Deconstruction: First, a Worldview
Deconstruction: A popular term floating around the internet these days, and one used to justify all kinds of life changes, whether that is a radical rejection of legalism to a departure from one’s faith. What does this term mean, what is the deconstruction movement, and how can we help and respond to those in the midst of it?
I have a five part blog series this month that will go over each of these questions, but before we can even begin to discuss deconstruction, we need to discuss what it means to have a worldview. Understanding our own worldview and the worldview of others will be crucial to these conversations. Whether we know it or not, our worldview leads and influences us in our decisions, including the decision to deconstruct.
According to James Anderson in the book “What’s Your Worldview?”, a worldview is “an all-encompassing perspective on everything that exists and matters to us. Your worldview represents your most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe you inhabit.” He goes on to say, “it reflects how you would answer all the “big questions” of human existence, the fundamental questions we ask about life, the universe, and everything.” (What’s Your Worldview p. 12). A worldview is the “lenses” through which we view and understand the world, society, and culture.
Everyone has a worldview, whether we have stopped to think about it or not. A worldview affects everything from the journalist’s writings to the scientist’s research. After all, there’s no such thing as being truly unbiased. For this reason, a Christian worldview is just as valid as any other worldview. However, some worldviews can be flawed or subjective. That’s why it’s important to have a truthful and solid foundation to your worldview.
A person who is deconstructing may reference any number of things that led to their deconstruction: conservative politics, LGBTQ+ rights, a legalistic upbringing, perceived mistreatment of women in Christianity, or something else. Each one of these ideas has a worldview behind it, and many of these ideas come from philosophers, artists, and scientists who lived hundreds of years ago. The person who is just beginning to deconstruct may have no idea of any that they are being influenced by these ideas, however. They may be unaware of the worldview that they are embracing, and in some ways could be totally innocent of it as well.
In her introduction to her bestselling book “Love Thy Body”, Nancy Pearcey writes, “It is easy to get caught up in the latest controversy or breaking news story. but current events are merely surface effects, like waves on the ocean. The real action happens below the surface, at the level of worldviews. These are like the tectonic plates whose movements cause the roiling surface waves.” Christians often get focused on headlines or fast-moving hot topics, but we need to understand that the worldviews behind these ideas have been developing, growing, and circulating for a long time.
This is why theology matters! What you believe about God and the Bible will undoubtedly be a crucial part in developing your worldview. Consider these three concepts from Bibliology, the branch of theology about the Bible:
Authority: Scripture has the final word on everything. Everyone has a basis of authority on which they think and act. Perhaps it is culture, one’s family, or even ones’s self. For the Christians, this means that the Bible is the starting point—and the ending point.
Sufficency: “The Bible is all we need to equip us for a life of faith and service.” (GotQuestions) Scripture has everything that we need to live our life, do what is right, and even to know how to respond to current issues. We don’t supplement the Bible by bringing in other competing perspectives or teachings, although additional resources may be helpful to understanding, interpreting, and applying Scripture correctly.
Inerrancy: The Bible is true, or without error, in all its teachings. This refers to the original manuscripts; scholars may have seen a few copying mistakes over the years, but the overall teaching and message of the Bible remains consistent and trustworthy.
A doctrine of inerrancy is important because recent arguments have been made to allow for reinterpretation or lack of validity of the messages of Genesis, the OT, marriage, gender roles, and so on. The term “fallible inspiration” means that the Bible is inspired but not without error. When you can say that part of the Bible is an error or accident, it completely demolishes the trustworthiness of the rest of the Bible. As Christians clinging to inerrancy, we must take the entire Word of God as truthful and accurate. Al Mohler wrote, “The affirmation of inerrancy is not necessary for salvation, but a rejection of inerrancy will produce ‘grave consequences, both to the individual and to the Church’” (5 Views of Inerrancy, p. 48) A few pages later, he added, “I do not allow any line of evidence from outside the Bible to nullify to the slightest degree the truthfulness of any text in all that the text asserts and claims. That statement may appear radical to some readers, but it is the only position that is fully compatible with the claim that every word of Scripture is fully inspired and thus fully true and trustworthy.”
Christians do not need to be experts in theology, but Christians should certainly know what the Bible says—and what they themselves believe about the Bible. What you hold to about the Bible’s authority, sufficiency, and inerrancy will affect your worldview. This is especially true when it comes to movements such as deconstruction, where adherents will sometimes reject some or all of these important doctrines.
Christians should also make basic Bible study methods a part of their worldview. After all, with so many potential interpretations of the Bible, how are we to know what is true? And how are we to defend our views when others come up with another more radical interpretation?
I intend to interpret and understand the Bible according to its literal, clear or plain, grammatical, historical, and cultural meaning, according to the author’s intention to the original audience. Broken down, this means:
Literal: We interpret Scripture literally, of meaning what it says, according to the appropriate genre.
Clear/Plain: There are not hidden meanings in the Bible; in other words, we don’t have to read between the lines. We take it at its clear or plain meaning.
Grammatical: How does the wording and grammar usage affect the meaning? Understanding the original languages is helpful for this too.
Historical and cultural: What was happening in history and culture at the time of this writing?
Author’s Intent: What was the author trying to convey to the readers?
Original Audience: Who were they, and why did they need to hear this?
This way of understanding the Bible doesn’t come from myself; it’s principles of Bible study that I’ve learned from many developed Bible scholars, pastors, teachers, and other experts. Yet, this conservative view of interpreting the Bible is in the minority today; another reason to be aware of how you determine to interpret the Bible and apply it.
Why is this important when it comes to deconstruction? Let’s say that you are conversing with a friend who is reconsidering the traditional sexual ethic of the Bible. The premise for their position probably does not include believing that the Bible is authoritative if they do not like what the Bible teaches about sexuality. Or, their position may be based on a belief that the Bible is full of errors, including conveniently the sections that talk about sexuality. When we seek to understand another person’s worldview, we may even help them to better articulate—or even rethink—their own position. This will help us to have meaningful, more engaging and beneficial conversations with one another.
I recommend the book “What’s Your Worldview” by James Anderson if you’d like some practice in this area. Fashioned like the classic choose-your-own-adventure books, this book explores different questions and concepts that help us articulate our own worldviews. It’s also a good book to use with another person. Without being pushy for the Christian position, it allows opportunities for meaningful and beneficial conversations that are helpful when we consider movements such as deconstruction.
In my next post, I will discuss some things that have led to the deconstruction movement, focusing on the last thirty years of church history. There, we will observe several different movements that paved the way for deconstruction, and the similar worldviews behind each. In later posts, we will talk about the difficulty of defining deconstruction, the act of actually deconstructing one’s faith, dealing with doubts and questions, and finally, how to help someone who is currently deconstructing.
Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash
