Before You Lose Your Faith
Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church
Edited by: Ivan Mesa
You may have heard the word ‘deconstruction.’ It refers to people who question their faith in Christianity and ultimately walk away from it. They may become atheists or they may piece together a newfound faith that for all intents and purposes, has essentially rejected major Christian doctrines.
You may be surprised to know that this book is not a persuasion to stop deconstructing.
Christianity can handle hard questions.
True faith does not come from always accepting what other people tell you, never asking questions, and resisting all doubts.
True faith comes from asking questions, finding answers, and knowing what you believe.
The heart of this book is to encourage anyone who is thinking about deconstructing, in the throes of deconstruction, or talking with loved ones who are, to ask your questions and honestly seek the answers.
“Deconstructing can be the road toward reconstructing—building a more mature, robust faith that grapples honestly with the deepest questions of life.”
It is also a charge to churches to be a safe place for people to deconstruct. A place they are comfortable with asking questions without fear of judgement or condemnation. Churches have far too often been the catalyst for people’s deconstruction and we need to remember Jesus’ message of grace. Teaching truth is not void of grace and kindness.
Scripture says that it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Not harsh judgments, clucking tongues, anger, or fear. (Rom. 2:4)
Before You Lose Your Faith is similar to Tim Keller’s Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference in that both have a different contributor for each chapter. They include, Trevin Wax, Jared Wilson, Rachel Gilson, Thaddeus Williams, and more.
I think this is a great introductory book to read if you are having any doubts about your faith.
Part 1- Deconstructing Deconstruction
The first few chapters challenge those who put Christianity through the gauntlet of questions and doubt to do the same thing to whatever ‘new religion’ they may deconstruct to.
“Is it possible you’ve merely traded one set of unproven assumptions for another?”
They challenge whether ‘progressive Christianity’ really offers belonging and depth. This involves a discussion of wokeness, cancel culture, and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.
They also interestingly pose that keeping the faith is more radical and countercultural than the trend of deconstruction. Doubt is equated with heroism in today’s culture.
Be radical, they say, and have faith in what you cannot see.
“It is not for us to stop believing because we lack understanding, or to postpone believing till we can get understanding, but to believe in order that we may understand; as Augustine said, ‘unless you believe, you will not understand.’ Faith first, sight afterwards, is God’s order, not vice versa; and the proof of the sincerity of our faith is our willingness to have it so.” - J.I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God
Lastly, they challenge us to disentangle culture from truth. Culture is always affecting us. This involves a discussion of evangelical subculture and what things have become synonymous with what it means to be Christian that are actually not biblical. Sticking with Christianity doesn’t necessarily mean you must accept the entire package full of cultural adaptations.
Part 2- Deconstruct the Issues
These next chapters hit on all the main topics that are commonly brought up in deconstruction: sex/gender, race, politics, social justice, science, and hell.
I won’t rehash them each here (I’ll include further reading on these at the end of this review), but the main theme throughout these chapters was to address the lies or myths about those issues and to show what the Bible and Jesus actually says about them.
One thing I really liked about this section was one writer who pointed out that discerning truth is not like a pendulum. If people experience a version of Christianity that leaves them hurt or with a bad taste in their mouth, they swing away from anything those people believe. But,
“Wisdom isn’t merely running in the opposite direction of those we dislike.”
In a culture filled with tribalism, careful thinking and consideration of other views are rare. If we don’t like someone, then we avoid everything they stand for.
But pendulums keep swinging.
If we truly want answers we have to be willing to walk the road and honestly look for answers and not jump in the ditches when we run into someone we don’t like.
Another thing I really liked about this section was another writer’s distinction that we can deconstruct with hammers or with precise tools.
“Deconstructing with hammers is quick and easy. But it’s also reckless. The resulting mess leaves us with little from which to reconstruct anything of substance. Deconstructing with precise tools, meanwhile, is much more methodical. It’s rarely as quick and easy as the hammer. But we retain the materials needed to reconstruct something of substance in the end.”
This is very wise. I’ve seen a lot of people take the easy way and just destroy everything they ever believed out of their pain and anger, only to be left standing in a pile of rubble and no plans to rebuild. His point was that the internet encourages hammer deconstruction, but wisdom seeks out trustworthy mentors who won’t send you on an aimless path of wreckage merely for the sake of destruction but can give you tools to find the weaknesses in your beliefs and fix them.
Part 3- Reconstruct Faith
It is said, the church is not a museum of saints, it’s a hospital for sinners. That doesn’t excuse the harms done in Jesus’ name, but it reminds us that the only perfection that has existed on earth is Jesus. We continue to strive for holiness, but we’re going to mess up.
I love Scott Sauls’ illustration in his book, A Gentle Answer:
“In the same way that it would make zero sense to call Beethoven a substandard composer because a six-year-old plays a Beethoven piece sloppily and out of tune at a piano recital, it makes zero sense to call Jesus a substandard Savior because his followers imitate him poorly.”
It really boils down to what you think about Jesus. Jesus and his claims for himself, his death, and resurrection, are what Christianity hinges on. Unfortunately, we don’t always follow his example and commands and we hurt people. Maybe you’ve been hurt by a church or someone who identifies as a Christian and you don’t want anything to do with Christianity.
Before you you reject your faith because of other people stumbling along like six-year-olds playing Beethoven, look at the original Composer. Study Jesus.
“In the person of Jesus, those hungering for righteousness see his justice. Those thirsty for compassion see One who will not break a bent reed. Those battling doubt meet One who hears prayers to help our unbelief without judgment or shame. And those perplexed with confusion over the complexities of life, and the fear of being lied to yet again, come face to face with the only One who is faithful and true.”
I read one review of this book that critiqued that it seemed they ‘dismissed’ all the objections of Christianity by saying, in effect, ‘If that’s your experience or belief of Christianity then that wasn’t real Christianity.’ To that reviewer, it seemed like a cop-out.
I disagree with this assessment. I wish it weren’t true that Christianity is distorted in so many ways now and in history past. But that’s what happened/s. It is not wrong to point out the ways in which Christianity has been distorted from God’s design. If we are promoting biblical Christianity, then we need to expose where people have strayed from the Bible. Again, it doesn’t excuse sin, but a book that is trying to show truth must also expose untruths.
Conclusion
This book is not an exhaustive resource on all the questions and doubts you have with the church and anyone who is deconstructing will definitely to read more than this. (Check out my references below for further study.)
But it is a heartfelt and valuable book that poses important questions and considerations for those who are on the deconstruction spectrum.
I had my own experience of ‘deconstruction’ when I went to a Christian college expecting to agree with everyone and realized there were things I believed that I didn’t know why. So I asked questions and I read a lot of books and I studied the Bible and my faith is stronger for it.
I love books like this that encourage others to underwrite their beliefs. Too many people won’t put the work in and act as if they’ve walked a hard road. Walking away completely is easy. But you’re no better off.
Put in the work, walk the road of discovery, and I promise— God will meet you there.
God is not afraid of our questions. Christianity will withstand the weight of your doubt.
More Quotes:
“To be fair in your pursuit of truth, you should take those doubts and questions that you, with laser-focus, have trained on Christianity and point them at the story you’ve adopted for yourself. Until now, your faith in yourself and in deconstruction has escaped the level of intense scrutiny that you put your earlier Christian faith through. If you truly deconstruct in a way that is authentic and honest, then your newfound faith must undergo the same level of examination as your older faith.”
“We want all of God’s blessings— without submitting to his loving rule and reign. We want progress— without his presence. We want justice— without his justification. We want the horizontal implications of the gospel for society— without the vertical reconciliation of sinners with God. We want society to conform to our standard of moral purity— without God’s standard of personal holiness.”
“Yes, God is a mystery. But he can also be known. He is known in Jesus. He is known in the pages of Scripture. And when we seek him with all of our heart, we will find him.”
“Freedom isn’t the absence of constraints. Jesus didn’t say “total, limitless autonomy will set you free. He said the truth will set you free. Not your truth; the truth, in a true-for-everyone sense.”
“Politics is just like any other idol: it doesn’t deliver what it promises. That’s why many of the most politically conscious people you know are also the most anxious, the most fearful, the most volatile. The idol of politics promises a feeling of control over this intimidating world. In reality, though, it amplifies fear by keeping our eyes off the Sovereign ruler of history.”
“Abandoning Christ won’t make your politics more tolerant and sophisticated. What it will do, in all likelihood, is surrender you to the whims of a secular outrage and cancel culture that is ruthless and unforgiving. It’ll leave you without a moral foundation. Worst of all, it’ll rob you of the only hope steady enough to survive deep suffering, unmet expectations, shattered dreams, powerful enemies, and broken trust. Only. Christ is big enough to assure you of ultimate hope, because only Christ is big enough to one day undo everything broken about this world.”
“We must learn that Christian community is built, not found.”
“Unfortunately, many of my friends who’ve left the faith haven’t found what they were looking for. In search of freedom, they’ve found only bondage to a lifeless system of individualism, consumerism, and a new, secular judgmentalism… We were made for this: belonging to Christ and one another. Every other system, every other promise, everything else in this world is crushing.”
“The good news of the gospel is that the Savior invites us into his city. The king loves to pardon. The Lamb desires to forgive. The Great Physician rejoices to heal.”
Further Reading:
Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next by Rachel Gilson (Contributor)— Gender/Sexuality/Marriage
Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Every Christian Should Ask about Social Justice by Thaddeus Williams (Contributor)— Race/Social Justice
The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together by Jared Wilson— Doubt
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung—Sexuality
What Does God Say About Our Bodies? by Sam Allberry— Gender/Sexuality
How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman— Politics
Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe by Voddie Bacuham Jr.— Race/Social Justice
Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael J. Kruger— Gender/Race/Authority and Inerrancy of Scripture
Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage by Gavin Ortlund— Areas of Disagreement in Christianity
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin— All the above
Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What that Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung— Trusting the Bible
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller— Existence of God
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