Evangelical Deconstruction: Biblical Fundamentalist Thoughts

Twice a week I sit with ten or more 17 and 18-year-olds and let them ask any question they want about the faith—freely—no question is out of bounds. I know that they are preparing to head off to independent lives and I want to make sure that they understand their own faith thoroughly before it is attacked vigorously by others. I have been doing this for twenty years.

I want to make sure they know what they believe and why. I want them to own their faith for themselves. I want them to construct a sound faith based upon the word of God and the reality of a personal walk with Christ. This is sort of the opposite of what is today being called evangelical deconstruction.

Jordan Steffaniak defines evangelical destruction in the following way:

By deconstruction, I mean the practice of re-examining previous beliefs and ultimately rejecting them, and by evangelical, I mean those who have deconstructed from their previous evangelical beliefs.

This is happening in such volume among younger evangelicals that it now has its own terminology. The Gospel Coalition produced a book entitled Before You Lose Your Faith to address the issue.

There are a lot of reasons why so many—like Josh Harris—are departing. Some cite abuse, social justice, science, and more. While the accusations of abuse are often truthful, the indictment of the faith itself is not.

We cannot ignore the fact that church leaders have used ecclesiastical structures to cover for sin and abuse. This cannot be tolerated. True believers have a responsibility to keep a clean house. Biblical fundamentalism has had its share of scandals. Any authoritarian power structure has the potential for the ungodly to use it as a tool for evil. I have written repeatedly on this subject. More importantly, the Bible addresses it.

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and ^[a]cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them (Ezekiel 34:2-10).

In the same way, God condemns the men who cover the altar with their wives’ tears (Malachi 2:13-17).

Jesus condemned the Pharisees for doing the same thing (Matthew 23).

However, it does not make any more sense for true believers to abandon the faith over abusers than it would for the Jews to abandon Jesus over the abuse of the Pharisees.  The Bible does not commend or tolerate abuse. Those who commit abuse in the name of Christ position themselves as His enemies (Matthew 18:6).

You do not deconstruct your presuppositions, you abandon them.

New Testament Christianity starts with two basic presuppositions. There is a God and He has revealed Himself in the Bible. Everything else in our faith flows from those two presuppositions. There is evidence to believe that those presuppositions are true. The existence of God is demonstrated by Creation itself and the truthful value of the Word is demonstrated by the test of time and its dynamic power to change lives.

Everyone has presuppositions. Because a person acts in conflict with his biblical presuppositions does not prove the presuppositions wrong, it proves the person wrong. It also ignores the many who genuinely live out their faith.

Doubt and departure are not the same things.

True believers sometimes doubt their faith. It might be that all believers go through seasons of doubt. There is nothing wrong with seeking answers regarding the faith as well. Part of a pastor’s job is to be willing to give answers for the hope that is within (1 Peter 3:15). However, true believers do not depart from the faith.

You cannot deconstruct what was never constructed and you cannot deconstruct what was truly constructed by God.

Every person must come to the faith for themselves. Christians are not born. They are born-again. They all must convert. They all must come to true faith in Christ for themselves.

Having grown up in a believing home I had to become convinced for myself that this faith I was being taught was true. My advantage was that I saw the reality of it in the life of my parents who raised me—it manifested itself in the most difficult details of life.

If you have truly come to the faith, you will not depart from it. If you do depart from the faith, you had not truly come to it in the first place (1 John 2:19).

This is why Paul encourages Christians to examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5-7). It is why Jesus said many who see themselves as believers will hear the words “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23).  The Holy Spirit, once He takes up residence in our souls does not just move out. Jesus said it, Paul said it.

Christianity will never be popular. Jesus said it (John 15:18, 1 John 3:13). As the social norms of our world continue to move away toward a god-denying secularist society our faith will become increasingly unpopular. People will no longer be able to keep on foot on the dock of Christianity and the other in the drifting boat of our secular world. Your spiritual legs cannot stretch that far.

This leaves us with an inescapable conclusion.

If there is a widespread departure from the faith in evangelicalism (or biblical fundamentalism for that matter), then we must conclude that much of what we have thought to be genuine faith has been fake.

There are thousands going through the motions of religion who do not possess the reality of Christ in their souls. For some, it is just family and tradition. Some have deceived themselves. Some have just grown up into it, benefitted from it, and now feel trapped in it. When current social norms start to march out of step with biblical the fakery crumbles.

We need an Awakening more than a Revival.

Evangelicalism (and biblical fundamentalism) needs to evangelize itself. The generation that professes a love of Christ while living in sin with the world (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life) will lose its children completely to the world. That is because such a split allegiance is untenable (1 John 2:15). A worldly Christianity will eventually lose its Christianity and just be worldly.

I am not arguing for specific standards here, I am talking about where our love is rooted. Our children know what matters most to us. They know where our allegiances truly lie. This is not so much a theological issue as it is a spiritual one. It is possible to have all of your theological ducks in a row and not be a true possessor of a relationship with Christ.

I have a passion for theology. I have taught theology classes often over the years on the seminary level. It is important to impart truth from one generation to the next. However, my heart’s deep longing is that this next generation of true believers truly sees Christ in me.

Paul used the same argument with he encouraged Timothy not to quit. It was not just a doctrinal, intellectual question, it was also demonstrated in the Apostle’s life.

But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,  persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:10-15).

Is your faith real? God is. His word is. It has been proven in the lives of genuine believers for thousands of years.