Faith deconstruction

Faith deconstruction, also known as deconstructing faith, evangelical deconstruction,[1] the deconstruction movement, or simply deconstruction, is a phenomenon within American evangelicalism in which Christians rethink their faith and jettison previously held beliefs, sometimes to the point of no longer identifying as Christians. It is closely related to the exvangelical movement.[2]

Description

The term can have a range of meanings. Alisa Childers defines deconstruction as "the process of systematically dissecting and often rejecting the beliefs you grew up with."[3] Tyler Huckabee, writing for Relevant magazine, defines it as "a process of re-examining the faith you grew up with."[4] John Stonestreet and Timothy Padgett note that it is used both descriptively (covering everything from the deconversion of Kevin Max, through the soul searching of Derek Webb, to the theological revisions of Jen Hatmaker and Rob Bell), or prescriptively ("recommended, especially to those questioning what they’ve grown up with, as a courageous thing to do").[5]

There is broad agreement that the term is derived from Jacques Derrida's philosophical concept of deconstruction.[4][6] David Hayward says that he "co-opted the term" from Derrida, whose work he was reading at the time his beliefs started to erode.[7]

Notable advocates of faith deconstruction include internet comedy duo Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal (who published multiple podcast episodes detailing their spiritual deconstruction),[8][9] John D. Caputo (who in 2007 wrote What Would Jesus Deconstruct?: The Good News of Postmodernism for the Church), and Richard Rohr.[10] Prominent former Christians who underwent deconstruction include Joshua Harris (who briefly offered a course on deconstruction[11][12][13]), Abraham Piper,[14][15] and Marty Sampson.[16]

As of February 2022 there were 293,026 posts on Instagram using the hashtag #deconstruction.[3]

Responses

After preaching a sermon in which he equated deconstruction with leaving the faith, Matt Chandler clarified that it "doesn’t mean doubt or theological wrestle or struggling through church hurt."[6] John Cooper has stated, "It is time that we declare war against this deconstruction Christian movement... There is nothing Christian about it. It is a false religion."[4][17]

On the other hand, Tyler Huckabee argues that it can result in "deconversion", or "in your faith looking more or less the same it always did" but "most often, it's somewhere in between—rethinking the things you’ve always believed and coming to a new, different understanding of parts of it."[4] Huckabee goes on to suggest that Martin Luther's own theological revolution "fits into the paradigm of what researchers would call deconstruction today."[4]

Carl Trueman argues that the "(mis)use of the Derridean d-word gives the whole a specious veneer of intellectualism and a certain superannuated postmodern chic."[18]

See also

References
  1. Schaal, Kevin (5 December 2021). "Evangelical Deconstruction: Biblical Fundamentalist Thoughts". Foundations Baptist Fellowship International. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  2. Szterszky, Subby. "Deconstruction: A look at a popular and polarizing concept". Focus on the Family Canada. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. Childers, Alisa (18 February 2022). "Why We Should Not Redeem 'Deconstruction'". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  4. Huckabee, Tyler (9 February 2022). "Skillet's John Cooper: It's Time to 'Declare War Against This Deconstruction Christian Movement'". Relevant. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  5. Stonestreet, John; Padgett, Timothy D. "The Problem with Deconstructing Faith". BreakPoint. Colson Center. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  6. Jackson, Jesse T. (8 December 2021). "Matt Chandler Responds to Deconstruction Controversy". ChurchLeaders. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  7. Garrison, Becky (September 9, 2020). "Doubt, Marriage, and the NakedPastor". TheHumanist.com.
  8. Rhett's Spiritual Deconstruction, retrieved 2022-11-30
  9. Link's Spiritual Deconstruction, retrieved 2022-11-30
  10. Austin, Terry (22 November 2021). "Jesus and deconstruction". Baptist News Global. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  11. Mayberry, Carly (13 August 2021). "Josh Harris Launches Course on Deconstructing Faith, but Some Theologians Question His Motives". Newsweek. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  12. Gryboski, Michael (13 August 2021). "'I kissed dating goodbye' author Josh Harris offering 'deconstruction' class on Christianity for $275". The Christian Post. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  13. Lea, Jessica (16 August 2021). "UPDATE: After 'Valid Criticism,' Josh Harris Takes Down His Deconstruction Course". ChurchLeaders. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  14. Poletti, Johnathan (16 April 2021). "Abraham Piper deconstructs his dad". Medium. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  15. Jackson, Jesse T. (14 April 2021). "Not Desiring God–John Piper's Son Criticizes His Upbringing to 925k TikTok Followers". ChurchLeaders. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  16. Kuruvilla, Carol (26 August 2019). "Evangelical Songwriter Says He's No Longer Christian In Emotional Instagram Post". HuffPost. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  17. "Skillet's John Cooper Warns 'Young People' of 'False Religion' in Viral TikTok". Movieguide. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  18. Trueman, Carl (12 August 2021). "Josh Harris's Message Remains the Same". First Things. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

Further reading
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