There is nothing new and nothing particularly unusual about apostasy—about people who once professed the Christian faith coming to deny it. From the early church to the present day, we have witnessed a long and sad succession of people walking away from Christianity and often doing so with expressions of anger, animosity, and personal superiority.
Yet while apostasy is not new, the modern nomenclature is: Today it is often referred to as “deconstruction.” And the specific form it takes is new as well—people using social media to chart their rejection of the Christian faith and to join with others through shared apps, subreddits, or hashtags.

The Deconstruction of Christianity

As we witness these new forms of an old issue, it stands to reason that we should have a new book to address it. That is exactly what Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett provide in The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How To Respond. This is a book that offers the “prayerful observations, thoughtful analyses, and honest conclusions of two people who have spent a significant amount of time collectively—as a team—living, studying, eating, sleeping, and breathing deconstruction.” In their research, they listened to countless stories of deconstruction, read the books and Twitter threads, watched a host of TikTok videos, and even met with some of its foremost proponents. They made certain that they understood the issue before they addressed it.
Their book falls into three parts. In the first part, the authors identify and define “deconstruction” as “a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without regarding Scripture as a standard.” They show how it grew from a fringe movement to a popular one and tell of the experiences of some of those who have been very public with their own apostasy. They also grapple with whether there can be a positive sense of the term in which a Christian deconstructs their faith by simply closely examining it and ensuring it is sound. But here they conclude the word “deconstruction” comes with too much philosophical baggage and, therefore, with too much confusion. After all,

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. Yet the goal for all Christians should be to align our beliefs with the Word of God, despite our own personal feelings or beliefs on the topic.

In this part, they also look at self-proclaimed exvangelicals to consider the reasons they have left the faith. They identify five main reasons: A literal reading of the Bible; the belief that women are to be submissive to men; a belief in the sanctity of heterosexuality and the rejection of homosexuality; the assumption that the American way of life is best; and identification and partnership with political and social conservatism.
As they progress into the book’s second part, Childers and Barnett examine the details of deconstruction. “Every act of deconstruction contains three basic components: (1) a process of deconstruction, (2) a belief being deconstructed, and (3) a person deconstructing.” In other words, there is always a how, a what, and a who and in a series of chapters they address each, first pausing to show that deconstruction most often begins with some kind of a crisis, and often an understandable one—abuse, suffering, doubt, and so on. Yet they aptly show that such a crisis does not make deconstruction inevitable.
In the third and final part, they suggest ways to love and help people who are in that process of deconstructing their faith. They insist that it is okay to ask questions about the Christian faith and to wrestle through difficult issues. Yet they guide people in asking questions that truly look for answers rather than exits. They also offer wisdom to those who are grieved by a loved one’s potential apostasy and tell them how to stay engaged in their lives. They conclude with some personal stories and encouragements.
Some potential readers may wonder who this book is for. Though it could be a book you hand to someone who is deconstructing their faith and heading down the road of apostasy, that isn’t quite its primary purpose. Rather, it’s mostly meant for those who have heard of the phenomenon and are wondering what it’s all about or for people who have seen friends or family members waver in their Christian profession. In that way, it is a book of theology and discipleship more than it is a book of pure apologetics or evangelism.
The Deconstruction of Christianity is a timely book that has been written to address an urgent contemporary issue. If you have been wondering what deconstruction is or where it came from, if you have been grieved by those who have begun it or if you have been considering it yourself, this is exactly the book you need. It is kind and compassionate in its tone but also unwavering in its commitment to truth. It would be hard to recommend it too highly.

My annual journey through Scripture has once again taken me to the early books of the Old Testament and those long passages in which God lays out the laws that are meant to govern his covenant people as they come into their promised land. Among the laws are a whole host that describe the system of sacrifices. So many sacrifices to serve so many purposes!

As I worked my way through chapter after chapter, I noticed one recurring theme: the people are meant to bring to the Lord what is first and what is best. Where they may be tempted to wait until their barns are full and their larders stuffed before offering their sacrifice, God demands the firstfruits. Where they may be tempted to sacrifice the animals that are lame or unsightly and that can otherwise serve no good purpose, God demands what is perfect and unblemished. He makes clear that if his people are to worship him, they must worship him in ways that prove he is their first priority.
And as I read I began to wonder: Do I give God what is first and what is best in my life? I don’t even mean the first of my money or the first of my possessions, because in my context those concepts don’t even really make sense. What is the firstfruits of a paycheck and what is a spotless and unblemished sacrifice in a twenty-first century urban context? What do these things mean when our worship no longer revolves around an intricate system of sacrifices?
Yet the New Testament does demand at least one kind of sacrifice. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Where in the Old Testament God’s people were to sacrifice an animal, we are to sacrifice our bodies and, more than that, to sacrifice our very selves. As we come to Christ we are to surrender to him our bodies and souls, our attitudes and actions, our time and talents, our dreams and desires, our … everything.
This is why we sing songs like, “Take My Life, and Let It Be” in which we piously say,

Take my life and let it beconsecrated, Lord, to thee.

And, later:

Take myself, and I will beever, only, all for thee.

Or “All to Jesus I Surrender”:

All to Jesus I surrender,All to Him I freely give;I will ever love and trust Him,In His presence daily live.
I surrender all, I surrender all;All to Thee, my blessed Savior,I surrender all.

But I wonder: Do we really mean it? Are we really “ever, only, all for thee?” Do we really surrender all? Or do we surrender merely some or most? Do we offer him the best of what we have or those bits we know we can do okay without? Do we really fully surrender to him those things that we love most, or do we effectively bring him what is lame and spotted, what is of little consequence and low on our list of priorities? Do we surrender the firstfruits of our lives or the lastfruits?
“I surrender all,” except my money and comfort. “Take my life” but not my position or reputation. “Take my heart it is thine own,” but please don’t take that sin I enjoy so much. “Take all I have Lord,” minus my health and strength, minus my spouse and children. “All to Jesus I surrender,” except those things I value most. We may as well be the Israelites of old entering the temple with the ugliest of our animals, the leftovers of our harvest.
When we come to Christ we must come all the way, which means we do not merely surrender our souls, but ourselves. Our prayer is to be not just “save me” but “use me.” “Use me even if it involves pain. Use me even if it involves loss. Use me even if it means you must break me. I love you, I trust you, and I surrender all.”

Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals are all about Francis Schaeffer.
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