A popular term right now which you may have encountered is “deconstruction.” The term refers to a critical dismantling of tradition and traditional modes of thought. One area which caught my attention was the deconstruction of spiritual, or religious, traditional modes of thought. Many people seem to be deconstructing their traditional religious upbringing and examining the individual pieces of their spiritual experience. Many who consider themselves to be Christians (Christ followers) examine their beliefs and determine that they no longer believe the things they once accepted. This inevitably seems for many to lead to them leaving “Christianity” and their belief in God altogether.
I listened to the accounts of two such men who had engaged in spiritual deconstruction after coming to question several things they had always been taught growing up in an evangelical background. They both told their individual stories of starting to doubt the traditional teachings of their religious beliefs. Interestingly, they were both very similar in the individual pieces that were causing them to doubt their beliefs. And, I have noticed that a large number of people who are experiencing similar doubts seem to question these same issues. These basic beliefs included: the creation account and a young earth view; the inerrancy of the Bible and veracity of Biblical accounts of Noah, Jesus (specifically the resurrection account), and others; the Bible’s/church’s stance on women, LGBTQplus, and other religions; and eternal torment of the unsaved and Hell as a real place.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
What I have observed many times is that Satan (the Deceiver) causes people to question the Biblical account of creation. Based on our public education systems indoctrination of students on evolution, the Biblical account of creation is doubted and seen only as a story. Other Bible stories are then questioned: Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Isaac, Moses and the exodus. If these “childhood” sunday school stories are questionable, then that brings into question the rest of the Bible as well: Jesus’ miracles and resurrection, the gospel message, Heaven and Hell. The book of Genesis starts out with these words, “In the beginning, God…” If you can believe these four simple words, accept the truth of them, that before everything else there was God and that everything comes from Him, then nothing else in the Bible is hard to accept as truth. But, if from the get go, you question God as ever present and creator of all that is, then everything else is up for questioning too.
“But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.”
2 Timothy 3:1-5
What these people are actually doing is examining the truth of the Bible,and weighing it against what they now hold to be true based on their own experience, the accepted morals of the culture they live in, and what they have been taught. For the current generation, their personal experience trumps all other facts and beliefs. In addition, the cultural morals of the current generation are such that many long held traditions are being overturned and discarded in wholesale fashion. Lastly, the education system over the last several decades has decidedly and purposefully removed the Bible and God from every page, lecture, and lesson plan. This has all set the stage for the current atmosphere which rejects the Bible as true and God as real.
“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Unfortunately, many religious groups have also decided that it is more important to be seen as open and accepting, to honor the individual experiences of its members, and to not exclude seekers based on a rigid interpretation of the Bible. These groups (please note I am purposefully avoiding the use of the word “church”) will turn away from Biblical truth and instead offer up what the crowds want to hear. The false teachers and preachers tickle their ears with myths and untruths because the people can no longer tolerate sound doctrine and truth.
“And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. The one who has ears, let him hear.” ... “Listen then to the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.” Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
We know the Bible says that the wide gate and road leads to destruction, but the narrow gate and path to life. Many are on the broad road we are also told, but few find the narrow way. There will be many in the end who say to God “Lord, Lord,” didn’t we do great works in your name? Unfortunately, God will say to them “I never knew you, depart from me…” The verses from Matthew above describe how the Gospel message goes out and is received in different ways. Many initially receive it, but it does not take hold and establish itself. The message is not placed in good soil and able to take firm root in order to produce good fruit. There are people unfortunately who consider themselves to be Christ followers, but they actually are not. The soil of their soul is not receptive to the seed of the gospel message, and as a result, it does not take root. These are not people who were saved, and then went through a deconstruction of their beliefs only to come out the other side as non-believers. They did not “lose their faith” or “fall away from Christianity.” They simply were never true Christ Followers to begin with.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30
“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:14-15
“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him…” 1 John 2:3-4
“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” 1 John 2:19
