Christian Deconstruction: 4 Common Traits

Deconstruction stories often trouble Christians. Once professing followers of Jesus have abandoned some or most of the classically Christian beliefs they once held. As I have read, watched, and witnessed numerous such stories, commonalities became apparent, and a particular pattern emerged. Not all stories fit the pattern completely, but a majority do. I want to map out some of these reoccurring themes. While it is impossible and unwise to psychoanalyze each situation, understanding the landscape of deconstruction can help you love and interact with those who are leaving – or have already left – the faith. Additionally, the Christian can fortify his faith and not be shaken or threatened by those who depart.

Here are some observations in no particular order.

Emotions > Truth

Nearly every deconstruction story I have ever encountered begins with some form of emotional appeal. This does not minimize the pain and emotions involved, for they are often very significant. But deconstruction is more than just the expression of pain; it is a rejection of certain Christian truth claims. One would expect the rejection of a belief system to begin with rational arguments against those beliefs, but typically emotional arguments stand front and center. I suppose emotional arguments can take a rational form – God can’t be good because of how much suffering I’ve experienced – but this rarely happens in any formal way. This is understandable. Emotions are powerful and persuasive, and for better or worse, deconstruction relies heavily upon them.

Liberal and progressive

There seems to be a strong correlation between moving in a politically liberal or progressive direction and deconstructing from classical Christianity. From my experience, the political move typically happens first or at least alongside the deconstruction. I don’t have statistics on this, but I’d be willing to wager that 99/100 of deconstructors move in a more liberal and progressive direction. I suspect the humanistic worldview of the progressive movement is more closely aligned with their rejection of religious authority, but whatever the cause, the trend is more than apparent.

From one form of fundamentalism to another

In a strange twist of irony, deconstructors often remain just as religious as before, just playing for another team. Certain moral causes are championed, and the Christian tribe (or at least certain versions of it) is often seen as the new enemy. The support of sexually alternative lifestyles regularly accompanies this new brand of fundamentalism. It comes fully loaded with all the religious trappings: a moral system, blasphemy rules (i.e., hate speech), how truth is known and determined, “evangelizing” the uninformed ones, and more. But this is not surprising since human beings are hopelessly religious.

The desire to hang on…to certain things

Deconstructors rarely jettison all their Christian beliefs immediately, often retaining many of them moving forward. However, there is a particular shift in how those beliefs are held. Christians look to the Bible, placing themselves under the authority of God’s Word. It shapes them, and their beliefs and actions are constantly challenged and adjusted to conform to this authoritative standard. Deconstructors typically give up the parts of Scripture they find offensive, reject it as divine authority, but hang on to teachings that fit their new paradigm. A popular form of this is to co-opt Jesus, albeit a partial Jesus, that aligns with their often-progressive humanistic ideas.

What is particularly tragic about these deconstruction patterns is how they rely on the moral foundations of Christianity to critique and leave the faith. They must sit in God’s lap to slap him in the face. Justice, equity, love, mercy, care for the poor, racial reconciliation, treating all humans equally, and many more find their roots in Christianity. Apart from Christianity, there is no metaphysical foundation for such things, and a lack of historical understanding prevents most deconstructors from realizing the Christian roots of the beliefs they cherish. They wrongly assume their new worldview can bear the weight of these moral causes. But that is a topic for another post.