Warning: Deconstruction Ahead (Part 1)
Have you heard of the term "deconstruction"? It has nothing to do with buildings or renovations, nor is it a synonym of "demolition." Rather, deconstruction is a term that refers to the breaking down of a philosophy, theology, or thought construct.
The reason it's an important word to know is because it's happening all around us in the church, especially among Millennials and Gen Z.
It may even be happening to you.
For some, deconstruction happens because they see those who call themselves Christians behaving or talking in a way that is clearly not the way of Christ, and they question if they want to be a part of an institution that supports these kind of actions. For example, when certain church leaders came out in support of the violent storming of Capitol Hill, other followers of Jesus questioned if they want to be a part of a church that promotes or defends this kind of behaviour. It led them to begin or continue the deconstruction process.
Others deconstruct because what they were told growing up and what they experience as adults do not line up. They have deep, genuine questions and have been told to "just believe," or worse, "don't ask." So they keep the questions about relationships, sexual identity, salvation, heaven and hell, climate change, or evolution to themselves, or they look beyond the Christian faith for answers.
God asks for faith, but he never asks for blind faith. God created humanity to be curious, to explore, to ask questions. Even Jesus had hard questions for his Heavenly Father. So did God's prophets.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
~ Jesus, in Mark 15:34
How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
but you do not come to save.
~ Habakkuk, in Hab 1:2
God can handle our questions, our doubts, and even our deconstruction.
Can you?
The question for the church today is not, "Is deconstruction happening?" because it is, whether we like it or not. Nor is the question, "Is deconstruction good or bad?" because there is a rite of passage every young believer has to go through where they ask questions and decide if the faith of their parents is going to be their faith as well, and this often involves some deconstruction and reconstruction.
The real question is, "If deconstruction is already happening, what do people need in order to deconstruct well, remain in relationship with God, and land at a place where they can rebuild their faith once again instead of completely walking away from faith in Christ?" The secondary question would be, "How can we, the church, help people through this process?"
Deconstruction is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we need to “un-believe” certain things before we can believe a better things. For example, if we’ve grown up in a church that said the goal of sharing our faith was to invite people to church so that the pastor can preach the good news on our behalf, then we need to un-believe that fallacy before we can follow the Great Commission to bring Jesus to others.
PAUSE and REFLECT: Take thirty seconds to be still and come to a place of honesty with yourself. Are you deconstructing? Don’t blindly say, “No, of course not!” Actually think about it.
Have you had serious questions about faith, behaviour, justice, or the church?
Have you been given bad answers to good questions?
Are you scared to ask hard questions, admit doubts, or take a second look at what you were told to believe?
If you yourself are not deconstructing, perhaps you know someone who is.
Over the next couple of weeks in these emails, we’ll look at how we as followers of Jesus can either deconstruct well or help others deconstruct well, so that we arrive at the place where our faith is strong, healthy, and passionate once again.
But let's begin on the right foundation: no matter your questions or doubts, you are deeply, deeply loved by God. Nothing can change that. Not even deconstructing.
I look forward to the journey.
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Photo by Kevin Woblick on Unsplash