Christian Deconstruction: A Trend That’s Here To Stay

Seemingly, every time I jump onto social media, I read about another Christian who has walked away from his or her faith. Namely, Christianity. Sometimes the person is a celebrity Christian, but those stories are only noticed the most because of the person involved. Look up Christian deconstruction on YouTube, and you will find countless stories of men and women walking away from the God of the Bible. They will tell you about lives marked by a deep faith in Jesus only to eventually give Him up after learning something that absolutely rocked their beliefs and sent them on a search for something new. So, what is this deconstruction, anyway?

Defining Deconstruction

Honestly, deconstruction is exactly what it sounds like. It is disassembling your faith one piece at a time. Usually, a woman who deconstructs her Christian faith will begin relying heavily on her personal experiences and feelings when deciding what is true about the Lord. This is really mistake number one. According to Scripture, we are not the best judge of what is right and wrong.  

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Jeremiah 17:9

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.”

Proverbs 14:12-13

“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

Proverbs 28:26

Someone deconstructing her faith believes that she is understanding the Bible in a new way. Apparently, God’s Word wasn’t meant to be understood until present day. (Note the sarcasm, please.) The other argument is that Scripture’s meaning has changed with the times. Of course, we know this is untrue because God never changes.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Hebrews 13:8

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

Isaiah 40:8

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Malachi 3:6

The Major Factors Of Deconstruction

Christian deconstruction does not have some sort of handy instruction manual…yet. However, when I read various sources, I found a pretty clear pattern in which areas of the Christian life play into someone’s deconstruction. I have put together a list of seven factors that I believe have a significant role in the Christian deconstruction trend we see today.

1. The Bible

Christians understand the Bible to be inerrant and the inspired Word of God, but a Christian in deconstruction has bought into the lie that it was written by “some guys a long time ago,” removing God from the equation altogether. A teacher or member of the intelligentsia convinced this Christian that the Bible is full of errors and incongruencies. If that were true, then it would be easy to doubt one’s faith.

2. Hell

Those Christians deconstructing their faith outright reject the idea of Hell. Listen, no one is particularly happy to believe Hell exists. I have a mother who I believe was likely unsaved when she died, and I hurt to think about what that means. At the same time, my sadness over my mom’s eternally significant rejection of the gospel does not trump God’s plans.

Many who deconstruct will land on new “facts” about Hell. One such “fact” is that Jesus didn’t mean we go to Hell when we die. This fallacious statement is based on Jesus’ language when describing Hell. The argument says that He was referencing Old Testament prophets who were talking about invading armies taking God’s people into captivity. Suffice it to say, it takes a lot mental gymnastics to get to this belief, but people will believe almost anything to convince themselves that there is no eternal consequence to sin. However Romans is clear. There are consequences.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

3. Evil And Suffering

You’ve heard this criticism a million times before. “A good god wouldn’t let bad things happen.” I’m sure we’ve all asked God, “Why,” at some point. We have compassion, and we care about those around us, but we have such an insignificant and small view of eternity that it’s arrogant to think we know if something is just, right, or meant for good. We also ignore the consequences of the Fall when we make these kinds of criticisms. God didn’t create a fallen world with evil and suffering. Man’s sin did that.

4. The Church

We all know the church has, unfortunately, been the source of many hurts and betrayals. Some pastors are abusive or bullies from the pulpit. Members can be petty, gossipy, and cliquish. These are real reasons to look for a healthy church, not to deconstruct one’s faith.

On the other hand, there are Christians who begin the path of Christian deconstruction because the church’s “political” leanings (aka: pro-life) or LGBTQ+ stance is not in unity with the mainstream culture. In these instances, the individual’s beliefs are changing in accordance with the culture, and she is attempting to create a faith that satisfies her preferences and new worldview. She’s not hurt by the church. Rather, she is rejecting its biblical teachings.

5. Substitutionary Atonement

Simply put, substitutionary atonement refers to Christ suffering and dying for humanity. God required payment for sin, and Christ paid it all for us.

This doesn’t sit well with everyone. The argument from a deconstructionist view is that God is a cosmic child abuser (i.e., killed His Son), and Jesus simply saved us from an angry Father, not sin. This is completely unbiblical.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

1 Peter 3:18

6. Judgment

People don’t like being judged, and they are ready to call you out on it when you do. “Judge not lest ye be judged.” You know, that’s essentially the message in Matthew 7:1, but more verses happen. Context, folks. Context.

“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:5

Oh… Judge, but not as a hypocrite. Deal with your own sin first. But, um, judgment is not a banned activity for Christians.

7. Sexual Autonomy

I assume this has always been a point of contention for people, but with the big push to accept and celebrate everyone’s sexual desires, we can hardly be surprised that our “archaic” standards for sexual intimacy make people uncomfortable, even angry. Won’t let a homosexual couple marry in the church? Homophobe! Counsel a young man that his desires to be a woman do not, in fact, make him a female? Bigot! A deconstructed Christian “knows” Jesus would love and accept these individuals exactly as they are, or she would be so disgusted with God’s commands concerning sex that she would leave the Church completely.

Why You Should Care About Christian Deconstruction

I can’t say if Christian deconstruction is on the rise, but it has definitely gained more popularity and prominence in the news cycle. One celebrity Christian after another is coming forward to share their deconstruction stories and why they left the Church.

It is generally accepted that the flood gates opened for deconstruction after Rob Bell released Love Wins in 2011. His book denied the existence of a literal Hell and embraced Universalism. Armed with Bell’s book as support, Christians began dabbling in deconstruction and telling the world all about it. I’m talking about Joshua Harris (author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye), Marty Sampson (Hillsong United), John Steingard (Hawk Nelson), Michael and Lisa Gungor (Gungor), and YouTubers Rhett and Link. These names, in truth, don’t mean a lot to me, but I know many Christians follow these people and are heavily influenced by them. Some people, such as Rhett and Link, actually share how to deconstruct and even provide resources and evidence they used.

Don’t let anyone fool you. Most people who deconstruct are not satisfied with leaving biblical Christianity. They want to preach the gospel of deconstruction and win converts.

The Statistics

Lifeway released some thought-provoking statistics about Gen Z (yrs. 1997-2015). Let’s take a look.

* Research stated that 66% of young adults aged eighteen to twenty-two who regularly attended Protestant church services stopped attending for a year or more.

* Two major criticisms Gen Z has with the Church is racial justice and the stance on LGBTQ+ issues. (1 in 6 identified as LGBTQ+.)

* 88% believe black Americans are treated differently than other races. (This makes for fertile ground to plant Critical Race Theory (CRT) ideas.)

You can see from the statistics that Gen Z is already buying into the current societal agendas revolving around CRT, sexuality, and a deprioritizing of church attendance and membership.

All Christian Deconstruction Is Not Bad

OK, I know I’ve made a case for why deconstruction is destructive and pulls people away from the faith, but there are occurrences that lead to a deeper, restored faith. Predictably, we don’t hear about those experiences.

A fantastic example of a positive deconstruction comes from Alisa Childers. She was a member of the girl group ZOEgirl in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Today she is an apologist, podcast host, and author of the book Another Gospel?. Her faith was heavily challenged by a pastor, and she deconstructed and later reconstructed her faith into something even stronger than it was before. Check out her video below. Her testimony is a wonderful encouragement for anyone who has a loved one currently deconstructing his or her faith.

Final Thought

There are a lot of theories as to why Christian deconstruction is so prevalent. It seemed like a trendy thing to do, but now it appears to be here to stay for the long haul. One common thought is that deconstruction is inevitable. I disagree.

I believe deconstruction is completely avoidable. Popular YouTubers, hosts of the podcast “The Ear Biscuits,” and former Christians Rhett and Link shared about their deconstruction experiences. They felt “conditioned” in their Christianity. It sounds like their faith wasn’t their own. This seems to be a common experience among those going through deconstruction.

We need to teach our young people more than “This is what we do to live as a Christian,” or “This is how we do church.” That’s fine and all, but every generation needs a first-generation experience. Do you follow? Jesus radically changed my life when I was saved. I have spent years studying His Word to understand why I am supposed to believe what I believe. We need to do that for our youth. Don’t be afraid of questions. We want a faith that runs deep, and shallow teaching and understanding will never get us there.

What To Do

Teach new believers and young people the Word of God. Really disciple them. Fight the indoctrination of schools and media. (Consider homeschooling.) Let them ask questions. So many people who have left the Church were shamed when they had questions and told to just believe it. Don’t settle for a mindless faith. Know what you believe and why. If you do, then there won’t be a need for deconstruction.

Christian deconstruction is here, so be ready to guide those in doubt back to the one Hope we all have. Jesus.

What do you think about deconstruction? Have you deconstructed your faith?

Resources:

Deconstructing Faith: Meet the Evangelicals Who Are Questioning Everything

Reconstructing Faith in a Deconstructing Culture

Dealing With Doubt and Deconstruction

What the Church Could Learn from Two YouTubers Losing Their Faith

Image courtesy of Valery Fedotov via Unsplash.