Can You Deconstruct Without Blowing Up?
The word deconstruction has become very popular over the past decade. But many young Christians who say they’re deconstructing seem to mean they’re simply leaving the faith. Is it possible to explore difficult aspects of our faith without abandoning our faith altogether?
In this episode, we ask whether deconstructing has become a euphemism for already having left the faith. We examine the ways that it can be a helpful process to mature our faith, and provide helpful guidelines on how to make sure the aim of deconstruction leads to a stronger faith that has been reconstructed as part of the process. We also give examples of the ways in which faith communities and pastors need to change the ways in which they respond to difficult questions in order to make space for young adults to deal with doubt and faith struggles within the community.
Discussion Questions:
Do you agree that the word “deconstruction” has taken on a specific meaning? What does it mean to you that someone is “deconstructing?”
Have you observed someone who has deconstructed in a helpful way that ended up strengthening their faith? What specific steps in the process could you identify that led to that outcome?
Does your faith community or community of friends welcome difficult questions that help you to mature in your faith? If so, how does your community make room for this to happen? If not, where might you find a helpful place where this can take place?
Studies repeatedly cite young adults wanting to participate in the teaching, to have their voices heard, to be able to push back and bring in different perspectives as part of the discussion. Have you seen this type of teaching in action? Have you found it helpful, or would you find it helpful, to allow the entire community to deliberate together in this way?
Why is there such a fear around letting young adults voice their doubts and their questions? Do you agree that keeping those from coming to the surface actually makes them worse, and that many others already share the same questions? In what ways will bringing those doubts and questions to light help more than hurt?
Is there a benefit to deconstructing when there is no commitment to reconstruction? What are the ways we can commit to the work of reconstruction before we even begin the process of deconstruction? How can we have others support us in holding to this commitment?
Have you observed people who go out of their way to deconstruct the faith of others, often in an unhelpful way, or without a commitment to being around to help the person reconstruct? How would you answer the question about whether everyone needs to deconstruct their faith?
Would you say that you are someone who has prepared well to answer the more difficult questions of our life and faith when they arise? Would you say that you are firmly anchored to your faith so that if you found yourself in a period of suffering or intense loss, your commitment to your faith would survive? Are there other areas that might shake your faith that you haven’t yet explored at a deeper level? What are the steps you would take to explore one of those areas in the next several months?
