How should you respond when a friend informs you she has deconstructed her faith and now identifies as “postvangelical”?
You might become defensive (scared, worried, etc.) and make the situation worse or turn your friend away even more. So instead of reacting in fear, first seek to understand her heart. Why has she embraced this journey of deconstruction? How did she come to this crisis of faith?
Although she now denies the inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture, she probably did not start out that way. More likely, her abandonment of the Bible happened gradually as she distanced herself from the church and its teachings. Alisa Childers writes in Another Gospel?, “Deconstruction is the process of systematically dissecting and often rejecting the beliefs you grew up with.” Though all Christians must continually test our faith and evaluate the strength of our beliefs (1 Thessalonians 5:21), biblical truth remains our standard for discernment (Psalm 19:7-9). Your friend who began her journey with sincere questions and a healthy dose of doubt may have gone astray because she built her faith on the wrong foundation (Luke 6:47-49).
Doubt and unbelief are usually the result, and not the root cause, of departure. In fact, many postvangelicals once belonged to churches like the ones we attend. They professed the same truths, attended like-minded institutions, and engaged in similar types of ministry. Some were even popular writers, speakers, and influencers in the Christian world (e.g., Joshua Harris, Jen Hatmaker). Believers who once professed Christ rarely began their journey intending to deny Christ or abandon the faith, but instead followed a more gradual slope (1 John 2:19). So what’s at the heart of deconstruction? Here are five potential reasons.
1. Personal Suffering
Hurting people can lose their faith when they encounter personal suffering. Some walk away from the church after witnessing moral scandals, financial impropriety, or spiritual abuse. Others abandon the faith after witnessing the moral bankruptcy of professing believers. Many more turn away from God in the midst of hardships and trials. Instead of making them stronger, their difficulties lead them to deconstruction (James 2:1-12).
2. People-Pleasing
Another person might wrestle with social issues over which the church and culture appear to be in conflict (i.e., racial justice, abortion rights, same-sex marriage). In their desire for the approval of others, they fall away from the church and embrace the culture’s values. They might cringe with embarrassment over traditional church teachings that have fallen out of style in our modern world (i.e., hell, creationism, substitutionary atonement).
For example, a beloved university professor can sway a student’s thinking, parents with a son who comes out as gay might alter their previous stance on homosexuality, or a woman who marries an unbeliever might slowly drift from the faith (2 Corinthians 6:14). Each of these people is influenced by the ridicule and arguments of others instead of starting with the Scriptures to establish their convictions (Proverbs 29:25). In many parts of the world, persecution and societal pressure also have an impact. Thus, people-pleasers often reinterpret Scripture to fit the views of others (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
3. Pride
Some depart from the faith over relational conflict in church. The root cause might involve prideful unrepentance, an unwillingness to seek forgiveness, or a stubborn refusal to pursue peace (Romans 12:18). Others claim that the church is filled with hypocrites who don’t measure up to the standard of Christ (which is true!). Sometimes prideful rebellion becomes a badge of honor in a young person’s desire for self-dependence. Rejecting his parents’ authority gets lumped in with rejecting his parents’ faith. Prideful people place themselves above Christ, church unity, and the call to humble repentance (1 Peter 5:5-6).
4. Popularity
Another common factor is the popularity gained by going with a different crowd. Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus were false teachers who left the church over a conflict of ideas and a refusal to repent of blasphemy (1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 2:17). Surely, they must have taken their disciples with them. Well-known postvangelicals today have lost book deals and their previous following, but many have actually grown in popularity for raging against the traditional Christian faith. Some have also made a fortune telling their deconversion stories (e.g., Rhett and Link) because social media celebrates those who take the extreme positions. An entire community also now exists to support those in the process of deconstruction and removes the previous stigma. Popularity-seekers love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43).
5. Pleasure
One more root cause involves the desire for pleasure as a person might abandon his faith to excuse moral wrongs (Matthew 24:12-13). For example, a man pursuing sexual pleasure may turn from his former faith that calls him to purity and marital commitment (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; Hebrews 13:4). At first, his conscience informs him that his thoughts and behavior are sinful, but he ignores those warnings and stops paying attention to them. In like manner, Demas fell away because he loved the things of this present world (2 Timothy 4:10). Too many apostates are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (3:4).
Perseverance in the Faith
A postvangelical may start on this path of deconstruction for various reasons, but the journey always ends in a denial of God’s Word. So how do we hold fast to the faith and help our loved ones to stand firm as well (see the book of Jude)?
First, we must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). For if we love Jesus, we will keep his commandments (John 14:15) and cherish his Word (Psalm 119:97). Our desire to please him will overshadow any desire to please others (Galatians 1:10). We will endure persecution and ridicule for his sake (1 Peter 4:12-14). We will pursue peace for the unity of his body, the church (Ephesians 4:1-6). We will find forgiveness for our stubborn pride and seek repentance in order to be right with God (1 John 1:9).
Second, we must find a place to belong in our local church (Acts 2:42-47). The church has been charged with making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) and preaching God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:1-4). So we strengthen one another like iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) and stir up one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25). We help the weak when they struggle and rely on the strong when our own faith needs help (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We share our doubts and talk about our differences within the healthy confines of Christ’s body, the church (e.g., Acts 15). We also welcome those who strayed from the faith but eventually returned.
Finally, we must affirm Scripture as God’s living and active Word (Hebrews 4:12) and trust biblical truths to form our faith and guide our interpretation of culture and society (Psalm 119:105). We must cling to God’s Word as sufficient for all matters related to life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3) and delight in the gospel (Psalm 19:10) as we build our lives on its foundation. We do not merely listen to God’s Word but persevere in doing it as well (James 1:22-25). For this reason, I prefer the phrase “biblical renovation” because many will deconstruct the true faith itself instead of stopping at human traditions. Jesus warned that such tearing down will actually result in our destruction (Matthew 7:26-27). Therefore, we are wise to keep the foundation in place even as we knock down walls and frame the new addition.
May our words and exhortations continually build each other up as we battle the temptations and root causes of deconstruction (1 Thessalonians 5:11). May we confess our own failures that have shaken the faith of others. May we offer hope in Christ to postvangelicals who find shifting sand and empty lives in the aftermath of deconstruction.