Deconstruction means to analyze a thought pattern that you hold. It’s good to know the reasons behind what you believe. A long time ago, the people of Berea listened carefully to the Apostle Paul’s message. But they didn’t stop there. They also searched the Scriptures to test what Paul was saying (Acts 17:11). And 1 John 4:1 tells us to not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. We must test what we hear to see if the message comes from God. So, it’s good to analyze your faith.
Thomas doubted and he was shown the truth. We should investigate our doubts and study our beliefs. Don’t reject your curiosity. Don’t check your brain at the door when you walk into a church. Scripture says to love God with your whole self. This includes your soul, heart, and mind. We need to examine ourselves to see if our faith is genuine. Did a person say it or did the bible reference it? Yes, analyzing your beliefs is a good thing.
However today, deconstruction isn’t simply about analyzing your beliefs. It often means analyzing Christian beliefs through a lens of the world. It seems that people who deconstruct their Christian faith listen to unbelievers’ reasons for not believing in Christianity. They had a bad experience. They experienced hypocrisy. They felt threatened by biblical teaching. So, the person who is deconstructing their faith thinks that they are being compassionate to intermix these unbelieving thoughts with their faith. They end up with either a watered-down version of faith or they walk away from the faith altogether.
Just because someone has a bad experience with a church, doesn’t mean that the bible is wrong. People often say one thing and do another. That’s even more reason to reach for a bible because it has strong words against hypocrites. People make mistakes, even people who say they’re Christians. People often say what they feel instead of the truth of the bible. Feelings and opinions should also be analyzed and deconstructed.
People are always going to disagree about the bible’s teaching. Man will never know everything there is to know about God and His ways. His thoughts will always be far above our thoughts. It is easy to be threatened by things you don’t understand. When you only know in part, it’s easy to feel disrespected by God’s word because His word shows us our sin.
The bible says to be in the world but not of it. We can and should have compassion for other people’s feelings but also remember that feelings aren’t always truthful. It may feel compassionate to let others live in their own opinions, but it’s not helpful. Our opinions and feelings often go awry and can’t always be trusted. Real compassion for people means speaking truth to their feelings and speaking truth doesn’t mean that you are unkind or intolerant.
The key is to learn as much as you can about God and His truth. Learn His basic character and then view your feelings through that lens. Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life and no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Take into account all that you know from reading your bible and consider, like Simon Peter did in John 6:67-69, if you walk away, where would you go. Jesus has the words that give eternal life. No one else in history has qualified to make that statement. Worshipping Christ will take you a lot further than idolizing your feelings especially when you know the reasons that you believe.
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. ~ Psalm 39:7
Thank you so much for sharing!! My son is in the middle of this and has walked away from the faith. Thanks for writing on this subject!!