What should we do about #deconstruction? ft. Brandon O'Brien

What this episode covers

Trying to define "deconstruction"— Fruitful conversations about deconstruction are almost impossible because few of us bother to define our terms. So here's my effort to block out some of the big shapes that maybe other people can fill in with detail. Historically, when people have a problem with Christianity, they either: * Reject it * Reform it * Redefine it * Reclaim an older version or stream of it All of these things are happening today. We (unhelpfully) refer to all of it as "deconstruction." Today there's an added dimension that *wasn't* operable in prior generations: my own personal beliefs. So in addition to there being different end points (reform, redefinition, reclamation, rejection) people aren't all "deconstructing" the same thing. Some people are * rethinking the basic tenets of Christianity * interrogating US Evangelicalism * questioning their own personal beliefs Most people will agree that *everyone* should always examine their own personal beliefs to make sure they align with Scripture. Personally, I wouldn't call this "deconstruction." I'd call it discipleship. But the linguistic horse is out of the barn and people will keep calling it deconstruction. C'est la vie. Controversy begins with the next two categories. Theoretically, we should all be willing to interrogate not only our own personal faith but also whether or not the stream of Christianity we belong to is faithful to Jesus. Thus we *ought* to be willing to interrogate features of US Evangelicalism if we find error in it. Trouble is, many people interpret or experience criticism of American Evangelicalism as attack on the basic tenets of Christianity. This happens when we confuse *one cultural stream* of Christianity with the "faith once delivered to the saints." In my experience, most of the "deconstruction" I've witnessed, experienced, counseled someone through is aimed either at 1) sorting out one's personal beliefs or at 2) interrogating US Evangelicalism. I don't think *most* people are questioning historic Christian orthodoxy. The challenge, of course, is that if leaders confuse those two categories, lay people will too. To summarize, then, when we talk about "deconstruction" we should clarify what *project* we have in mind: * Reject * Reform * Redefine * Reclaim And what *scope* we have in mind: * personal * historic Christianity * US Evangelicalism We should define our terms before our denounce or defend a particular project. – Brandon O'Brien

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