"Deconstruction" often looks like this:
1. See a great evil that the Bible condemns being practiced by "Christians," now or in the past.
2. Wonder, "how could 'Christians' engage in and defend such evils?"
3. Begin to examine their justifications, historical or contemporary.
1. See a great evil that the Bible condemns being practiced by "Christians," now or in the past.
2. Wonder, "how could 'Christians' engage in and defend such evils?"
3. Begin to examine their justifications, historical or contemporary.
4. See that their justifications include specific doctrines and interpretations of the Scripture.
5. Learn that these doctrines and interpretations have a contingent history and connect well with contingent a-Biblical social doctrines and worldy ideologies.
5. Learn that these doctrines and interpretations have a contingent history and connect well with contingent a-Biblical social doctrines and worldy ideologies.
6. Realize that you yourself have received and believed many of these doctrines from your own socialization (society, family, church).
7. Come to find there are other possible doctrines, interpretations, and traditions employed both currently and historically.
7. Come to find there are other possible doctrines, interpretations, and traditions employed both currently and historically.
8. Get the sense that you've been betrayed and lied to.
9. Begin to fear that you may be standing on a whole structure which may be more an historical artifact of corrupt culture and society than the Jesus you love.
9. Begin to fear that you may be standing on a whole structure which may be more an historical artifact of corrupt culture and society than the Jesus you love.
10. Begin to break up your own fallow ground (Hos. 10:12) out of desire for righteousness, and love for God and neighbor.
11. Where it goes from here is thematically unknowable - there's no "universal acid" built into this process; different people head in different directions.
11. Where it goes from here is thematically unknowable - there's no "universal acid" built into this process; different people head in different directions.
And, in the end, here is where you must trust that Jesus' sheep hear His voice and follow him. You can't make that happen.
If you feel some err in these latter steps, reach out to them in love, always determined not to yourself recreate steps 1 - 6 by theologizing your own ...
If you feel some err in these latter steps, reach out to them in love, always determined not to yourself recreate steps 1 - 6 by theologizing your own ...
... social philosophy and yolking them with it.
This is, to a perfection, impossible, but progress is made in Christ-like humility, not contentious condemnation and continued marginalization.
And most of all, realize that Christ's Kingdom is unquestionably benefited by the ...
This is, to a perfection, impossible, but progress is made in Christ-like humility, not contentious condemnation and continued marginalization.
And most of all, realize that Christ's Kingdom is unquestionably benefited by the ...
... many reforms and renewed love that have historically resulted from looking beneath the evil that much too many Christians engage in and justify, past or present.
My three cents.
My three cents.
P.S.: Obviously there are different ways people are using the word "deconstruction." I, in fact, have never described myself as deconstructing. But I believe it is easy to charitably understand what most people mean by the term.
Probably a lot of typos, sorry. Hammered out clumsily on the phone.
*yoking, not yolking, hahahaha!!
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