In the last few years, the term “deconstruction” has become a hot topic in evangelical circles. In the most positive sense, it refers to a Christian evaluating the faith of her youth in the pursuit of a faith that’s less culturally dependent and more consistent with Scripture.
Francis Schaeffer went through this sort of process even as a missionary. He writes, “I walked, prayed, and thought through what the Scriptures taught, reviewing my own reasons for being a Christian.” Schaeffer’s reevaluation came out positively: “Gradually the sun came out and the song came.” He grew in his confidence regarding the historic Christian faith.
Once someone’s personalized algorithm gets hold of the trend, a trickle can become a flood of resources in his feed. Soon, deconstruction can seem the only logical solution.
However, some who go through the deconstruction process end up rejecting historic Christianity. There have been high-profile pastors and influencers making headlines by announcing they’re no longer Christian, despite having preached many sermons and written popular books. The term “exvangelical” was coined in 2016 as a hashtag to rally those who have come through on the other side rejecting orthodoxy. A cottage industry of deconstruction coaches and spiritual directors is growing, with books, videos, and private coaching sessions to help people reevaluate the tenets of their faith, often with a view to replacing it.
Though many young people are unaware of deconstruction and the exvangelical community, the very online are likely to have bumped into the concept on social media. Once someone’s personalized algorithm gets hold of the trend, a trickle can become a flood of resources in his feed. Soon, deconstruction can seem the only logical solution.
Thankfully, a growing number of faithful resources can help parents, youth leaders, and pastors to understand what deconstruction is and to encourage healthy questioning while pointing those struggling with the faith toward historic Christianity. Some are useful to encourage potential deconstructors to healthily navigate their questions.
1. Questioning Faith by Randy Newman (TGC/Crossway)
Our faith journeys are rarely a straight line. Newman provides a resource for those struggling with doubts and hard questions. Most Christians don’t have absolute certainty and don’t have every doctrinal concern totally addressed.
Questioning Faith is an invitation to more carefully consider common arguments against historic Christianity. Newman’s balanced approach shows why these questions are so important in this cultural moment, but he also explains why there are better answers to be found within orthodox Christianity than in other alternatives. This would be a good discipleship resource for new believers and for Christians experiencing doubt.
2. Before You Lose Your Faith edited by Ivan Mesa (TGC)
Some of your favorite TGC authors explain what deconstruction is, analyze issues that often trigger deconstruction, and offer encouragement to reconstruct a shaky faith. This is an accessible volume that encourages hard questions, but helps people walk through them, too.
Before You Lose Your Faith brings varied voices to the table, many of whom have experienced doubts or been troubled by the ways Christians have failed to live up to their ideals. However, every one of them has found Jesus to be a treasure worth selling everything for.
3. Surprised by Doubt by Joshua Chatraw and Jack Carson (Brazos)
Many exvangelicals claim to be experts in the faith they abandoned. Deeper evaluation shows many of them have actually rejected distorted or limited versions of Christianity without considering the full range of Christian beliefs.
Chatraw and Carson evaluate four potential landing spots for deconstructing Christians: New Atheism, optimistic skepticism, mythic truth, and open spirituality. They show how these alternatives are less satisfying than historic Christianity. Through well-articulated arguments, Surprised by Doubt invites readers to find their home in the large, satisfying space of Christian orthodoxy.
4. Set Adrift by Sean McDowell and John Marriott (Zondervan)
This volume is a good resource for a mature Christian to study with someone trying to make sense of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Deconstruction can feel like being adrift in a fog, having lost sight of the shore. McDowell and Marriott take doubts seriously, recognizing our culture often makes unbelief easier than belief, but they offer a navigational chart to guide young Christians back home. This book would be most helpful to use with those just beginning to struggle to make sense of the faith.
5. True Spirituality by Francis A. Schaeffer (Crossway)
Schaeffer’s crisis of faith led to a renewed commitment to historic Christianity. This book doesn’t document his process of reevaluating his faith in detail, but it’s the fruit of that process. It shows that the result of questions can (and should) be a deeper and richer Christianity than before.
As Schaeffer notes in the preface, the content of this book was the foundation for his apologetic vision at L’Abri, where he set about “teaching the historic Christian answers, and giving honest answers to honest questions,” trying to show his guests that Christianity is really and truly the best explanation for reality. Though some believers fail to live out a full-throated faith, there’s a true Christian spirituality that satisfies our deepest longings.
6. Called into Questions by Matthew Lee Anderson (Moody)
Anderson’s book is a beautiful call to dig deeper into the Christian faith, to embrace an “interrogative mood” in life. This volume will best serve those who long for a deeper, more intellectual approach to Christianity than they may have been offered. Called into Questions helps the intellectually curious transform their queries from opportunities for apostasy to prompts for doxology. Anderson encourages honest questions but also helps readers recognize the difference between caustic skepticism and true investigation.
7. The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett (Tyndale)
This book is helpful for those seeking to understand the nature of deconstruction. Unlike the other resources in this list, The Deconstruction of Christianity is primarily intended for those trying to understand this cultural phenomenon.
Though some Christians fail to live out a full-throated faith, there’s a true Christian spirituality that satisfies our deepest longings.
Filled with analysis that reflects careful research, this book argues the term “deconstruction” is irredeemable and that faithful Christians shouldn’t use it to discuss the process of honestly refining their faith. Childers and Barnett show, with multiple contemporary examples, the open hostility of many within the exvangelical movement to anything representing orthodox Christianity. They also provide helpful instruction for those dealing with someone engaged in the deconstruction process.
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