this is, I am also sure that a lot of us would look back at our church experience and either scratch our heads with what was taught or straight up disagree with - fill in the blank - today.
That is pretty common in the evangelical world. But, unfortunately, there seems to be a surge in “evangelicals” leaving the faith in recent years. And this is being done through a process known as “Deconstruction.” Simply put, people who have grown up in “the faith” are now deconstructing what they view as THE faith (see my article on Faith and Faith), and ultimately walking away from that faith.
In their book, The Deconstruction of Christianity, authors Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett give us a helpful introductory work dealing with the topic of deconstruction in our modern society.
I am not into hashtags, but a big one that is going around is a made-up term called, “exvangelical.” These are self-prescribed “deconstructors” who have left the faith. Childers and Barnett break up the book into six main questions.
First, “What is deconstruction? “Their definition is, “Faith deconstruction is a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without regarding scripture as the standard” (p. 26). This definition is almost too nice, for deconstructing is ultimately how someone goes about rethinking their faith; it’s a promotion of personal autonomy, which leads to a rejection of the Christian faith. What we are not saying is that deconstruction is simply asking questions or seeking out correct theology. Sometimes it takes a while, but deconstructors will end up leaving the faith.
Next, they ask, “How did we get here?” As the saying goes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Although the language of deconstruction is a fairly new one, the concept has been around since the garden. Satan’s conversation is one that starts by “questioning” God and his sovereign goodness (Genesis 3:1-7).
The third question asks, “Why? Why do people deconstruct?” The book gives two main reasons, but one of them is because they start with a faulty view of what “truth” is.
The fourth question is, “How? How do people deconstruct?” This process typically consists (though not always) of three stages. The first is to identify a problem within society. Second, show how the church actively or passively allowed this injustice. Lastly, come to a conclusion that puts the church at odds with what they think is true.
The fifth question is, “What? What is being deconstructed?” There are many doctrines, convictions, and beliefs that are being deconstructed. But Childers and Barnett argue that ultimately, what is being deconstructed is THE Christian faith.
And lastly, they ask, “Where? Where do we go from here?” Maybe some of you know people who are in the process of deconstructing; or perhaps you know someone who has already “deconstructed.” This last section gives some simple yet helpful ways in which we can help those who are deconstructing.
This book is not only easy to read, it can be read by all ages, but it is a good starting point if you are new to the whole deconstruction movement. I like what they say at the beginning of this book. Their prayer is that “deconstruction” will eventually die away, thus, making their book irrelevant.
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