Building and Rebuilding Your House of Faith

Deconstruction, Reconstruction, and what Jesus has to say about it all

Today’s post is inspired by the text of my sermon from Sunday, January 12, 2025. It is intended for those who have heard of/considered/experienced the deconstruction and/or reconstruction process of making faith their own, although we believe the information here could be helpful to people who do not identify as Christian if they are seeking to learn more about what some Christians- who do not have the loudest voices- believe about Jesus, inclusion, justice, etc. We hope it’s helpful!

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There’s a lot of chatter about the terms “deconstruction” and “reconstruction” when it comes to faith.

If you aren’t familiar with these terms, think of your faith (your beliefs, your spiritual practices, your church background, and your religious community) as a house made of bricks.

For many of us, our house of faith was built when we were young, through growing up in church, being exposed to Christianity by someone (or several people) we knew, and/or through portrayals in media. These early beliefs and practices were the first bricks laid in our house of faith and serve as the foundation upon which everything else was built. As we grew up, we read things, heard things, and were exposed to different people and ideas; as this was happening, we added even more bricks to our house of faith. This process is called construction.

If you grew up in a faith community, your house of faith was most likely constructed in a purposeful way based on your parents, your pastor, your church, and possibly a denomination. Most people have bricks they feel particularly strongly about, and they do everything they can to ensure those beliefs are passed down to the next generation. Sound familiar? If these early beliefs were handed to you by someone you trusted, those bricks are probably holding a foundational place in your house of faith.

For example: My friend grew up an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist and was taught that the only acceptable translation of the Bible was the King James Version. For him, reading the KJV instead of the NIV or ESV was a foundational brick in his house of faith—right alongside the resurrection of Jesus.

He didn’t come up with this belief system on his own and he certainly didn’t read it in the Bible. He was explicitly taught this by people he trusted who felt strongly about it, and it was reinforced throughout his community.

Growing up in Southern Baptist churches, Amy and I experienced similar beliefs surrounding the evil influences of dancing and drinking. Friends and family members who grew up in the Church of Christ were taught that instruments were not authorized by God for use within church services. You get the picture.

Many of you reading this have been through the construction phase of your faith. But somewhere along the way, you began to have questions about one or more of those bricks; something you believed came into conflict with something you learned or experienced, and you may have found yourself unable to reconcile the two.

This happens for all sorts of reasons:

• For my friend, it was taking a Bible class and learning that the KVJ is one of the least accurate Bible translations when compared to the original languages.

• For me, it happened when a pastor I grew up admiring was arrested for abuse.

• For many of us, it could have been when the political party which had always gone hand-in-hand with our faith tradition started supporting and even encouraging things that conflicted with our Christian values.

• Maybe you met some people your faith tradition always demonized, only to find out that they were kind and Christlike folks. Or maybe you became one of the people your faith tradition had excluded due to your political leanings, sexual orientation, or acceptance of evolution (just to name a few examples).

Some of us have experienced all of these things and more.

Most of us came to the point where something we believed came into conflict with something we experienced, and we had to make a choice:

a) ignore our experience and believe what we’ve always believed

OR

b) make a change to our house of faith

The latter forces us to take the brick out of its place, hold it up for examination, and decide whether we want to put it back in, throw it away, or replace it with something better.

This process is called deconstruction, and it’s a universal experience; what isn’t universal is the unique decision each of us faces with every brick we examine and how we choose to move forward with our own house of faith.

You may have leaned one of two ways:

• Upon reconsideration of new ideas, you tried to ask questions but were met with responses like, “You need to have more faith,” or “You just need to pray harder,” or, “Be careful with those questions; you’re on a slippery slope!” Embarrassed and/or afraid, you shoved your questions down and maintained the status quo. This option almost always leads people to become dogmatic, angry, or both.

• Or you began to experience things that came into conflict with your previously held beliefs and began such an intense deconstruction process, usually due to deep religious trauma, that you essentially threw every brick away. This process is called demolition.

Our goal, both at Restore and within the virtual walls of Public Theology, is to avoid both of those polarized destinations. Instead, we want to walk with people through their deconstruction journeys by creating a safe place to doubt, ask questions, and be open about what they’re going through.

When examining the beliefs, spiritual practices, and worldview you acquired up until the point of conflict, you have three options: keep the brick, discard it completely, or replace it with a new brick that more accurately reflects the truth.

This process is called reconstruction, and it’s vitally important. In fact, I believe that creating spaces where people can be fully supported as they walk through the process of deconstruction and reconstruction, no matter how long it takes, is a core function of any healthy church.

You may not know that the process of deconstruction and reconstruction is depicted in Scripture. Actually, it’s not just depicted, it’s modeled and directed by Jesus himself within The Sermon on the Mount, found in the book of Matthew, chapters five through seven.

The Sermon on the Mount is viewed by both religious and non-religious people alike as one of the most influential speeches ever given. And do you know what Jesus does right in the middle of this sermon? He leads the thousands of people listening to him through a process of deconstructing and reconstructing their faith.

This is not only important in that it gives us a model for how to wrestle with our faith in healthy ways, it’s also important because we are in a cultural moment in which the process of deconstructing and reconstructing faith is constantly under attack.

Many Christian leaders have claimed that people deconstruct and reconstruct so they can sin more freely and feel justified while doing so. One bestselling Christian author said people do it because they are being held captive by Satan. And one of the most influential evangelical megachurch pastors in the world said people deconstruct because it’s, “the sexy thing to do.” What a strange thing to say.

But all of that is simply not true for two primary reasons:

1. Nobody chooses deconstruction, it just happens. No one wakes up one morning and says, “Today I’m going to question everything I’ve ever been taught!” Like I said, deconstruction is a universal experience that occurs when something we believe comes into conflict with something we experience.

2. If deconstruction is sinful and demon-influenced, then Jesus is guilty of leading us toward sin and Satan, because he teaches us how to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.

   (Thankfully, we know this isn’t true; you’ll see this belief debunked below.)

The Sermon on the Mount

Starting in Matthew 5, verse 17, we’ll see Jesus teach on six different subjects; this seems like a lot, but they all coalesce around reorienting our understanding of faith, that is, deconstructing harmful beliefs and reconstructing healthier ones.

In each of the six teachings, Jesus begins with some version of “You have heard it said…” and then ends with something along the lines of “But I tell you…”

Jesus is making six different contrasts here between commonly held understandings about a subject and the way of Jesus.

Again, he is deconstructing harmful interpretations and reconstructing healthy ones.

Many of the commonly held beliefs Jesus was engaging with came from a misunderstanding or misapplication of the Jewish Law in the Old Testament.

“Within this passage we see Jesus redefining what it means to follow the will of God. When bogged down by legalistic and literal observances of the Jewish law, the mission is no longer love; it is avoidance of sin. Jesus restores this vision of hope and love for his people by focusing on the positive purposes for self-sacrificing love and how God is glorified through relationship with him and others.”

Christopher Symms

To put it another way: in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is correcting bad Biblical interpretations. If he was on earth today, I wonder what commonly held Biblical interpretations he would correct? I have some ideas, but that’s an article for another day.

If this Sermon on the Mount section sounds like Jesus is going to do some pot-stirring, buckle up. In fact, Jesus anticipates the pushback he’s about to get and begins with this:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets [the Jewish Scriptures of the Old Testament]; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17

Jesus knows he’s about to hear an angry chorus of, “Don’t listen to this radical. He doesn’t even believe the Scriptures are true! He doesn’t follow God’s word!”

Jesus is saying, “No, I believe they are absolutely true. I just know that you all have so often misinterpreted and misapplied them that you’ve missed God’s purpose.” He’s saying, “I haven’t come to abolish these Scriptures, I’ve just come to help you understand them better.”

And with that introduction, Jesus dives in.

1. The first subject he tackles is anger.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘idiot,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”

Mathew 5:21-24

As a kid, I remember being told that these verses meant if I ever called someone a “idiot,” I would go to hell. That was really bad news for teenage Zach who wielded the “i word” with reckless abandon. But that’s not what Jesus is talking about.

Jesus is saying that it’s not just about the action of murder, it’s about the condition of the heart. We all know that killing someone is wrong, but so is hating someone. Jesus says it’s such a big deal that he would rather us reconcile with each other than worship him.

“Reconciliation in the kingdom community is so important that it has priority over worship.”

Grant Osborne

Like we talked about at the beginning, we love God when we love each other.

2. Next, Jesus talks about lust.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 5:27-30

Jesus is saying that the act of adultery is not the only issue. We absolutely shouldn’t step out on our partners, but we should also be guarding our self against lust. Why? Because lust objectifies another human and thus degrades the image of God.

Jesus uses hyperbole to talk about cutting off body parts to avoid lust, but don’t miss his main point: lust is a destructive force that, left unchecked, will run rampant in our lives and our communities.

3. Next, Jesus talks about divorce.

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 5:31-32

This one seems a little out of place at first glance. We can easily see how one person can use hate and lust to hurt someone else, but, at least in our culture, divorce is often something that is mutually agreed upon.

This is why we have to understand what divorce looked like in the context and culture of Jesus. In first century patriarchal culture, a society where women were essentially property, divorce was often a death sentence for the wife. Divorced women were considered damaged goods and many resorted to begging or prostitution just to eat.

Notice, it doesn’t say, “anyone who gets divorced.” No, it says, “anyone who divorces HIS wife.” This is a command specifically for men as they wielded all of the power in relationships.

Women were incredibly vulnerable in this society, which is why Jesus wants to make sure they are protected and cared for.

4. Next, Jesus tackles oaths.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

Matthew 5:33-37

When I was little, I was told this passage meant I could never say, “I swear.” Amy was told that it meant she shouldn’t make promises.

It’s amazing to me how we’ve not only so often missed the point of Jesus’ words, but that we have actually done the exact opposite of what he teaches.

Jesus doesn’t care if we say “I swear” or not. He cares if we tell the truth, because lying hurts people. We should be people of integrity. The point is not that oaths or promises are inherently wrong, but that we shouldn’t have to use them because everything that comes out of our mouths should be trustworthy and truthful, whether it has an “I swear” attached to it or not.

Think about it like this: how can we expect people to believe us when we tell them about Jesus if we are also peddling lies and conspiracy theories? We can’t. We are called to be truth tellers.

5. Next on the list is retaliation.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Matthew 5:38-42

What Jesus is talking about here are called “laws of retaliation” and they primarily concern legal proceedings between people. If person A hurts person B, the Jewish Law ensured that person A would be punished in the same way they hurt person B. Eye for eye, hand for hand, life for life - no more, no less. This was a vital way to ensure that the punishment never exceeded the crime.

But Jesus requires more from us. Instead of seeking equal retribution, Jesus is calling us to expose the injustice through nonviolent resistance.

In other words, Jesus is saying, “You’ve heard it said that the punishment should fit the crime, but I tell you do not retaliate when you are wronged. Do not return violence for violence. Repay evil with good.”

These commands do not preclude us from fighting for justice. In fact, they encourage resistance in the vein of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Gandhi, and many others. We must fight for justice, but we cannot use the same weapons (violence, hate, etc.) as those perpetuating injustice.

6. This brings us to the final subject Jesus tackles in this section: Love for Enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Matthew 5:43-47

Jesus saves the most radical instruction for last. Enemy love is a revolutionary concept; it was revolutionary in the first century and it is revolutionary today. Jesus says that our faith is best measured by how we love our enemies, not our friends.

“I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.”

Dorothy Day

And it’s important to point at that Jesus doesn’t say “tolerate” your enemies or even “be nice” to your enemies. He calls us to love our enemies.

If anyone had a right to hate his enemies, it was Jesus. But he doesn’t. After he was illegally arrested, beaten, mocked, and hung on a cross, do you remember what Jesus did for his enemies?

When they came to the place called Calvary, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:33-34

When Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” he wasn’t just preaching empty words— he actually did it. We don’t get to decide who is worthy of love and who isn’t. Jesus decided that 2000 years ago on the cross. Jesus says that every single person is worthy of love—friend, enemy, and everyone in between.

It’s important to note that this section in the Sermon on the Mount isn’t the only part of the Bible where Jesus walked people through deconstruction and reconstruction. He did it almost every time he spoke. Both in this passage and throughout Scripture, Jesus demonstrates three important things we need when working through a process of deconstruction and reconstruction:

1. Healthy Community

The process of deconstruction and reconstruction is hard enough, don’t make it harder by going through it alone. Deconstructing and reconstructing with people around you divides the burden because others can help you carry it.

This is exactly what many of those listening to Jesus preach did. His closest followers became like family and carried each other through the ups and downs of both faith and life.

BUT the community MUST be healthy. If the community is toxic, the difficulty will be multiplied instead of divided.

If your community responds to your questions by telling you to have more faith, it is toxic.

If your community equates doubt with sin, it is toxic.

If your community ever says that God hates you or any other human, it is toxic.

Run from toxic community, but please do not turn your back on community completely. We are far from perfect, but I am really proud of the healthy community we have created at Restore and are in the process of creating through Public Theology. If you don’t have anyone to walk through this process with you, we would be honored to do so.

2. Scripture

A lot of folks want to throw Scripture away when they are deconstructing and I totally understand why. Through this process, we often realize the way in which the Bible has been weaponized and used to oppress and marginalize people.

But the answer is not throwing the Bible away. The answer is learning to read it in healthier ways. Like Jesus said, he didn’t come to abolish the Scriptures, he came to help us understand it better.

3. Jesus

At the risk of sounding cliche, this is the most important one. Jesus is the cornerstone upon which everything else is built. He is the lens through which we understand everything.

Scripture teaches that the fullness of God has been revealed to us in Jesus. This means that if anything in our house of faith contradicts the words or works of Jesus, we must choose Jesus. When we take out each brick and examine it, Jesus must be the filter through which we decide whether to keep it or throw it away.

Like I said earlier, deconstruction and reconstruction is a difficult and often painful process. But always remember: walking through deconstruction and reconstruction with Jesus and a healthy community by our side is so much better than throwing our faith away or suppressing our questions and doubts.

For this reason, we want Public Theology to be a place where you can walk through this process alongside a community of people who understand. You don’t have to go through this alone. We are with you, and we believe that Jesus is with you, too.