Beyond Deconstruction: Building a More Expansive Faith (James F. McGrath) - A Review
What might life after religious
deconstruction look like? Is it atheism? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Indeed,
some people will simply walk away from their previous belief systems and not
look back. While this is true, many others who undergo deconstruction seek to
reconstruct their faith so that it is more open and expansive. I have witnessed
and even experienced this process. Now, when I underwent this process, we
didn’t have these terms at our disposal, but people have been moving from rigid
belief systems to more open ones for millennia. The end result may look similar
to what was left behind, or it might not. Each person is different. However,
deconstruction need not be the end of the story. What happens after deconstruction
depends on a number of factors, including what events or experiences led to
this journey through deconstruction. For those who suffered deep hurt, the
process of reconstruction is more difficult than it might be for those, like
me, who simply found the old faith insufficient even if it did not cause
suffering. Wherever one is on the journey through deconstruction to
reconstruction, it is helpful to have experienced guides to help one find a way
forward.
When it comes to finding
experienced and trustworthy guides, I believe James McGrath is someone I would
trust if I were going through such an experience. McGrath is a New Testament
scholar, author, and blogger who has experienced both deconstruction and
reconstruction. With that experience behind him, he wrote a book that offers
helpful guidance. That book is titled Beyond Deconstruction: Building a More
Expansive Faith. The subtitle offers an important clue as to what McGrath
envisions taking place once a person has moved through deconstruction and
desires to experience something new when it comes to their faith experience. Because
he underwent this process, moving from a more rigid conservative Christian
belief system to a more progressive one, McGrath knows about the challenges and
the possibilities that lie in front of a person moving into a period of
reconstruction. In Beyond Deconstruction, McGrath doesn't provide easy
answers to readers, but he does offer possible paths people might take.
Although James McGrath is a
well-regarded religious studies scholar who serves as the Clarence L. Goodwin
Chair of New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in
Indianapolis, he also speaks effectively to lay audiences. He envisions this reconstruction
process as a do-it-yourself project. That is because he believes the process of
reconstruction requires a person to take responsibility for the process and not
leave it to others. Nevertheless, he also recognizes that people need
experienced and knowledgeable guides. So, while reconstruction might lead to
something new, a person need not re-invent the wheel. This reconstruction
process, should one embark on it, involves both risks and rewards. But what
emerges from such a process may be something worth the risks involved. So, if
one chooses to rebuild their faith into something more expansive, McGrath
offers himself as a possible guide. Not only does he offer himself as a guide,
but he also tells us why he might be a good guide. It is not because his
experience of deconstruction involved a catastrophic collapse of faith. Rather,
his journey involved what he describes as a halting evolution (something I can
identify with). Besides, he is a very knowledgeable bible scholar!
McGrath begins with an introductory
chapter that he titles “Faith that Collapses (and What to Do Next). I’ve
already shared some of what he writes in this introduction about his
experiences of deconstruction and reconstruction. What emerges is something very
different from what he started with. Nevertheless, he is very comfortable with
where he finds himself today. With that introduction in place, he begins
addressing the primary concerns that people might have about the reconstruction
process. The first chapter is titled "Faith that Works." In this
chapter, he addresses concerns that many have about what an expansive faith
might look like after experiencing deconstruction from fundamentalism.
Fundamentalism tends to focus on narrowly defined doctrines, which can lead to
spiritual and intellectual problems. Therefore, McGrath suggests the reader move
toward a more practical faith, one that focuses on living in a way that
expresses connection to Jesus. Theologians might call this embracing orthopraxis
(right practice) over orthodoxy (right belief). It's not that belief is
irrelevant, but for many post- evangelicals it is a question of finding a way
of life that is in accord with Jesus' teachings, including the command to love
God and neighbor.
McGrath titles Chapter 2
"Faith that Explores." Another way of putting this might be something
like what the medieval theologian and bishop Anselm of Canterbury proposed.
That involves "faith seeking understanding." Here, McGrath invites
the reader to ponder how they might envision God in such a way that they can
break through narrowly defined barriers. He believes they can do this by using their
spiritual imaginations so they can ask questions of faith, including the
Scriptures. One important resource that seekers might want to make use of is science,
something that they may have been instructed in their pre-deconstruction life
to treat with suspicion or perhaps outright rejection (think here of
young-earth creationism). Among the questions addressed in this chapter include
the nature of prayer and how one envisions/understands God. This process will
also require a person to read scripture with new lenses, as well as being open
to encounters with other faith traditions besides Christianity.
In his third chapter, McGrath
discusses "Faith that Experiences." While the previous chapter
focused on intellectual concerns, which are often a catalyst for
deconstruction, in Chapter 3, he focuses on religious experience, including
mysticism. Like McGrath, I spent some time within Pentecostalism, so I
understand how experiential religion works. Like him, I also found the
Pentecostalism I was involved with too restrictive, especially intellectually.
That said, people have spiritual experiences that can come in a variety of
forms, including music or even in the midst of suffering. These experiences can
be quite moving and revelatory when it comes to faith. However, drawing upon spiritual
or religious experience, as valuable as it might be, does not mean that everything
and anything goes. People can follow paths that seem attractive but end up
destructive. Nevertheless, spiritual experience can offer an important entry
point in the process of moving toward something new.
The fourth and final chapter is
titled "Faith that Connects." Here, McGrath focuses on various forms
of community. He reminds us that the word "church" is rooted in
Hebrew and Greek words that speak of assemblies of all types. While we think of
church involving Sunday morning gatherings, religious community can take many
different forms, including traditional religious forms. The point here, I
believe, is that as one moves toward a more expansive faith, that journey is
best accomplished within a community. While this is true, a person should be careful
not to end up in the same kind of situation as before. Although there is value
in returning to the basics, including the study of the Bible, it is wise to do
so critically and humbly. The key to success is finding people who are able and
willing to accompany a person along the road to a new and more expansive faith.
If necessary, create a new community of fellow travelers. Sometimes, in pursuit
of inclusiveness, there is a need to set boundaries. But, as McGrath suggests,
when it comes to community: “Define your identity as a unifying core rather
than with boundary walls. Define your identity in terms of who you are and what
you stand for, rather than what you are not and what you are against” (p. 140).
As someone who went through a form
of deconstruction and then reconstruction many decades in the past, I
understand the challenges that a person faces as they move toward what McGrath
calls a “more expansive faith.” I also recognize the value of fellow travelers,
including those who have gone on the journey before you, because this is a
journey that requires us to take responsibility for our own faith development,
but is best undertaken with others. My own journey was not all that traumatic,
but I did face my share of challenges. Nevertheless, I believe the journey,
which is still ongoing, was worth the effort. We live at a time when increasing
numbers of people are undergoing spiritual deconstruction. Many who have
undertaken this journey do not know how to move forward. Therefore, having a
person like James McGrath to accompany them, while providing important
resources and guidance, will be a great blessing. In my view, McGrath’s Beyond
Deconstruction is a brief, accessible, and encouraging book that I highly
recommend to those seeking to build a more expansive faith.
Copies of Beyond Deconstruction may be purchased at your favorite retailer, including my Amazon affiliate bookstore and my Bookstore.org affiliate.
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