Have you heard the term “deconstruction” lately? Are you confused by what it means?
I certainly was until not long ago.
I saw the hashtags and the declarations, saw the term in many posts and podcast show notes. I even heard friends say they were going through it.
Perhaps you or someone you love has walked through this. If so, you probably have a decent handle on it. But for many of us, we’ve simply been confused.
Is it a phase, a worldview, some kind of new denomination of Christianity, or a new religion entirely?
This subject is very descriptive of our moment in time. Brand-new terms that seem to explode onto the scene overnight, that are vague, with the language around them incredibly ambiguous.
No wonder we can’t get along, if we can’t speak the same language and understand what each other is saying.
But after doing some digging and listening to those who’ve heavily researched this phenomenon, I think there’s a basic definition we can use to understand it.
What does deconstruction mean?
Let me reiterate here that there’s a good bit of disagreement on what this term ultimately means. And many likely won’t agree with this definition. But I think it’s accurate to the broadest use of the word.
First, think of what the parts of the word mean.
De– means the opposite, or reverse, of what follows.
Construct means to make or form; to build.
So, the natural definition of the word would be to take apart or tear down.
Now, this is where it can (again) get confusing. Because there is a literary process called “deconstruction” that deals with deep examination to draw out truth that’s not necessarily observable at first glance.
Some would argue that’s the case when it comes to matters of faith. They would claim that deconstruction is a process of re-examining their faith to see if what they believe lines up with Scripture.
And if that were the consensus definition, I could get behind it. But unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Deconstruction, as it’s most commonly referred to in our culture, is a process of dismantling what one has previously believed with regard to the Christian faith. It involves moving away from classic doctrine and coming to new conclusions based on one’s own sense of right and wrong.
It almost always involves a rejection of Scripture as authoritative and moves the arbiter of truth to the self.
Nothing New Under the Sun
Like many things in our day, this is a new term for something old. People have left the faith since the church began.
As one more well-known person who deconstructed put it: “The biblical term is ‘falling away.’”
The unique aspect of this in our current day is that we have the internet to help it spread and to create a trend more easily.
Jesus told us not only that this would happen, but how it would happen. In Matthew 13, he tells this parable:
“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
-Matthew 13:18-23
It’s okay to ask hard questions.
Please understand, asking honest questions and dealing with doubt are good things. Your faith can be even stronger when you seek answers to something you’ve been challenged with.
I can say from personal experience that digging in and studying things like the Bible’s reliability, and evidences for the resurrection, have made me more convinced than ever that Christianity is true.
But one thing you’ll notice if you look closely at many of the public testimonies people give for leaving the faith, is that they no longer believe the Bible to be completely true, or true at all.
And some will chide others for trying to somehow deconstruct but stay faithful to Scripture. In their view, the beliefs of the church historically are not only wrong, but “toxic.” Therefore, when you deconstruct, you can end up believing whatever you like, so long as it isn’t classic Christianity.
One of the more heartbreaking aspects of this “movement,” is that what some say they are deconstructing is not actual Christianity.
You’ll hear people say things like, “I no longer believe that God hates gay people,” or “Too long did I believe that women are subservient to men.”
Neither of these is true of Christian doctrine, because neither lines up with Scripture.
That someone was taught this is tragic, if they indeed were. And such views should be rejected – because again, they do not align with Biblical teaching.
It’s statements like these that make me think of the first person in Jesus’ parable. Did they hear the Word of God and not understand it? Or were they taught by someone who didn’t understand it, or had devious motives?
Another troubling aspect is that some who have deconstructed now have a religious-like zeal to de-convert people from the faith. There are blogs, podcasts, hashtags, and online communities dedicated to “helping” Christians deconstruct their faith. You don’t have to look far to find them.
While all of this can certainly be unsettling to Bible-believing Christians, there is another way to look at it.
One, we should expect it. The New Testament is full of warnings to be on our guard against false teachings and those seeking to deceive. One is from the book of Jude:
I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3b-4)
Two, I think this is a product of years of “cultural Christianity.” A significant number of people went along with Christian teaching because that’s what the culture around them accepted, and perhaps because it benefitted them socially.
But when the culture shifted, and it became costly to hold to these views, they moved away.
One of my favorite authors, Alisa Childers, recently said that in a strange way, this movement might even be part of God’s mercy.
“In a broader sense, in God’s sovereignty, this deconstruction movement might be His mercy. Because you have a lot of people who are growing up in churches – we have these massive mega-churches, seeker sensitive models – where you might have a lot of people going to church that think they’re Christians, but aren’t. And they could have lived and died, thinking they were Christians.
But you have this deconstruction phenomenon, in a way (and this is why I say it’s God’s mercy, I don’t know), you know you’re not a Christian if you deconstruct. And that’s a mercy, because then you have an opportunity to truly trust in Christ at that point.
And so I suspect that a lot of people who deconstruct…they probably weren’t truly Christian in the first place” [1]
Again, not everyone who uses the word “deconstruction” means that they are leaving their faith. When you hear someone use the word, it certainly helps to ask what they mean. Everyone is different, and for believers in Christ, we’ll all go through spiritual ups and downs.
Maybe you’re walking through a season of uncertainty of what you have long believed. If so, I want to encourage you to go to the Lord and to His word. Pray and ask God to help you understand. Stay in Christian community. Ask questions of your pastors or others you trust. Resist the urge to isolate or spend too much time online.
These can help keep you from deconstructing. Remember that God loves you. He wants a personal relationship with you, and to bring you safely into His kingdom at the end of your days.
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)
A great source of additional information I recommend is The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett.
Or if you prefer a shorter form podcast, check out The Sean McDowell Show: The Deconstruction Of Christianity (Ft. Alisa Childers, Tim Barnett).
[1] Sean McDowell, Alisa Childers, Tim Barnett (Hosts). (2024, Jan. 2) The Sean McDowell Show [The Deconstruction Of Christianity] https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/the-deconstruction-of-christianity-ft-alisa-childers-tim-barnett
