You Don’t Need to Reconstruct
Those of us who are in some process of examining and deconstructing our Christian faith are starting to get a bit of attention. It turns out we are leaving churches in such high numbers that church writers are starting to caution the flock against deconstruction, in case you are left with (horrified face) nothing!
“However,” they may say, “Deconstruction can be a healthy part of faith, so long as you reconstruct.” And, fear not, when you are ready to reconstruct, they will be there with an “open welcome” to guide you and rebuild you back into some version of their own image. What they don’t tell you is that image is exactly what led you to deconstruction in the first place, not because the image is right or wrong, but because there is an image at all.
So here is a little bit about deconstruction, and why reconstruction is a straw man shrieking through a dog whistle.
I am not going to get into the philosophical underpinnings of Jacques Derrida. This excerpt from the documentary, Derrida, does a pretty good job of a basic understanding. Even the first minute where Derrida himself demonstrates deconstruction is immensely helpful and simple. What I am using is a great little book called, What Would Jesus Deconstruct? by John D. Caputo.
Deconstruction is not destruction. Even some who are currently deconstructing don’t like the word because it sounds, well, destructive. They may prefer unravelling, or cleaning out, or discarding. They all point to the same process. Caputo says, “Deconstruction is memory.” It is a way of remembering what compelled you to follow Jesus in the first place. “When something is deconstructed, it is not razed but reconfigured and transformed in response to inner and uncontainable impulses.”
Deconstruction seeks and tells the truth. Probably the most difficult and threatening thing about deconstruction is the realization that what we have been taught, believed, and taught others is not only untrue—it is toxic. This is where a journey of deconstruction begins. We are no longer afraid of what we will find if we start questioning what we know, because the possibility of living a lie is no longer tenable. Deconstruction tells the truth “meticulously, uncompromisingly, without disguise, amelioration, or artificial sweeteners.”
Deconstruction is an act of love. One of the lies they tell us about deconstruction is it will lead to loneliness and despair without a moral compass to follow. In fact, deconstruction follows the call of love, which may lead us away from the church (and even the faith) that is harming us. For many of us, it is the love of Jesus that calls to us to reconfigure around the memory of him. It can also be a renewed love of self, not in arrogance, but joining in the love God has for all creation.
Deconstruction never ends. “A genuine journey is open ended, and makes itself open to the gift of chance (Derrida), to the grace of the moment, or to the prompting of the Spirit (theology), as Saints Paul and Augustine believed.” Deconstruction has no end because it is not about destruction, but recovering something that is always transforming. It is not so much a hero’s journey, where we leave and return changed. It is more like Abraham, answering a call to uproot and begin a journey, which may lead to another journey, which may lead to exile, or diaspora, or finding a new home, or, even, a new family, with whom to continue the journey.
When someone asks you to reconstruct, ask them, “Reconstruct what”? You will be sure to hear their agenda for your life, a good reminder of why you started to deconstruct in the first place.
No two deconstructions are the same. At Harbor, we are all in various stages of faith change. Some of us are holding fast to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Some are working through historical criticism of the Bible. Some are finding communion with God in other really fascinating ways. And, some aren't even really sure if there is a God at all. We share a commitment to walking our paths, supporting each other, and loving each other wherever we land.
You do not need to reconstruct in order to grow. Growth usually requires some kind of fallow season. You can even let wildflowers grow without pruning for fruit. They can grow for years. There is no deadline, there is not even a prescribed “season”. It’s a journey, possibly an adventure, and you will always have company on the way.
