Deconstruction is such a hot word within the church today. It seems like every other day we see another post on instagram where someone is describing their “new found” faith and how they are deconstructing old toxic beliefs and coming to new revelations about God, the Bible and the church. Rarely though do we see those same people remain within the church. Rarely do we see those same people claim that their deconstruction has led them to a profound appreciation of scripture as the Word of God. And never have I found that a deconstructioned ( Is that a word? ) faith has ever solidified someone’s belief in Jesus as much more than a social reformer.
So why do we see everyone “deconstructing”? Is there a way to move through and past old beliefs that may be hurtful and outdated without leaving behind the rich heritage of our faith as Christians? Can we, to use the old adage, throw out the water and leave the baby intact?
I propose to you that what we as Christians need is not to deconstruct the foundation of our belief system but rather to reconstruct how we live out our faith and maintain a secure foundation.
As Christians we rely on the foundation of scripture as the Holy Word of God. We believe that Jesus is much more than a historical figure, the Son of God. And we maintain that despite its faults the church is Gods chosen way of communicating, helping and changing the world.
So what do we need to change?
Well I think that everyone comes from different backgrounds and different belief systems thus what one person finds fault with another might not. But what I see time and time again are individuals who have grown tired of maintaining the Christian standard of living and now all of a sudden they “deconstruct”. The tiredness is blamed on the patriarchy, or parents, maybe the local pastor or Christian fundamentalists in the country. But what you never see ever is ownership taken.
Now I do not want to foster the idea that therapy is not important or Christian fundamentalism is a good thing. But I do believe that what we have done is allowed the blame to be always placed on someone or somewhere else. And the story I am reminded of would be the one found in the book of Exodus.
There is this story where Moses was on top of a mountain talking to God for 40 days. While he was gone the children of Israel grew discontent and decided to take matters into their own hands. They took all their jewelry, melted it and out of it Aron formed a golden calf and they proclaimed it as the physical expression of the god who led them out of Egypt. When Moses came back he was obviously pissed. When he demanded an answer on what had happened nobody took ownership, in fact they tried to lay the blame on Moses because he was taking to long. What I really want to notice is the fact that the children of Israel were not leaving God per se and following a different god. Or at least thats what they thought. They claimed that they were just coming up with a physical expression of God that they could see. But in all reality they had completely walked away from God and given their hearts over to something else.
Does any of this sounds familiar?
Christians grow tired of the lifestyle standards upheld, or maybe the stuffy out of date sermons they were forced to listen to as kids or they experienced hurt or offense at the hands of a church leader. And then all of a sudden they decide to construct a belief system that fits their feelings, desires and “needs”. They claim they haven’t left God or the church but in all reality, just like the children of Israel they have walked away in their hearts and resemble the “sound of war” ( Exodus 37:17 ) rather than the freedom they claim they have found.
The reality is that while the church is filled with sinful, broken people; it is still indeed Gods church. The word of God, even though it has at times been interpreted to hurt and harm; it is still the inspired book of God. And Jesus, even though misrepresented and misunderstood; He is still indeed the savior of the world and is waiting in heaven to come and claim His people as His own.
What we need to do is not deconstruct our faith entirely but to actually reconstruct our faith after the Biblical model. Leave behind the outdated and old fashioned ways we have interpreted the Bible and live out our faith in the way that the Bible says to. To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.
Period.
And to be wary of belaboring the point there really is not much more that can be said. As followers of Jesus we need to know what we believe and why, and stand by it with courage. Old outdated interpretations need to be let go of while still honoring the rich tradition we come from and not forgetting how far we have truly come.
That’s all for now………