Faith Deconstruction: An Introduction

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This recurring series is a study into the incidental traditions of the modern evangelical church. Different denominations have different opinions and doctrines around different topics, the goal of this series is to take a clear biblical look at the religious practices that have come to shape some of our worship gatherings and disciple-making strategies
—

There’s been a lot of talk about the concept of “faith deconstruction” in the Christian subculture lately. There’s certainly reason for red flags to shoot up when we hear christians (specifically, christian leaders) talk about deconstructing their faith. However, we also should be willing to dialogue about the elements of faith that these individuals are considering for deconstruction. After all, shouldn’t we all be willing to deconstruct certain elements of Christian Tradition, characteristics of our worship services, and norms in our disciple-making strategies?

Before we get into the reasons why faith deconstruction is healthy, we should draw the lines where it’s no longer good for the soul. Below is a (non-exhaustive, I’m sure) list of reasons that everyone should be considering when they’re dissecting the faith that they’ve been believing:

-Have I already dug in to these subjects before and just forgotten?
-If not, why haven’t I already studied these subjects before?
-Am I only considering these subjects because other people I respect are, or do I actually have these questions as my own?
-Where am I going to go for information and understanding of these topics?
-Do I have ulterior motives to disassociate myself from elements of my faith that I simply dislike, or am I willing to follow the Scriptures and the evidence wherever they go?
-Will I be ok if I don’t find a black-and-white answer to these questions?

Now, there are legitimate reasons for an individual to start questioning elements of their faith. There’s a lot of similarity between this experience and the experience of “making the faith their own” as is seen often in young adults and teenagers who have grown up in the Church. There’s ample evidence to believe that young christians are leaving faith due to a lack of having this experience at all and therefore having a poor representation of Scripture, the Church, and her foundational beliefs in the first place. So as the Church we need to embrace these conversations and be willing to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 ESV).

In this ongoing series, we’ll be walking through specific practices of christians, doctrines and norms through a primarily biblical lense with additional insight into historical and cultural influence to said elements. It should be clarified that there is a clear difference between something being “unbiblical” versus “non-biblical”. You can expect that that will come up and be reinforced often in this series. Additionally, in most of my personal writings, there’s a clear focus on creatives, artists, worship leaders and songwriters but this series will be more broadly directed toward all christians. That being said, I should give the preemptive warning that my personal experiences and personality as a worship pastor, creative, and artist may come out in stories and the way I articulate. However, I will do my best to keep the audience broad as we dive into this important and, what will certainly be a, sensitive topic.

There will almost certainly be offenses, frustrations, and anger as we begin our own careful deconstruction (I prefer the term dissection, but for the sake of current cultural terminology we’ll keep it consistent) of the christian faith. My hope and prayer is that we can take a good hard look at the elements that we love (and hate) with Scripture as the “glasses” that we see these things through and we’re willing to see where the Scriptures point us and where the evidence of historical and cultural influence enhance or detract from the Scriptures. Ultimately, would this series bring unbelievers to conviction and convincing of the truth of the Gospel and strengthen and edify those who already believe.

———
Kevin McClure has been leading worship in the local church for over 10 years in different capacities of student and adult ministries. As a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader he has had the honor of touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader over the better part of the last decade. With a heart to see believers learn how to take the act of worship beyond the setting of a group gathering, Kevin is incredibly intentional with his time on and offstage to help teach the practice of worship as a lifestyle. He is the director of the Worship Leader Network and leads his own traveling ministry leading worship around the country at different events for all age groups. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his bride Hailey and his two daughters, Everleigh and Eliska. His favorite food is coffee (lifesource), loves bonfires, and is convinced that Jesus is a Chicago Cubs fan.