“Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked” (2 Peter 3:17 NKJV).
Many of us have heard of highly visible personalities, and maybe even friends, family members, or acquaintances who have deconstructed their faith. What is deconstruction? Is it a modern theory and process, or just another term for apostasy? Is there anything we can learn about it that will equip us to help others? What kinds of things can we do, instead of wringing our hands, to address this troubling reality?
Deconstruction Theory
Deconstruction as an educational pursuit was developed by Jacques Derrida to interpret literary texts. It is a philosophy which attempts to strip away all cultural assumptions, structures, and formalism, first from works of literature and then subsequently from all philosophies and ways of thinking.
Deconstruction involves the close reading of texts to demonstrate that any given text has irreconcilably contradictory meanings, rather than being a unified, logical whole. J. Hillis Miller, an American expert in deconstructionism, stated in his 1976 essay entitled Stevens’ Rock and Criticism as Cure, “Deconstruction is not a dismantling of the structure of a text, but a demonstration that it has already dismantled itself. Its apparently solid ground is no rock but thin air.”[^1]
Derrida popularized the term deconstruction, arguing that in Western culture, people tend to think and communicate in terms of opposites (e.g., white/black, masculine/feminine, cause/effect). Derrida suggests that one term of each opposite is viewed as superior, creating a mini-hierarchy. Through deconstruction, Derrida aims to eliminate the binary in such a way that the implied hierarchy is thrown into question.[^2]
Deconstruction is the logical next step in post-modern ideology. Postmodernism believes that objective truth does not exist. Even if it did, it would be subject to the stories of the individual’s experiences. Because everyone’s experiences differ, one must attempt to find the narrative that interprets and makes the experience meaningful to the individual. Hence, one cannot take anything at face value. Postmodernism aims to find the meaning of shifting moral concepts through analyzing texts and the modern language used. There is no truth, only interpretation.
Deconstruction follows, promoting the idea that consistency does not exist, and since values are relative, no absolute meaning exists anywhere. These foundational interpretations are now being applied to philosophy, law, psychology, theology, feminism, political theory, LGBTQ studies, and history. It has become a comprehensive way of observing and evaluating the world around us.
Religious Deconstruction
Religious deconstruction is difficult to define. In Christian circles, the term is now used on the spectrum ranging from reevaluating or changing one’s view of eschatology to completely abandoning the faith. Unlike Scripture’s value of fidelity to the truth, religious deconstruction is viewed by many to be a sign of personal growth and authenticity. The ultimate danger is the potential that God’s Word must answer to the individual’s judgment rather than the individual submitting to God’s Word.
Tim Barnett and Alisha Childers state in their book, The Deconstruction of Christianity: What it Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond, “Deconstruction is a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without requiring Scripture as a standard.” The deconstructionist interacts with the biblical text not only to identify the inconsistencies of the Bible but also to assert there are actually no consistencies at all in the Scriptures.
The goal is to abolish the villain of authority structures and liberate humankind from all the oppression of hierarchy so that the individual becomes its own ultimate authority. “The motive behind Derrida’s strategy of undoing [deconstruction] stems from his alarm over illegitimate appeals to authority and exercises of power. The belief that one has reached the single correct Meaning (or God, or ‘Truth’) provides a wonderful excuse for damning those with whom one disagrees as either ‘fools’ or ‘heretics.’ . . . Neither Priests, who supposedly speak for God, nor Philosophers, who supposedly speak for Reason, should be trusted; this ‘logocentric’ claim to speak from a privileged perspective (e.g., Reason, the Word of God) is a bluff that must be called, or better, ‘deconstructed.'”[^3]
The Desiring God website says “‘Deconstruction’ has become a kind of shorthand term that, in addition to critically questioning traditional ways of thinking, also implies a refusal to recognize as authorities those who see themselves (or are perceived to see themselves) as ones who ‘claim to speak from a privileged perspective’ about what truth is…often refusing to recognize as authorities those perceived as occupying privileged Christian institutional positions who ‘supposedly speak for God.'”[^4]
Core Claim and How It Operates in Religion
Religious, including Christian, deconstructionism asserts that since doctrines and texts are polluted, they do not possess a single, final, or universal meaning because they are mediated through human language, culture, power structures, and traditional ways of thinking. This has a direct impact upon the truth claims of Scriptural authority.
Scripture is viewed as fallible, human-inspired writing and not authoritative revelation from God. The emphasis then is not placed upon learning what God has said but on the seeming contradictions, inconsistencies, and tensions within the writing. It is also pointed out that the texts have various, competing interpretations, making clear and authoritative statements suspicious at best. When those statements are made by people in power, they are nearly entirely discredited.
Because the texts of Scripture are regarded as dubious, the doctrines from the texts are viewed as historical constructions shaped by forces of power reflecting the politics, culture, and institutions of the day. Deconstructionists question “orthodox” interpretations as being beneficial to power and suppressing alternative interpretations.
Language about God is considered suspiciously inadequate and metaphorical. While there may be a desire to preserve some semblance of faith, it is without any binding authority or dogma. It could be said that this concept of God leaves one’s feet planted in mid-air with no solid, historical, or traditional basis.
The End of the Road – Abandoning the Faith
There have always been those who resist and fall away from the truth; this dates all the way back to the New Testament era. What seems to be different today is the support for abandoning the faith. It is trendy, fashionable, and viewed as “enlightened” by the masses. Terms like exvangelicals are common, and social media sites celebrating deconversion are easy for anyone to find. Still, when one hears of someone deconstructing, one should press in to understand how the term is being used. There are at least four levels they could be referring to.
Four Levels of Deconstruction
I would describe four tiers of deconstruction that represent increasingly intense results. The first and least destructive level is engaged in dismantling harmful cultural understandings or practices but not historical orthodox Christian beliefs. In fact, some have suggested the word reform rather than deconstruction for this first tier. This looks different for different groups. Someone in prosperity churches will have a different experience than a fundamental Baptist, high church, or conservative Anabaptist. This may include evaluating cultural Christianity and the emotional baggage found in harmful cultural practices.
We cannot escape having a culture since every move of God develops a culture around it. That culture, over time, may replace the move of God and develop negative, hurtful characteristics or even benign practices. First-tier deconstruction will attempt to strip through the culture and get back to the truth.
Second-tier deconstruction involves a constructive challenge in the form of a personal crisis. Many believers have, early in their journey, experienced a crisis of faith where they engage in some form of evaluating their faith with Scripture piece by piece. It may be centered around philosophical questions, science, authority, or struggles of emphasis. Men like Billy Graham, Francis Schaeffer, and many others have experienced this level of scrutinizing their faith and have come through with a deeper commitment to truth.
Third-tier deconstruction is dismantling various doctrines of the Christian faith. Youth go off to college or follow their favorite podcaster and become exposed to ideas they have never encountered before. Through this exposure, they grapple with the Scriptures from a perspective of unbelief rather than from a foundation of faith. If one does this alone or lacks discernment of the many voices they encounter, they may end up dismissing such things as eternal punishment, certain aspects of God’s character, or embracing things like universalism or Christian Nationalism, to name just a few.
The deepest, most destructive form of deconstruction is the dismantling of Christianity altogether. Many famous personalities, quite shockingly, have done this. A contemporary of Billy Graham, Charles Templeton, gave up his faith over the problem of evil. Joshua Harris, a novice thrust into celebrity status too early, stated, “In no sense am I any longer a Christian.” In these examples, the result was deconversion and abandoning the faith.
What Should Be Done About This?
The first thing that will help us is to develop a robust theology that is Gospel-based and Christ-centered. In a day when people are questioning absolutely everything, we appeal to the historic faith once for all delivered to the saints. If theology is the study of God and His ways, the answer to life’s perplexing questions is a greater experiential knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17). We stand on the shoulders of the biblical apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief Cornerstone. He alone holds the keys to unlock the mysteries of the faith. God has shared His thoughts with us in His Word. His Word is truth. The true Gospel will stand up under the scrutiny of the critic and the ridicule of the skeptic.
The challenge for us is more than merely intellectual. We must address things from a moral and spiritual perspective. Walking with the young, making it safe for them to ask questions, and not overreacting when we experience pushback will help maintain a relationship between them and mature believers. This is crucial when the storms of doubt press in.
Next, we must be diligent to increase Biblical literacy. Do our parents know enough about Scripture to teach the next generation? One cannot stand upon what he or she does not know. “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Parents bear primary responsibility, supported by the church, to teach children line upon line and precept upon precept. Part of this is providing an apologetic for the trustworthiness and authenticity of the Bible.
This then leads us to discern between struggle and rebellion. Rebellion is argumentative, while struggle genuinely desires to know, even if the answer is not received in the end. Sit down with the Bible, study the pertinent passages, and identify commands, instructions, and wisdom issues. Lead others in their search for knowledge, understanding, and heavenly wisdom. No legitimate question takes God by surprise; neither should we be surprised or shocked by the honest questions of sincere youth. We cannot ignore them.
Finally, we must recognize the spiritual battle we are facing. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 is very clear what spiritual warfare is all about. It is Satan’s assault to seize control of the mind and our requirement to cast out lies and to punish our own disobedience. Pulling down strongholds, dismantling arguments and vain imaginations, and bringing every thought into the obedience of Christ is the ever-present challenge of the believer.
If someone you know says they are deconstructing, ask the question, “What do you mean by that?” They may simply be reevaluating the cultural response to a wisdom issue. If perhaps they mean they are walking away from the truth of God’s Word, with much prayer and compassion we must appeal to the one going astray while overcoming the tendency to react out of fear. We must pray and engage with them wisely. “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).