With so many possible motivations, it’s important to not lump every questioner or deconstructor into the same category. We must see them as individuals, look beyond the questions to their hearts, and respond in love as God leads.
“Deconstruction? What’s that?” I asked after seeing it pop up on social media a few dozen times.
“Oh, it’s when someone starts questioning the teachings of the church,” a helpful, more informed individual told me.
“You mean they weren’t doing that earlier?”
That was my first thought when the word and general explanation landed on my radar.
I promptly dismissed it as a trendy, new term being used to describe an old idea and assumed that everyone “questioning the teachings of the church” did so in the same way and with the same motivation as I had since elementary school.
I’ve since learned there is much more to the process of deconstruction and that (surprise, surprise) not everyone shares my experience.
Defining Deconstruction
Deconstruction (sometimes called "evangelical deconstruction" or "faith deconstruction") is based on a French relativist philosophy. It, therefore, makes sense that nobody really seems to know how to define it and that any definition of it is, well, relative.
From what I’ve read, deconstruction can describe people (usually those who consider themselves Christians) in a wide range of circumstances who are asking questions about various aspects of Christianity.
They may be:
-Questioning specific cultural and political beliefs and practices among certain groups of Christians or specific churches
-Reevaluating evangelical or denomination-specific doctrines
-Skeptical about the goodness and authority of the institutional church, its pastors, and other religious leaders
-Burned out and disillusioned from years spent in stressful or unhealthy church environments
-Unconvinced of the necessity and benefit of attending church because of hurts experienced
-Doubting God’s existence and the foundational truths of Christianity
My Experience
When I was growing up, my family attended a conservative denomination called the Dunkard Brethren Church. (You can read more about my church background here.) From an early age, I knew there were some church rules my family didn’t follow or feel were necessary to have a good relationship with God.
Who was right? The church or my parents?
By the time I reached 7th grade, I was reading the Bible and seeking to discover whether the sermons I heard in church lined up with Scripture.
I never doubted God’s existence, love, mercy, and grace. I never doubted the Bible’s authority or that there is absolute truth and that God established moral absolutes—behaviors He declared to be right or wrong.
How I Define Questioning
My questioning consists of comparing human teachings and interpretations to the Bible. It involves praying to God and diligently searching the Bible for answers.
This practice certainly isn’t a new idea. Acts 17:11-12 describes an encounter Paul and Silas, two of the earliest Christian missionaries, had with a group of God-fearing Jews in Berea: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men” (NASB).
Supporters of deconstruction may label my questioning as deconstruction, and that’s fine. But given that I started this practice when I was young, can you really consider a child, who is still constructing their faith, to be deconstructing it at the same time?
Regardless of how you label my actions, one clear difference that I’ve learned isn’t always present in the deconstruction process is that I’ve held strong to my relationship with God and sought my answers from Scripture.
Questions to Ask When Questioning
While I continue to evaluate Christian teachings and compare them to the Bible, I’ve developed in my process and conclusions.
These are some of the questions I ask:
-Are my conclusions the same or different?
-If my findings are different, is one of us wrong or are our conclusions merely different facets of the same truth?
-How much does it matter if one of us is wrong?
-Regardless of whether I agree, is their teaching harmless, harmful, or neutral?
-How do any differences impact my faith and the way I live it out?
-Do any differences in our interpretations affect the most basic parts of the Christian faith?
Results of Questioning
Questions don’t always lead to disagreements. We may do a bunch of studying and discover we confidently agree.
Disagreeing with a teaching, doctrine, or practice doesn’t mean we dislike or disrespect the speaker, teacher, or institution it comes from.
Disagreeing with certain elements of a denomination’s doctrines or practices doesn’t mean those beliefs are bad and should be dismantled. It doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t attend those churches, or that God isn’t present and working through them.
In my situation, I eventually recognized my home denomination wasn’t a good fit for me. I didn’t believe all their rules were necessary and felt they were, in fact, more detrimental to my faith than helpful. I also recognized this wasn’t the case for everyone in that denomination. Many of them joyfully accept the practices and live loving, godly lives.
It’s possible to see the good in a teaching or tradition while also disagreeing with it.
Benefits of Questioning
Some of the greatest benefits I discovered from this practice is that it can encourage us to:
-Seek God
-Delve deeper into the Bible
-More fully understand and embrace our beliefs
-Grow stronger in our faith and relationship with God
-Learn how to lovingly disagree
Dealing with Questioners and Deconstructors
Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of questioning, or with those who do. Some people get noticeably uncomfortable and seem to shrink inside themselves if you suggest a different interpretation than their pastor presented. Others become instantly defensive, as though they view a disagreement with their pastor’s words as a great insult or verbal attack. It’s important to understand that, as with any action, there are a number of reasons and emotions behind people’s drive to question or deconstruct.
Some people may be propelled by an honest curiosity and desire to discover and know the truth. This likely has nothing to do with their opinion of the pastor, church, its members, etc. However, the way people respond to their questions can easily impact their views of those people.
Others may have been hurt by a teaching or group of people and are trying to work through their pain, what happened, and how it all fits with who God is. These people need to be treated gently. Dealing harshly with this group can easily push them away from God.
There may be those who have grown angry and bitter at the treatment they’ve received from a group of people or as the result of a teaching, tradition, or a professing Christian’s ungodly behavior. They may be more aggressive in their disagreements and rejection of what they previously accepted. It’s important to recognize their anger stems from pain and that they’re not likely, at this stage, to listen to anything you have to say.
Some people, like some of the Pharisees we see in the four Gospels, ask questions as a way to trap and destroy those who disagree with them or whose beliefs threaten their own desires.
With so many possible motivations, it’s important to not lump every questioner or deconstructor into the same category. We must see them as individuals, look beyond the questions to their hearts, and respond in love as God leads.
Dealing with Those Who Don’t Question
I think it’s also important to note that not everyone needs to question in order to grow. It can be hard for those of us who question to understand those who don’t. However, there is as much beauty in constant acceptance as there is in hard-fought, studied conclusions.
Whether people question or not, whether they consider themselves to be questioning or deconstructing, I pray God will guide us all to better know and understand Him. I pray fellow believers will show grace, love, and understanding to those who are seeking, questioning, doubting, and hurting. May we learn to lovingly disagree.
You can learn more about God’s call for Christians to be unified in my newly released book, Striving for Unity: a Study on 1 Corinthians.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Capuski
Jenny Fulton is a wife, mother, writer, and member of Wholly Loved Ministries who enjoys studying God’s Word and sharing what she has learned with others. She is the author of Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye, A Princess’ Guide to the Alphabet, and Striving for Unity: a Study on 1 Corinthians (upcoming release). An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Jenny developed a keen interest in language and cultures. In 2007, she graduated from Grace University with a B.S. in Bible, a B.S. in elementary education, and an endorsement in K-12 ESL. For the next seven years, Jenny worked as a teacher in a variety of cultural and educational settings, both abroad and in the United States. Her days are now spent raising her three young daughters and writing as much as time and opportunity allows.
