Faith Rising From the Ashes

Apologies to Derrida Fans

We received ashes at our church this week. I was involved in imposing the ashes as part of the pastoral team. The past few years have been ones that have shown the light on our mortality both in personal lives and in the life of our church. During our Ash Wednesday service, I began thinking of the picture of a Phoenix rising from the ashes of its own destruction. In fact, I recalled the discussion between Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter in The Chamber of Secrets when Harry witnesses Dumbledore’s phoenix Fawkes burst into flames. “Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…”Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old." (Rowling) The conversation was not about a fatalistic understanding, but about the natural cycle in the life of a phoenix.

Such is the idea of deconstruction* in contemporary Western Christianity. I was thinking on this experience that many in the Church have and how it can be a time of faith rebirth, or a time of walking away. I believe the end result can be influenced by those who have gone before and those who have never experienced deconstruction. Bradley Jersak addresses this tension in his book, Out of the Embers. “Deconstruction happens. It is inevitable. It is necessary. Again, it can be pure joy—the good news in most profound ways. It can also be pure sorrow—a cataclysmic collapse. Or the joy and sorrow can flow mingled down, like the water and blood from the Savior’s side.” (Jersak 40) The faith of millions may look tired, old, and waning. But, like the phoenix, faith can be reborn.

The phenomenon of deconstruction as experienced in the twenty-first century is complex and highly based upon the existential reality of the person going through deconstruction. But we must not lose sight of the fact that similar experiences have been a part of human experience throughout history. For Christians, the Christ event itself is a deconstruction of epic proportions. There is a reason that Jesus' own disciples struggled to understand what he was teaching. Not to mention the direct deconstructive phrases such as “you have heard it said, but I say.” This should point to the fact that deconstruction is not inherently destructive, but can be constructive. If we look with anachronistic eyes, we can even see the Reformation of Luther as a deconstruction. Going forward, John Wesley deconstructed his own ideas as he matured in a centered theology of ministry. Building on those, we also have shifts that look a lot like deconstructive moves from Phoebe Palmer, Phineas Bresee, Mildred Wynkoop, Ray Dunning, Craig Keen, and Tom Oord.

(Full access unlocked for all on 2-17-2024)

Deconstruction is often centered in a deep desire to find truth and match that truth to the human experience. Some of us have experienced multiple deconstructions around faith that brought us closer to the core of what it means to be faithful. Is it frightening and can it become destructive? Of course, but that does not mean we need fear deconstruction or police those who are crying out in throes of something which can be frightening and make you feel adrift. Those of us who are in ministry such that we are seen as leaders should follow the model of Jesus and be with those who experience deconstruction. Our best attitude is one of faithful presence. We cannot diminish the pain and feelings of the deconstructing else we push them farther from their center.

Speaking of centers…

I believe that one deciding factor in how deconstruction ends can be traced to whether the person deconstructing has the original faith context centered or bounded. To expand this idea, the ministers who may interact with the deconstructing may also act through an understanding of centering or bounding. The fact is that faith within the context of a bounded set is more apt to be destroyed rather than rebuilt. What do I mean? If you have a centered faith, it is more resilient to questions and doubts. A centered faith does not wither when faced with reality that challenges held beliefs because when a faith is centered, it has a tether or foundation which is less likely to crumble when questioned. In contrast, a bounded faith is less likely to handle questions and doubts. If a minister exists within a bounded faith, they are more likely to condemn the idea of deconstruction and when faced with a person deconstructing will try to give advice that resists the helpful parts of deconstruction along with the destructive. Bounded contexts will more likely condemn the idea of deconstruction as a threat to faith.

In his book When Everything’s On Fire, Brain Zahnd likens faith to a house that has had rooms added on over the years. Sometimes we realize that a room needs to be repaired and repainted, but other rooms may require a complete tear down to fix them. For the centered faith, deconstruction may tear the entire structure down, but the foundation remains. Upon that foundational center, a faith may be rebuilt. Zahnd describes the ways that a bounded faith, such as fundamentalism, has flaws which deconstruction can devour. “Historic Christianity is built on the self-authenticating revelation of Jesus Christ and can be neither proved nor disproved by a philosophical method. Modern fundamentalism, on the other hand, built on the shoddy foundation of biblicism, is easily dismantled. Fundamentalism is filled with trapdoors that drop into the abyss of atheism!” (Zahnd 93) What Zahnd is saying here is that a centered faith such as historic Christianity does not lend itself to bounded faith quite as comfortably as it may seem.

It is historic Christianity which led to my first deconstruction experience. I was in college and reading the early Church for a seminar course. I realized that the faith that very institution existed within did not match the very thing it claimed. Into that reality, I felt tossed about and homeless as my faith took a turn away from that of my upbringing. I encountered two more deconstruction periods in my life, but each was easier to handle, as I had formed a centered faith as I went. These events were not completely benign nor without moments of fear and anxiety, but I weathered them because of a centering. It might have been easier if the language of what I experienced was more maturely formed but that is why I believe we should find ways to better communicate and find language that does not shame those who feel doubt. One big shift is to see doubt as a part of faith instead of the opposite of faith. It is a subtle shift, but one that can help guide a person going through deconstruction to find a way out that may also retain a faith that recognizes where they were and where they may go. While a bounded context may help someone keep from getting lost, it also restricts where they may discover the deep and abiding presence of God.

I can’t help thinking of the famous line from a poem in Lord of the Rings, “Not all who wander are lost.” (Tolkien 247) I wonder what difference it can make if we see those in deconstruction as wanderers on a journey on which they may find God. We can be impediments on that journey, throwing roadblocks and boundaries up, or we can be beacons shining lights toward God and a faith which drinks deeply from the core of God’s nature. Just maybe more will find a faith resurrecting from the ashes of one they burned down; at least if we find more loving and kind ways to be with deconstruction rather than fighting the very concept. In other words, can we just be Jesus?

For a class on God after Deconstruction, see this from Homebrewed Christianity: https://homebrewedchristianity.lpages.co/god-after-deconstruction-info-page/

I have an essay on centered versus bounded faith here:

*Readers of Derrida will know that deconstruction is a poor term for this phenomenon, but alas, language can morph from its origins.

Jersak, Brad. Out of the Embers: Faith after the Great Deconstruction. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2022.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets- Book#2. New York: Scholastic, Inc, 2000.

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. Illustrated edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2021.

Zahnd, Brian. When Everything’s on Fire: Faith Forged from the Ashes. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2021.