A Book Worth Reading!

 

The Deconstruction of Christianity

This book is written by someone who has gone through her own faith crisis and an apologist with a ministry dedicated to training Christians to think more clearly about their faith.

This book is a helpful guide to understanding what deconstruction is and isn’t, and sharing ways to respond to someone who is deconstructing.

As it says in the foreword, written by Carl R. Trueman, 

'Here the reader will find the current Christian deconstruction movement set against the broad background of postmodernism and explained both in terms of contemporary idiom and issues and basic biblical foundations.’ 

The authors set out their own objective for writing the book: “to analyze the phenomenon of deconstruction and provide a biblical analysis and critique of its methods, trends, messages, and impact on the church.”

The book is written in three parts. 

The first part is titled “Exvangelical” and is broken into four chapters: Explosion, Exvangelical, Rerun, and Fallout. 

The authors define what deconstruction is and how it has grown into such a large movement today. They say it is more like an explosion that seeks to celebrate leaving a belief system people have come to regard as toxic and oppressive.

 

The second part, titled “Deconstruction” then dives even deeper, looking at someone who is going through deconstruction, and is written out in six chapters: Crisis, Upper Story, Reformation, Toxic, Faith, and Deconstructor. The authors write how there are many influential voices who are attempting to tear down Christianity.

The authors also give what they believe are better solutions to the doubts and questions people may have.

Part three then focuses on how we can love and help those in our lives who are deconstructing.

Its title is “Hope” and the authors finish the book with this section, with questions and advice.

Summing up, I found it really helpful to learn what deconstruction is and isn’t, as the term is used in different ways and can be confusing. 

The authors emphasize how healthy it is to engage with our questions and doubts, and rethink our faith when necessary. 

There are a lot of things in our culture that draw us away from Christianity, with the promise of greater freedom while entangling people in falsehoods. 

There is a lot of detail in the book, as the authors explore each point to see if it truly is a bad doctrine or not. They explain how it ultimately moves people away from, rather than to, God. The ideas behind it are nothing new, as they say, charting deconstruction right back to the Garden of Eden, and throughout history, stating, ‘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.’ In today’s culture, this has played out in the world’s views of gender, sexuality and prosperity, as we are encouraged to live by our own feelings and desires. Doctrines are seen in terms of power rather than truth, which is why they are often labeled toxic by those deconstructing.

The authors list things that can lead people to deconstruct (such as suffering, doubt, purity culture, abuse) but show how it isn’t inevitable, as not all who are faced with such triggers end up losing their faith. 

I really liked the final section of the book, as the authors write ideas on how to thoughtfully interact with those deconstructing. They also give stories of hope, including a summary of Alisa’s own journey. The book ends with a prayer for those going through deconstruction.

This is a great book for anyone confused by the deconstruction explosion and probably particularly relevant for anyone who is feeling pain while experiencing a loved one rejecting the faith.