Deconstruction, Reconstruction, & Being Called to Bless

                

We all know about the slow decline of Mainline Protestantism. Over the years, the once-dominant denominations have declined significantly in numbers. There are numerous reasons for it, but the truth is these traditional denominations, including the one in which I’m ordained, have failed to retain their children and draw in new members. Many of the children of older Mainliners ended up Evangelicals. Now, we’re seeing a major shift within Christianity, as many evangelicals, especially ones who grew up in it are leaving. Not only are they leaving evangelicalism, but they’re also leaving the Christian faith. There are numerous reasons for that, including patriarchy, scandals, politicization (alignment with the Trump-led Republican Party), and a rejection of LGBTQ persons. Several books have appeared exploring these realities. At the moment, I’m finishing reading Sarah McCammon’s Exvangelicals (review forthcoming).

         I’m a Boomer. I was born and raised an Episcopalian but became part of a Pentecostal/Evangelical church in High School. Then I went to a Christian College, served as a youth minister in a conservative church, and then headed off to seminary (an evangelical seminary). Over time I shed much of the evangelical ethos and became more liberal in my politics and even my theology. One of the key moments for me was being fired from my teaching position at a Bible college for being too liberal. A second was the coming out of my brother, which led to my own reappraisal of my beliefs about LGBTQ. What is happening today seems different from what I experienced. It seems more intense, and people are simply exiting, though some are seeking to create Postevangelical communities. What that will look like is yet to be determined. I’m a bit concerned that the current communities are largely white and perhaps male-dominated. They tend to embrace LGBTQ persons, but my concern is that they become just another silo. But not everyone is staying.

                One of the current words for what is happening today is “deconstruction.” It is a term that has been around for a while but wasn’t something we talked about during my period of transition/transformation. Regarding deconstruction, I’ve been reading God After Deconstruction by Tom Oord and Tripp Fuller. A review of this book is forthcoming as well. They also describe the processes undertaken by evangelicals, mostly white, who are seeking to extricate themselves from the narrow confines of their evangelical experiences. As with those whom Sarah McCammon describes, most of those they speak of were born into a white evangelical subculture, such that they were fully enmeshed in this world.

                As I read these books, I realized that my story is different. I wasn’t born into this subculture, didn’t attend Christian schools, or was homeschooled, and I had friendship circles outside the subculture. I bought in, but it appears I was not as deeply rooted as some who are now undergoing deconstruction.

                As I read these books and watch the developments on the ground, I wonder how those who have been so affected by their past experiences might move beyond deconstruction to reconstruction. As Tom and Tripp suggest, there may need to be theological adjustments, though I’m not sure that Process theology is the only possible path out of the morass. For me, the people who contributed to my transition included Karl Barth, Hans Küng, Jürgen Moltmann, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

                One of the questions we face as we begin to put the pieces back together is where we find meaning and purpose. In my own journey, I discovered that there are pieces from the past and present that have helped form me. I call this spiritual DNA. As people deconstruct there is a tendency to toss out everything from the past, but I believe that there are pieces that can be reclaimed. If you are like me, and you have spent time in several traditions, you might have several strands of spiritual DNA. How then do we put things back together?

                In 2021 I published with Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock) a book I titled Called to Bless: Finding Hope by Reclaiming Our Spiritual Roots. In that book I share my own spiritual journey, what you might call a theological memoir, reflecting on the elements that have formed me, as I spent time in Anglicanism, Pentecostalism, Evangelicalism, and the Disciples/Restoration Movement. As I’ve reflected on the discussions about deconstruction, I believe that my book offers a possible path to reconstruction. The key piece is the thread that ties everything in the book together, and that is our calling as Christians, as spiritual descendants through Jesus of Abraham and Sarah, to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1-4). Here we find a purpose in life that is deeply rooted in our faith tradition. For me that discovery has empowered my own engagement with dear friends outside the Christian community as we each claim our calling to be a blessing.

                With this in mind, I invite you to pick up my book Called to Bless. From now until the end of May, you can order a copy from Wipf and Stock and receive a 40% discount. Just use the code:  CALLEDTOBLESSCORNWALL. You can also get the book at Amazon and other fine retailers.