Introduction:
In our last post we drew out some important comparisons between genuine saving faith and counterfeit professing faith. Understanding how the Bible presents these will aid us as we continue on in this series. In today's post we want to evaluate faith deconstruction as a process. Before we do that, it is important to note that examining one's Christian faith from time-to-time is urged in Scripture (2 Corinthians 13:5). Whenever a Christian faces any challenge to their faith, they are forced to consider how much they're leaning on Christ versus how much they're leaning on themselves (Proverbs 3:5-6). I would go as far as to say that testing of one's faith is normal for the Christian, and that failure to closely understand where on is spiritually is a sign of spiritual laziness at best and quite possibly a sign of an unregenerate heart at the worst (2 Corinthians 13:5).
When one compares Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter in the Four Gospel records, the above observations bear out. We see no evidence of Judas ever evaluating his heart or profession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Whenever he was enticed to sell our Lord for pieces of silver, we never see Judas once checking his heart or truly repenting. Simon Peter on the other hand had a sensitivity to how far short he was in his spiritual life.
Although Peter would end up denying the Lord Jesus three times, nevertheless He was repentant. Jesus in a post-resurrected appearance restored him, commissioned him, and reinstated him in John 21. Simon Peter faltered for a moment but ultimately showed He was looking to Christ as His Savior and Lord. Judas, sadly, proved he was only looking to self-interest and ended his life in despair, lost in his sins. Such observations as these are why I am pursuing this current series and am presenting this material at the upcoming apologetics conference I referenced in the first ppost of this series.
Evaluating faith deconstruction.
Now that we’ve introduced faith deconstruction and have distinguished true faith from its counterfeit, let’s dig deeper. We can evaluate faith deconstruction by noting its three cycles: unchanged heart, short-term fruit, truth for lies.
A. Deconstruction comes from an unchanged heart.
In the book I cited in our last post, the authors cite one who underwent faith deconstruction:
“Deconstruction is not about getting your theology right. It's not about trying to make your views match reality. It's about tearing down doctrines that are morally wrong to you to make them match your own internal conscience, moral compass, true authentic self, or whatever else it's being called these days“ [Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett. The Deconstruction of Christianity: What it is, why it's destructive, and how to respond. Tyndale Publishers, 2023. Page 25].
A non-Christian or someone who never professed faith in Christ, though in spiritual danger, is in a different category from someone who once professed Christianity but then turned away.
Deconstruction is dangerous because it leads to apostasy if not abandoned – what older preachers call “crossing the dead-line”. Adrian Rogers once preached a sermon called “Crossing God’s Deadline”. He noted this:
“There is a line by us unseen that crosses every path; it is the hidden boundary between God’s mercy and God’s wrath”.
Proverbs 29:1 “A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.” As to the “dead-line” or “too far to ever repent”, no one knows with certainty when it is crossed, except God.
B. What prompts a professing Christian to deconstruct?
There are some factors that legitimately ought not to be in the Bible-believing church today. Too often churches do not own their sins, for which those who deconstruct are not completely off-base for calling out the local church. Jesus certainly warned the seven churches of the Book of Revelation of how they tolerated unbiblical things or acted in hypocrisy. Revelation 3:1 “‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
The rate of falling away in our day and time ought to cause us to look closely at ourselves as a people who claim to be loving, yet often are cold; or as a people who champion the truth, yet will tolerate error; or those who promote godly marriages between men and women, yet evidence moral failure and public scandals. With those observations in mind, what leads people to deconstruct?
Secondly, perceptions that certain Christian doctrines are toxic (examples being male headship in marriage, sexual abstinence before marriage, the Bible's rejection of homosexuality, church scandals, abuse in the church & perceived contradictions in the Bible).
Thirdly, any present or past political climate and Christians equating Christianity with objectionable platforms of political parties involved. Fourthly, not knowing how to handle doubts and thus concluding it's better to jettison Christian beliefs than to deal with the doubts. Experience and research has shown that deconstruction doesn't happen overnight. It represents what has been a long-term process of gradual pulling away from church life, prayer, and Bible reading as a response to such factors. Those are the factors that prompt deconstruction. Let’s look at another observation.
C. Those who deconstructed may have shown short-term fruit.
The scary thing is those who once professed faith in Christ did seem to be saved. I’ve listened to many deconstruction testimonies over the years and have noted the following common traits. They were very zealous, sincere people. They knew the Bible very well. They became highly involved in church.
They’re convinced they’re a Christian because of their profession or because they said a prayer. They may have held positions in the church. Many will speak of a “religious experience” or “an emotional event”.
In the eighteenth century Jonathan Edwards wrote a classic book that dealt with how we can know we are truly of the faith [“Treatise Concerning Religious Affections”]. He notes:
“for as we observed before, as we ought not to reject and condemn all
affections, as though true religion did not at all consist in affection; so on
the other hand, we ought not to approve of all, as though everyone that was
religiously affected had true grace, and was therein the subject of the saving
influences of the Spirit of God.”
The true possessor of faith, such as the Apostle Peter or Timothy, truly desired and trusted in Christ above whatever benefits He offered (John 6:60; 1 Timothy 3:14-15). A false professor, such as a Judas, or Demas, followed Jesus in so far as it served their motives for wanting peace but not the peace-maker, freedom but not the Liberator.
False professors crave acceptance by men rather than accepting Christ who makes them acceptable in the sight of God. The temporary fruit of a fraudulent profession is bent self-ward, only desiring the benefits and not the benefactor and falls away because that person was never saved to start (again 1 John 2:19).
The truth of God’s words about us is exchanged for self-deception. In our main text in 2 Timothy, we see how Timothy was truly born again in 2 Timothy 3:14-15
“you,
however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of,
knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have
known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
More next time.....
