Dismantling Faith: A Discussion on “Deconstructionism”

All my life I have enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work. I have not always been successful at restoring them to their original configuration, but I could at least get them to function again (most of the time). Besides, as any good shade-tree mechanic knows, there are plenty of extra and unnecessary parts that do not make their way into reassembly. We just cannot always tell you what those parts were intended to do or why they didn’t find their way back!

Whether understanding how something works or making modifications or repairs, the process is not complete without achieving some desired good. If I am disassembling something to see how it works, I am not content until I have gained knowledge about the thing itself. If I fail to understand it sufficiently and cannot reassemble its pieces, I may have just ruined something good. But that is never the goal, nor is it something I am happy about.

Now, taking something apart to understand it is one thing. There is another kind of disassembly in which the goal seems to be destruction. There is no intent for rebuilding or reconstructing. There is no hope nor desire of reassembly or deeper understanding of the positive qualities of the thing itself. There is only a wake of rubble that represents something that once was and is no more. The kind of destruction I am thinking of specifically has to do with something far more significant than mechanics. It has to do with the claims of the Christian faith. It has to do with the claims of Scripture. And it has come to be known by the name “deconstructionism.”

What is “Deconstructionism”?

There are perhaps some of you reading this that have not heard the term and may not see its relevance. Though it may not seem immediately applicable, I would ask you to hold on for a moment and consider the reality that younger generations are being affected by this growing phenomenon. I am asking you to consider how you might be better equipped to respond to this attack on our faith and those who are swayed by its appeal.[i]

There are others reading this who immediately felt the gravity of this situation. I know because I have spoken with some of you. This issue has touched your friends. It has touched your family. In every case, it has been painful, and the process does not get any easier as time goes on. I have more to say to you here, but I need to step back and define this for the others.

Deconstructionism began as a critical analysis of the meaning of texts, set out to show that every written text has irreconcilable contradictions at their foundation. At the present, however, it is being applied to whole systems of belief and most prominently, Christianity. Its effects are evident in the trendy impulse of our current cultural moment to question everything, even our most fundamental faith commitments. There are some who have professed Christ and have sat in the pews of their churches for years and yet have come to reject much of what they once held to. We have seen prominent people in Christian culture who have left the faith, some of whom intend to bring others with them. They speak of “deconstructing” their once held faith, questioning everything the church is and stands for, and some even take the name “ex-vangelical” as a badge of honor.

For many of these, we can simply say that “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). The technical term for this is “apostasy.” However, I do not believe it is this simple with every case, nor do I think we should jump to that conclusion.

Apostasy and Unbelief

We need to distinguish between genuine apostasy (rejecting Christ and leaving the faith) and the possibility that some have simply been taken captive by this wave of human philosophy. The reality is that the church in America is not well. Many churches teach things that do not line up with sound doctrine and they do not address deep-rooted sin in their midst. Is it too far-fetched to imagine a genuine believer without good discipleship becoming disoriented in one of these settings and coming to question what they have said they believe? I don’t think so.

Hebrews 3:12 says “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” While there is much debate over the warning passages in Hebrews, a few things are clear to me from that verse: (1) He is talking to “brothers” (2) who are in danger of being led astray (3) by the evil of unbelief. Unbelief leads us away from the living God. In our context, we could point to ideas such as “deconstructionism” that would fit this description of unbelief. It is entirely possible that someone you know personally (who is a believer) could be persuaded by the arguments of this movement and led astray (for a time). This makes it even more important and relevant that we be prepared.

We may not be able to anticipate every attack, but we ought always to be preparing ourselves. It may not pose a threat to you personally, but it is increasing in popularity among younger generations. So, how are we to respond when someone we love is carried away by this destructive doctrine?

In Defense of Hope

“…Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”—1st Pet. 3:14b-16 (ESV)

Taking our cue from the above quoted passage in 1st Peter, our goal is the reverent, gentle, and respectful defense of our hope. Being gentle and respectful is not easy but if we understand the depth of our own depravity and the holiness of our Lord Jesus, this will serve us well. Indeed, it is this heart-reverence that precedes any defense of the hope within us. Without such reverence, we may staple the plastic fruit of “gentleness” and “respect” but there will be no true, life-giving properties. Such efforts are hopeless.

Sometimes all we need to do to understand something more is to take it apart. But it is not in the pile of pieces that we reach our goal. Any good mechanic does his work knowing that there is a plan that makes it all work and is seeking to better understand that plan. It is understanding how the pieces fit together and function. The approach of deconstructionism is to dismantle and destroy. It is not disassembly for the purpose of understanding. It is the satisfaction of a false sense of intellectual pride that comes from the tearing down of their once-held profession. While our culture celebrates this sort of thing, it is nothing more than “vain deceit, according to the tradition of men.” (Col. 2:8)

It is good to ask the question of why we believe what we believe. In fact, I believe it is part of our Christian responsibility of growing in truth. Deconstruction is not about finding truth though. It is about questioning any and every truth while clinging to the untruth that we cannot really know the truth.

If we believe in God, we also believe that truth can be known. We believe that the world does not operate apart from his plan. And we believe that plan to be clearly revealed in His Word. His Word gives us a frame of reference for the chaos in the world and even an explanation for where all our hurts come from. We may wrestle with doubt but his Word points us to the ultimate end goal: redemption in Christ. Though we have sinned and remain separated and under the just judgement of God, Christ has come to bring life and forgiveness by bearing that wrath in Himself, as a sinless sacrifice on behalf of all who believe. His death is enough to cover all our sin. His resurrection and ascension are the proof, his Spirit testifies in our lives, and his return is fast-approaching. His mission is unfailing.

Doing the Work

For many who go down this path, we will never see their faith put together again. It will simply be the unveiling of a false profession. For some though, there is unaddressed sin and hurt that needs the healing truth of the gospel. We may not be able to see the difference in real-time, but will we be willing to do the work of responding to their questions with a defense of the hope that is in us? It is my prayer that we will reverently, gently, and respectfully present this hope that we have, that some may be snatched from the flames of this rebellious unbelief. May God grant us the grace to do so with gentleness and respect, out of reverence for Christ.

[i] I have personally benefited greatly from our brothers Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker at the Just Thinking Podcast. They have an entire episode devoted to this issue that goes far more in-depth than I could possibly do in this space. You can find that podcast episode at https://justthinking.me/ep-117-evangelical-deconstructionism/