Why Deconstruction Without Reconstruction is Harmful
Written by Rachel Shin
“Deconstruction” has become a buzz-word in the Christian community in recent years. While deconstruction isn’t a new philosophical concept and it’s neither good nor bad, it’s important that we don’t conflate deconstruction with enlightenment. The form of deconstruction happening in Christianity seems one of shedding certain beliefs in hopes of understanding our faith and the Church. I’ll save the theological deep dives for pastors like John Mark Comer who shared an incredible teaching on this subject, but deconstruction isn’t something we should be afraid to address when we’re in fellowship.
Let’s consider Jesus’ parable in the Gospel of Luke when Jesus told his followers about the wise builder who builds his home on a firm foundation (6:46-48). We know Christ calls us to be like the wise builder so that what we build can withstand any storm. My hope is to share what I’ve gathered about deconstruction and to encourage those walking through it to hold on to Jesus, the Perfecter of our faith and our Foundation in every season.
The hope of Christ as our foundation is that no matter what storms come, which leaders rise or fall and the many trials we face in life, He will remain.
What is deconstruction?
Deconstruction is the middle step of a three step process: Construction, Deconstruction and Reconstruction.
Here’s an analogy to illustrate: Imagine that you’ve inherited a house. It’s a little funky but it has great bones, so you move in. Over time, you decide to really make this house your home, so you remodel. It gets kinda messy before you finally take it down to the studs, but you know the original foundation must remain intact. Then with care and patience, you begin to rebuild it piece by piece into a home you love.
In this analogy, the house symbolizes the inherited spiritual beliefs passed down to us by our family or community and its foundation symbolizes the pillars of our faith that hold it together. The process of taking ownership of the house, demolishing all but the foundation and rebuilding it into a home mirrors the process of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction. I hope this analogy helps to demonstrate that deconstruction isn’t the final product; rather it’s one step in a rebuilding process.
Why do people deconstruct?
When I spoke with others about why they chose to deconstruct, some said it started with decades of church-hurt while others said they struggled with hard questions. Even though their experiences varied, I began to see a common thread among them when it came to questioning the church and church leadership. If we look around, it’s not hard to see why….
In the last few years alone, the sheer number of fallen pastors and spiritual leaders is devastating. Countless tragic events in the BIPOC and AAPI communities ignited a world-wide social reckoning. The polarizing effect of the 2020 election on the church left some of us feeling divided and hurt. Considering these factors alone, it makes sense why people are asking questions and raising concerns.
While I haven’t personally gone through a recent deconstruction, I did spend the majority of my life as an atheist who was incredibly skeptical of Christianity. As a child, I saw someone who worked for the church repeatedly abuse a close family member. After this experience, I placed a wall between myself and God that didn’t come down until my mid-twenties. While I wish my reconciliation with God would’ve taken less time on my end, I’m amazed by the patient kindness of Jesus that pursued me all those years until I was ready. My experience reminds me to hold onto hope for others while they walk through their own challenging seasons on the way to deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Even though it can be tempting to judge what we don’t understand, especially when it comes to faith, choosing to listen with a compassionate heart will take us much further than criticism.
Why is deconstruction without reconstruction harmful?
If you’ve seen Fixer Upper or personally attempted to remodel your home, then you know it takes less time to tear down a house than it does to rebuild. Sometimes as we navigate our process, we can get stuck along the way to rebuilding. Let’s return to the house analogy to illustrate why deconstruction without reconstruction is harmful.
Let’s first consider the house’s “framework” or those foundational pillars of our faith. As Christians, here are examples of spiritual pillars we want to keep intact:
- God sent His one and only son Jesus so we may be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life in Him (John 3:16).
- The Bible is the true, living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).
- The Holy Spirit leads us and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26).
If we begin to compromise on our core beliefs in the midst of deconstruction, we risk the overall integrity of what we’re trying to rebuild with God. This isn’t to say we can’t bring our honest questions to Jesus and be vulnerable about our doubts in the process, but there are certain foundational principles of our faith that when removed will cause the house to fall. We have to look at the blueprints in God’s Word and seek Jesus as our master carpenter to build accordingly.
Further, if we begin to deconstruct on our own apart from God’s leadership, Scripture and community, we’re setting ourselves up for harm. In the parable of the wise builder, Jesus also mentioned a foolish builder who did not heed His words and built a house without a foundation,
“The moment the torrent struck that house,
it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
-Luke 6:49 NIV
If we find ourselves outside of abiding in Christ, let’s be reminded that we have a loving Savior who is ready and able to meet us in our darkest moments. Even when we don’t understand, He does. The hope of Christ as our foundation is that no matter what storms come, which leaders rise or fall and the many trials we face in life, He will remain. If you resonate with this and sense a need to make a u-turn or resubmit your heart to Him, there’s no better time than the present. Jesus is eagerly waiting for us with open arms to run to Him.
A prayer for those in process…
Inspired by Psalm 139, a prayer for our identity in Christ.
Lord,
You are grace and You are mercy.
You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I rise and when I fall.
You are familiar with all my ways.
You have created my inmost being,
I’m fearfully and wonderfully made.
You hem me in behind and before me,
And You lay Your hand upon me.
You are my firm foundation, my rock.
You are my very present help in trouble.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
And lead me in Your way.
In closing, I hope you’re inspired to encourage one another, trusting we are not alone. As you navigate your current season, remember to seek God with the assurance that He is our firm foundation.
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