The Dreaded Deconstruction
What is "deconstruction" and how do I react?
This topic is on the hearts of many in the church, and for good reason. Therefore, I want to make a couple of things very clear -
Abuse, toxic cultures, and cults happen within the Christian church. We must accept that. The Church has hurt people, and will continue to hurt people, because it’s made of people.
I refuse to create an “us vs them” dichotomy. I don’t play that game, and I don’t have time for it. We are all on a journey in our faith. There is no shame in questioning your beliefs and staying in your church just like there is no shame in questioning your beliefs and leaving your church. Here’s why I feel this way:
There is one body and one Spirit—
just as you were called to one hope at your calling—
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,
who is above all and through all and in all.
Eph. 4:4-6, Christian Standard Bible
I’m going to take a hard right turn here away from this verse, but if you stay with me I promise we’ll return to Paul in a few minutes. By the way, I know by quoting Paul, that I’ve already lost some of you, but please... bear with me... and Paul.
What is Deconstruction?
Basically - you analyze and question what you were taught. Maybe you change your mind, maybe you don’t.
Deconstruct:
the act of breaking something down into its separate parts in order to understand its meaning, especially when this is different from how it was previously understood
(Cambridge Dictionary)
While I was considering how to explain this the other night, I thought about grilled cheese sandwiches. Don’t judge! (And don’t skip ahead either!)
When I was little my mother taught me how to make a grilled cheese sandwich - butter the outside of the bread, put the cheese in the middle, grill.
In my 20’s I met someone who buttered both sides of the bread. Weird, but still made a sandwich.
In my 30’s the mayonnaise craze hit and everyone (including me) used mayonnaise on the outside of the bread instead. Bonus points if you bought the garlic aioli.
One day I was watching Jamie Oliver. He made your basic sandwich... and then he grated cheese into the pan and fried the sandwich again on both sides creating a cheese crust! I drool just thinking about it.
If you have young kids, it doesn’t matter what the sandwich looks like, they take it apart and eat all the different parts separately (provided you don’t use cheese singles).
Where am I going with this? To the kitchen! I want a grilled cheese sandwich now!
In all seriousness, the point I’m trying to make is this - these are all grilled cheese sandwiches. Some of us like to stick with what we know. Some of us like to get adventurous, examining what we know, and asking questions. None of them are wrong, they’re just... different.
Sometimes, in our decision to be right, we miss the person in front of us.
Would you like to discover some historical figures that deconstructed?
How about some suggestions on how to help someone who’s asking questions?
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