005 - Reconstructing a Deconstructed Faith
Deconstruction was a buzz word in Christian circles for a season in the 2010’s and early 2020’s. What is deconstruction? It’s evaluating and analyzing one’s core beliefs and doctrines and often leads to modifying, and sometimes abandoning, one’s faith. Deconstruction isn’t necessarily a negative thing. To quote the revision of my book, You Don’t Have To Believe To Belong:
The deconstruction of the beliefs and traditions we’ve been taught doesn’t have to be a dangerous journey; within parameters, it’s a necessary journey that leads one to discover who she really is, how God interacts with her, and what God can do through her. The point of deconstruction shouldn’t be to aimlessly tear apart a traditional belief system out of spite or bitterness, but to address apparent issues and inner struggles with thoughtful questions and open-minded reflection and prayer.
Unfortunately, the journey of deconstruction many embark on begins with good motives and eventually unravels their entire belief system to end in the abandonment of a biblically-based faith. The goal was never to unfollow Jesus or forsake the truth, but very few ever reconstruct to form a Christ-centered faith that is aligned with Scripture. Pastor Tim Rivers put it well when he said, “Deconstruction without reconstruction will result in destruction.”
I began down the path of deconstruction in 2016, started my own church in 2018 when my logic and conclusions outweighed the truth of Scripture, led the congregation through my full deconstruction, and eventually stopped pastoring and began writing books and filming curriculum from a deconstructed theological vantage point.
How do you begin reconstruction?
Andrea and I are some of the very few people (so far) who have actually reconstructed to a Christ-centered, biblically-based faith after full deconstruction. Those two qualifiers are the key: Christ-centered and biblically-based.
The main factor in reconstruction is one’s view of Scripture. You have to be willing to come under the authority of the Word of God. In other words, when your human logic and reasoning, your opinions and preferences, and your experiences and desires contradict the truth of the Bible, you have to lose and the Bible has to win. If not, reconstruction will never work; you’ll reconstruct to relativism without any parameters of absolute truth. Authority doesn’t mean “my way or the highway” like you may have been taught legalistically. That’s probably why you deconstructed. Authority is best represented as a guide. If you were hiking the Grand Canyon for the first time, you would need a guide to lead you. The guide would tell you where to go, where not to go, and when to go. All of those factors, and more, matter in order to make it to the other side. Think of the Bible like your guide to life, telling you where to go, where not to go, and when to go. Not so you don’t have fun and have a bunch of ridiculous rules and blindly believe, but so that you make it to the other side safely. The Bible has parameters within it to protect you, guide you, and ultimately help you thrive in this life and the next. The Bible describes itself in this way:
Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105
In other words, it’s a safety guide to lead and protect you on your journey!
When your view of Scripture is correct, all of the sudden, reconstruction becomes possible. Let me be the first one to tell you that it’s not easy. In fact, it’s very messy. It’s hard to reconstruct because you’ve already wrestled with passages, beliefs, and practices that led you to deconstruction. To reconstruct means that you are sometimes wrong in very personal ways. The difference is that when we wrestle with our faith in reconstruction, we (sometimes with resistance) align our beliefs with the truth of the Bible instead of interpreting the Bible to align with our beliefs.
When I reconstructed, I discovered a newfound love for the Bible. I developed a deep and personal relationship with Jesus that wasn’t centered around forming a new theology or studying for my next talk. It was just spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. I also began to encounter God outside of Scripture. I began to see Him in others, in nature, and in my life experiences - because I was actually looking for Him. (If you are a New Ager, think of consciousness, but with purpose. You’re not just aware of the moment, you’re aware of God’s presence and purpose in the moment.)
On a practical level, our marriage is better with a thriving relationship with Jesus. If I can be transparent for a moment, our marriage had some rocky places most people don’t make it through when we were in deconstruction mode. Only by God’s grace and His Spirit’s work in us as we reconstructed our faith to His Truth were we able to pick up the broken pieces and allow Him to create the incredible mosaic that our marriage is today. We now are able to see our own faults when they fall short of who Scripture says we are called to be. And we walk that sacred road together under the authority of Jesus and His Word.
It’s worth it
Don’t abandon your faith. It’s not worth it. You’re worth the hard work of reconstruction. Jesus is worth the hard work of reconstruction. Sure, you needed to deconstruct some of the legalism - certainly don’t reconstruct any of that. Live in freedom, and follow Jesus. You don’t have to understand it all, you don’t have to make sense of it all, you don’t have to answer for God, and you don’t have to get it right. Pick up the Bible and read it. Read it to allow God to speak to you through it. Pray as often as you breathe. Pray and have a deep conversation with God. Love people relentlessly. Become an unreasonably committed follower of Jesus. It’s worth it.
