Ambiguous Definitions
Relevant Magazine published an article seeking to guide those who have gone through the process of “deconstruction” as to what they should do now. They start out by discussing the hypothetic situation of their readers going through some sort of a questioning process around foundational worldview and spiritual issues. They state:
“But now things are getting a little different. You’ve got some questions, and the answers you’ve always had for them aren’t quite as satisfactory as they used to be. Maybe you have doubts, and aren’t quite sure what to do about it. Maybe some parts of the Bible are giving you pause. Maybe you have strong disagreements with some of your fellow Christians’ beliefs. Whatever it is, you feel like you’re reaching a breaking point with it. Something has to change.”1
Now, I must pause to note, that according to Relevant, this deconstruction process can even include an aspect such as biblical teaching giving an individual pause, remember that point as we continue to evaluate this piece. They go forward to describe the process of not only deconstruction, but also reconstruction:
“But the process of deconstruction isn’t an end to itself. It’s not the end of the road, or a death — although it can often feel like that when you’re in the midst of it. But once you’ve started asking these questions and honestly engaging with your doubts, you’re ready to start the process not just of deconstruction but reconstruction. That latter word hasn’t entered the spiritual zeitgeist to the same degree that the former has — possibly because people are so scared of deconstructing that they don’t always get to the other side — but if we can start to accept it as a common and healthy part of our spiritual journey, who knows what sorts of spiritual transformations might be waiting?”
Deconstruction, according to Relevant, is not merely about dismantling what they would view to be “false beliefs” but also leads to the next phase, which is the reconstructing of one’s worldview. Obviously, if you are going to “reconstruct” then there must be a blueprint, or worldview standard by which you are undergoing the building process. What is that ultimate worldview authority according to Relevant? The answer to that question takes us to the heart of the issue with the deconstruction movement.
Your Feelings and Desires As The Authority For Reconstruction
The author of this piece, Tyler Huckabee, quotes multiple times from Nish Weiseth. When discussing the reconstruction process, we come to a very illuminating aspect of this article:
“Weiseth says a better guide than fear is to drill deep to our own core. ‘The question that I ask is always: What do you want? That’s a revolutionary question for a lot of people.’”
“’You’re at the end of deconstruction, you’ve dismantled it all, you take stock of everything, then you’re left with all of this stuff,’ she continues. ‘Now it’s time to figure out, ‘Well, how the heck am I going to put this back together in a way that makes sense?’ The first question that I ask people is, ‘What do you want? What do you want it to look like?’”
“That question can feel pretty uncomfortable for a lot of Christians, since most of us have learned to distrust what we want, but Weiseth says it’s important to listen to the things God may have placed in our hearts. Weiseth says that when people really think about what they want, the answer is simple: to be closer to God.”
Please notice the emphasis in this quote placed upon what the individual wants as the driving factor for reconstruction. Remember, the article mentioned the reality in passing that some individuals can feel uncomfortable about biblical teaching. So, does this piece ever recommend fundamentally having one’s worldview grounded upon the Scripture? No, not once does it make that claim, rather you should reconstruct according to what you feel is “right” not based upon what God has said, but grounded in an almost mystical type of sense you supposedly have. I have written a couple of articles on the deconstruction process, and if you were still on the fence about this movement, I hope that this quotation helps us all to clearly see the dangers deconstructionism poses. The Bible speaks to the truth that our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). We need to align with Scripture, not the feelings of our deceitful hearts! Romans 3:11 clearly says no one seeks for God, a clear contradiction of Weiseth, who believes humans want to be closer to God. What we need is for God to regenerate us by the power of His Holy Spirit, bringing us near to Himself in Christ Jesus. It is the work of Christ who has revealed Himself in Scripture, not the fleeting feelings of our heart that we need!
Coming Back To Issues of Ultimate Authority
Ultimate authority, Scripture alone, worldview foundations, readers of this blog have seen terms like these used on this site over the last year on a wide variety of issues, yet again, we see the issue of deconstruction brings us back to them. Since it is true that Scripture alone is breathed out by God being profitable for every good work of the man of God, then we must run to it, base our lives upon it, and live every minute in obedience to its truth for the glory of Christ (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We do not need to go through a “deconstruction process” ending up simply designing our worldview by “reconstructing” it according to what we want. The sinful desires of the human flesh rebel against God, His commandments, and truth. If you and I ground our worldviews in the feelings of the flesh, then we will end up believing lies, promoting that which is evil, and living in sin.
The foundational question is not what do you or I want, but what does God want? He has given us the 66-books of inspired Scripture to reveal Himself and His will to us. We need to come to the Word seeking answers to our questions, solutions to our problems, and hope in the midst of despair. The truth of Scripture must run over us like healing water cleansing all of our wounds, making us whole in Christ. Relevant Magazine shows us a powerful point, deconstructionists do not want you to build your worldview according to Scripture, that is not their goal. Do not be fooled into believing that this movement wants you to adopt a robustly biblical worldview. We see this issue comes down to competing ultimate authorities as apologetics issues always do in the end. Let us see the opposition between the ultimate authority of the deconstruction movement and biblical Christianity, and may we rightly oppose that false standard proclaiming the truth of Christ with absolute clarity!
Sources
1 Note: All quotations are taken from this article.
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