God Isn’t Afraid of Your Questions

CHRISTIAN CULTURE, THE BIBLE, AND DECONSTRUCTION

WHAT IS DECONSTRUCTION?

At the beginning of 2021 Andrew Blooms, an artist and music producer published a blog post titled “Escaping Christianity Pt. 1” in which he described his Christian experience. He said, “There is so much I am angry about, there was so much about my American church experience that was so wrong. Personally, I feel like religion stole some of my life.” Blooms, like many before him, explain a process of thoughts and actions in which a person takes a step back and ask what it really means to be a Christian. Today this is called deconstruction.

Deconstruction, or the term deconstructing faith, can have a variety of meanings from the simplification of biblical teaching, to updating a belief or even rejecting faith entirely. Jacques Derrida (a French Philosopher) first used the term. He defined deconstruction concerning how people break down a language to discover the intent and meaning of words based on the writer or speaker.

There have been countless “church kids” who have grown up and started to question what it really means to be a Christian and if the way they grew up was the “right” way. Can religion be trusted? Are the experiences they had in their religious circles justified? What does the Bible really say? Can such a book be trusted? These are just a few of the questions deconstructionists need answers for.

THROUGH THE EYES OF CULTURE

The grown up “church kids” are no longer satisfied with the simple “because the Bible said so” answers they received from their parents and teachers. This type of response left a bitter taste and belief that maybe there are some questions too tough for God to answer. Many people are still searching to know what is true and our culture is quick to feed them a variety of solutions.

There is so much I am angry about, there was so much about my American church experience that was so wrong. Personally, I feel like religion stole some of my life.

Deconstructing looks like redefining faith through a new lens. The new lens can be a social issue, humanitarian view, past experiences, or through simplification. In an interview, Neil Shenvi, an apologist, and author says, “The Reformers wanted to reexamine all their religious beliefs in light of Scripture. They wanted to reform their beliefs to the Bible. In contrast, evangelical deconstruction wants us to reexamine all our religious beliefs in light of history and sociology.”

Most of the time this sort of isolated deconstruction results in a total abandonment of the Christian faith. Some retain a form of faith, but it has been so divided from Scripture that it is unrecognizable. The problem is if faith is always being dissected and probed, it is broken apart into vague beliefs far removed from real life. These beliefs can then be defined based on a person’s own experiences and perceptions. Belief like this can never be substantial enough to hold up under the weight of real life questions and troubles because it doesn’t have anything tangible to hold on to.

THE SCRIPTURAL SIEVE

There is a right way to unpack how to live out Christianity today, and that is by looking through a Biblical lens. The Scripture tells how faith in Jesus is to be the foundation of Christian belief (Matt 7:24). 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells believers to walk by faith and not by sight. A Christian who believes that Jesus is who He said He is, would base their life on what the Bible has to say about God and how to live out Christianity. Looking through the lens of the culture around us is unstable and constantly changing, but the inspired word of God never changes (Heb 13:8). How can the Christian faith be explained if not through the Bible? The Scripture offers a comparison of what life as a believer will look like as opposed to that of a nonbeliever.

The deconstruction trend can sound like an intelligent idea to jump in on, but if the intent is to become wise in the eyes of yourself and others around you, Isaiah 5:21 says woe to you. 1 Corinthians 3:19 says the wisdom of the world is foolishness. If the Bible is accurate, then Christians would be wise to base their lives on what it says instead of what others interpret it to be.

God isn’t afraid of people’s questions or doubts about the Bible and how it is interpreted. Although it is not always easy to understand, the Bible does have concrete answers and truth that can be applied to the lives of believers. It’s good to have questions and seek out what you believe and why. Many people will go through a process of seeking what it means to follow Jesus Christ. God doesn’t ask us to have blind faith but to come to Him for the answers, wisdom, and understanding. The tough questions about traditional values and practices should encourage you to dig into what the Bible really teaches.

It can be intimidating to research the Bible and find out what it means. It’s a good thing God didn’t tell Christians to do it alone. They weren’t meant to. Acts 2:42 records the church meeting together to learn and live life together. This is the way God chose to teach His followers. You don’t have to take my (or anyone else’s) word for it. You can take your questions to the Bible or a trusted Christian friend when you need help.