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Know What You're Rejecting

Right now there is a trend of people, mostly but not exclusively younger people, who are rejecting the faith they were brought up in. This trend is usually called "deconstruction" because the people going through it are slowly but surely tearing down the constructs of their faith. This is not necessarily a bad thing. All of us need to "deconstruct" some of the false things we have been taught in order to get at a truer faith in God.

Many end up rejecting God or Christianity entirely. What I find interesting is that most who have and are going through this process grew up in more conservative, fundamentalist backgrounds. Often these are places where conservative politics were interwoven with faith to such a degree that Republican politics and Christian discipleship are viewed as the same thing. The views on Scripture presented are often narrow, legalistic, and hostile to discussion.

Take, for example, creation. Many fundamentalist churches teach Young Earth Creationism, or the view that Genesis 1 should be read as a literal, historical, and scientific account. There is nothing inherently wrong with this in and of itself. However, these churches often also reject any discussion on the matter and view those who believe differently about interpreting Genesis 1 as anti-Christian heretics who are undermining the Gospel. This is wrong.

That is just an example of the background many of the people deconstructing come from. Many churches do the same thing with other secondary issues. In fact, this is a problem in many church today. We don't differentiate between what is actually essential and what we think is essential, and too often our views are shaped not by Scripture but by politics and culture.

What is sad about all of this is that many of those deconstructing I don't think have ever really heard the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have never actually encountered the true faith proclaimed once and for all to the saints. Many of our churches live out shallow imitations of discipleship, leading many people to think that Christianity itself has nothing to say to our current world.

To those who are doubting and questioning their faith I say welcome to the club. I've been through periods of intense doubt and deconstruction myself. What I discovered is that much of what I thought was the essentials of Christianity actually weren't. Digging deep I discovered the ancient faith with all its riches and depth. 

If you are going to reject God or the church, make sure you know what you are rejecting. Don't settle for the watered down or distorted versions you may have been raised with. For every church that is a pale imitation there are more that are full of genuine disciples seeking Christ in every moment. Seek out the best Christianity has to offer, with all the depth this 2,000 year old tradition has in store. Then, after encountering the true riches of the faith, make your decision.

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