The Deconstruction of Christianity
The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond
By: Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett
“Faithfulness to God comes at a cost. It’s easier to submit to societal opinions than to stand on scriptural truth.”
[Note: if you are less of a reader and prefer podcasts, HERE is a link to one of Childers’ podcasts where she talks about a lot of this information.]
With the same easy to follow arguments and illustrations of her book, Live Your Truth (and Other Lies), Alisa Childers and co-author Tim Barnett expose what’s really happening during deconstruction and remind us of the importance of truth and holding fast to God’s Word.
Childers and Barnett take a nuanced and confusing topic— deconstruction— and bring clarity and distinction. It is clear they were committed to researching this topic within the spheres it operates and heard from the most influential deconstructionists.
They look at the what, why, and who of the whole process with a desire to help us understand the deconstruction community, of which our loved ones may be part, and to know how to stay grounded in biblical conviction with compassion.
They recognize that there are many things out of the scope of this book. They aren’t attempting to address every theological issue deconstructionists put out. (If you are looking for some answers and evidence surrounding specific beliefs, I would direct you to the books listed at the end of the review.)
But what they do address is the pull of the deconstruction movement and their desire for relationships to be restored, both between family and friends, but also between people and the Lord.
I thought this book was very well-researched and written in a firm but loving tone. I highlighted so much!
One reviewer was turned off, saying there was no room for compromise here. I’m not sure exactly what they mean by compromise, but I think this book was written for that very reason. Following Christ requires conviction. If you believe something is true, you don’t compromise that belief for a lie.
Following Christ will put us on the outs from our culture. Romans 12 reminds us to stop conforming to the world— stop compromising. Deconstructors tend to look at culture and their inner moral compass to determine what is right. As Christians we look to God and his Word to form our beliefs, even if those beliefs are condemned by the culture.
Deconstruct or Reform?
They make the important distinction that deconstruction is not the same as reforming. Though there are many different definitions of deconstruction, a fundamental aspect of deconstruction is the rejection of authority, aka the Bible.
“The church isn’t always reforming to keep up with contemporary culture, or to get rid of old, dusty orthodoxy. Rather, it’s always being reformed according to Scripture.”
Asking questions of your faith and your beliefs is a good and healthy thing. We should know why we believe what we believe. Doubts and questions should not be suppressed but brought to light and engaged with. But as Christians we hold up each belief to our authority— the Bible— as we should. (A circular reasoning that is required for any ultimate source of truth and authority.)
“We all have uncritically accepted beliefs, and some of those were true beliefs and some were false beliefs. This is why we need to understand why we believe the things we do.”
But this type of questioning and doubting is not deconstruction. A better word would be reforming. Aligning our beliefs and the things taught to us with God’s Word as the Bereans did in Acts.
Deconstruction, at its core, seeks to undermine Scripture. Reforming, at its core, seeks to understand Scripture.
Simply put, deconstruction:
“is not about trying to make your views match reality. It’s about tearing down doctrines that are morally wrong to you to make them match your own internal conscience, moral compass, true authentic self, or whatever else it’s being called these days.”
‘The Deconstruction of Christianity’ is divided into three parts.
Part One: #Exvangelical
These chapters look at the trending hashtag #exvangelical and how Christians are interacting with the deconstruction process.
Christians have tried to “baptize” the word deconstruction to try to make it ‘fit’ with Christianity. But as Childers and Barnett helpfully point out— not only does that just add to the confusion and miscommunication and appear deceptive to a community that already distrusts Christians, it also ironically plays out the deconstructionist idea that meaning is subjective.
We should let deconstruction mean what it means and interact with it as it claims itself to be, not try to change the word to mean something it doesn’t.
They don’t address or try to defend the term ‘evangelical’ as that word in itself would take an entire book to deal with.
“There are, no doubt, aspects of evangelical culture that need to be reformed.”
But they do acknowledge that the term evangelical has a lot of baggage:
“for many in the #exvangelical community, evangelical is perceived to be synonymous with misogyny, racism, homophobia, and the political support of Donald Trump.”
What is important to note here is that the beliefs of self-identified evangelicals vary tremendously. Almost half don’t believe Jesus is God, 38% don’t believe in objective truth, and over half think God accepts worship from other religions. These all go against biblical beliefs. So what does evangelical really mean?
It’s a big thing to unpack, and one place to start would be the book Gospel People.
It is true that their target audience for this book is Christians rather than deconstructors.
“While the book is primarily written to Christians who are experiencing deconstruction from the outside, we hope to present the topic in a way that is reasonable, accurate, and filled with grace for those experiencing it from the inside.”
Because of the nature of ‘beliefs’ there will be some things that deconstructors won’t like to read. For example, the authors say, “The reality, however, is that in deconstruction, one trades being a servant of Christ for being a slave to sin. It can feel like freedom at first because we love our sin, but it’s a path that leads to destruction” We believe this because of Romans 6. Someone who does not follow Christ is not easily going to accept or agree that they are a slave to their sin because they don’t believe the Bible.
But the authors reiterate that they are not writing to tear down and criticize people. We need to see each other as image-bearers, God’s creation, and because of that— worthy of dignity and love. They write to tear down arguments in an honest and thorough search for truth. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
They don’t say these things to point out the worst in people. They say these things because it’s the gospel message: we are sinners who need a Savior. If we don’t know our disease, we won’t care about a cure.
We all believe something. We all worship something. If God and his Word is not our authority, something else is. Most likely the self. So scrutinize yourself as you do Christianity.
“When it comes to faith, some questions seek answers, and some questions seek exits. There are questions that seek after truth, but other questions seek to avoid truth.”
Part Two: Deconstruction
These chapters talk about the reasons why people have been walking away from Christianity.
Some reviewers have critiqued this book for putting up straw-man arguments, but I would disagree.
The authors are not trying to pin down ‘every deconstructor’ in this book. Each individual’s journey will look different and may be triggered by varying things. People will have different questions, hurts, and frustrations.
Childers and Barnett articulate that what they are trying to engage with are the most common issues and primary grievances prevalent among the most popular or influential voices in the conversation. The voices that the individuals may be listening and relating to.
They cover a lot of ground and everything they bring up is something I have seen expressed by others in multiple places. Each issue or argument may not describe every deconstructor but I think it would be hard to argue that they are misrepresenting the arguments as they quote directly from articles, tweets, and videos with tons of views.
Here Childers and Barnett offer the illustration of a two-level house.
“In this house, facts go downstairs, and preferences go upstairs.”
Most people today relegate religious beliefs to the upstairs. You can’t make objective statements about them.
But the problem is that pretty much all religions make exclusive and objective claims about themselves. They are worldviews and a lens in which you view the big questions of life- where did we come from, why are we here, what is the meaning of life?
“We’re claiming that Christianity is true to reality— it fits the way the world really is. It’s objectively true.”
Jesus says in John 18:37 that he came into the world “to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus was a real, historical man who made exclusive claims about himself and the truth. We have to engage with those in the realm of facts. Either they are true or not true. They can’t be mere preferences.
“Jesus was either raised from the dead, as a historical event in reality, or he wasn’t. If he wasn’t, then Christianity is false. If he was, then Christianity is true for everyone, whether they believe it or not.”
I think that is truly what is at the heart of any conversation regarding deconstruction: What is Truth?
Because deconstruction is rooted in postmodern ideas of rejecting authority and the ability to know anything objective, ‘truth’ becomes individualized. Relative. This is where we get ‘my truth’ and ‘your truth.’ And the idea that no one can tell you what to do, what is right, and what is wrong.
Postmodern thought desires to dismantle authority structures and to group people as either oppressed or oppressors. This is the origin behind claims that Christianity— as a set of beliefs— is a toxic and manipulative power structure seeking to control people.
An honest look at the Bible shows a holy God who must deal with sin in a just way. It shows a God overflowing with mercy, love, grace, forgiveness, and a heart for the marginalized and vulnerable. The entire book tells the story of God redeeming a broken people to himself and offering hope and salvation in a world of sin and evil.
But this mantra of toxic and manipulative authority is fundamental to critical theory and pervasive in much secular thought toward Christianity today, whether people realize or acknowledge it.
[This is fleshed out more in the insightful book Cynical Theories.]
You can’t follow the logic of relativism through everything without lots of problems. There has to be some sort of level of morality and truth for a society to function. Where do those standards come from? Can we really allow popularity, cultural acceptance, and our feelings to dictate those standards?
But there is more going on in deconstruction than just identifying what is true or false. More and more, people are not asking whether or not Christianity is true, they are asking if it’s good.
If this describes you, I would recommend the book Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn’t because Gavin Ortlund seeks to answer that question throughout his book and does a really compelling job of showing the beauty and goodness of God and his Word.
So many of deconstructors’ stories involve abuse of some kind from a church body or church leadership. The hurts are real.
Childers and Barnett do not make excuses for the harm done by those claiming the name of Christ. And they advocate for abusers to be held accountable.
Those who hurt and manipulate people do so against the teachings of the Bible, not in accordance with it. People will misuse the Bible and misinterpret the Bible, but that doesn’t make Christianity inherently false. As Christians, our authority is not in the people who wield the Bible, but in God and the words he has given us in Scripture.
“It’s fallen people, not Christianity, who are abusive. Jesus came to set captives free.”
Part 3: #HOPE
These chapters talk about the ways the church can be a safer place for people to feel like they can ask questions. They also challenge churches to offer better answers— meaning admitting when they don’t know or offering thoughtful responses that don’t simply try to shut down questions.
They also offer a process to consider when talking with loved ones who are deconstructing. This process is less about ‘correcting’ their theology as we tend to want to do, but listening and seeking to understand what they are going through and what is concerning them. It involves setting boundaries and respecting their boundaries.
“Many in the deconstruction movement believe Christians are fearful, simpleminded, and reactionary. Be the opposite. Break the stereotype.”
There may be a time to talk about evidence, but it’s important to be able to stay in their life and show them love.
In Neil Shenvi’s book, Why Believe?, he reminds us that “God’s purpose is to change hearts, not merely to change minds.”
There are beliefs that make up Christianity, but at the heart of Christianity is a person— Jesus Christ.
If someone can be argued into faith, they can be argued out of faith. Faith requires a heart change and a realization of their need for a Savior.
Shenvi also said, “Speaking personally, Christianity is the only religion or worldview or philosophy that correctly identifies the disease I know I have and the cure I know I need.”
If a person hasn’t reached that conclusion, no argument in the world really matters.
Childers and Barnett conclude with this:
“Christianity isn’t tidy, and neither is the church. As long as there is a church, there will be church hurt. As long as there is a cursed creation, there will be suffering. As long as there is mystery, there will be unanswered questions. But as long as there is a risen Savior, there is hope. And that’s what I want to leave you.”
And that is the wonderful news of the Gospel! Deconstruction is not new. The Bible tells of many walking away from faith. But God’s plan for redeeming his people cannot be thwarted by a clever hashtag and some earnest tweeters. Jesus is real; his death and resurrection were real; and therefore, hope is real.
Thus, the authors point out the confusion around the word ‘faith.’
Deconstructionists view faith as a blind leap, a belief without evidence.
“Certainly, there are Christians who practice a type of blind faith, but that does not mean that Christianity advocates blind faith.”
The authors remind us that even John the Baptist doubted whether Jesus was the one they’d been waiting for. When confronted with this doubt, Jesus responded by sending the message that “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matt 11:5)
This was evidence for John’s faith; it was not in vain.
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and assurance entails solid reasons to believe something.”
“God has provided enough evidence for those who seek truth but has left enough concealed for those who don’t want to submit to truth… God gives us just enough evidence so that those who want him can have him.”
I highly recommend not only this book, but follow Alisa Childers’ podcast as she talks through all kinds of topics surrounding deconstruction and ‘problems’ with Christianity.
“If Christianity is true, the stakes are life and death. The destination of deconstruction matters.”
Ask to reform.
And pray for those who are deconstructing, that they would see the Lord.
A Few More Quotes
“We are all prone to imagine a god that is more like our culture (or ourselves) than who God truly is. If we’re not careful, this can distort our view of him.”
“Every doubter eventually comes to a crossroads where they must decide whether to continue to move toward God or to move away from him.”
“As Spurgeon said ‘I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.’”
“The revolt in the Garden was a rejection of the external source of truth in exchange for an internal authority.”
“As philosopher and Baylor University professor Francis Beckwith points out, if religious beliefs belong in the realm of personal preference, then they are ‘incapable of being judged or assessed by third parties.’”
“Greg Koukl writes, ‘Remember, relativism is the ultimate negation of truth, and when truth dies, power is all that remains.’”
“C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘You must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. The modern method is to assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became so silly.’”
“Deciding theological positions by what one perceives to be helpful vs. harmful, oppressive vs. liberating, or right vs. wrong is an invalid method for doing theology. If we simply follow some type of internal moral compass to determine which beliefs are “harmful,” we might inadvertently reject truth in favor of our sensibilities.”
“If you can’t stop the gospel from being preached, you can certainly try to deconstruct the idea that meaning can be communicated with words. It’s a brilliant plan, actually. Just slip in a little postmodernism, and there goes the gospel.”
“Deconstructing an inanimate object like a knitted cardigan is an entirely different thing from deconstructing your relationship with the person who made it and gave it to you.”
“Today, many are being ensnared by a methodology that never arrives at truth. If truth isn’t the goal because they don’t believe it exists, then it can result in continual cynicism.”
Further Reading
For answers to some of the common objections or grievances with Christianity I would recommend:
Why Believe? by Neil Shenvi
Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
Is Easter Believable? by Rebecca McLaughlin (if all of Christianity hinges on the resurrection, let’s ask the important questions about it)
Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn’t by Gavin Ortlund
Surviving Religion 101 by Michael J. Kruger
Christ and the Bible by John Wenham
Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What that Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung
Books they quoted:
Mama Bear Apologetics by Hilary Morgan Ferrer
Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay (a secular look at all things related to critical theory)
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez (she refers to this to point out how KDM uses history and sociology to assume motives she believes about the group of people called evangelicals rather than interacting with the actual ideas of the Bible)
Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers (this is her first book that chronicles her own faith crises and the questions and doubts she had)
The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman (he wrote the foreword of this book)
Others:
Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher
Gospel People: A Call for Evangelical Integrity by Michael Reeves (he proposes keeping the term evangelical but does more work in defining what it should mean)
Before You Lose Your Faith Edited by Ivan Mesa (Looking back, I think this is an example where Christians were baptizing the word deconstruction and that would be a critique of the book today, but the authors of the book still have some really important things to say about the deconstruction process)
The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together by Jared Wilson (for Christians who doubt because they feel like failures)
**Received an ARC via NetGalley**
This book just released in January, 2024. You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.
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