Thanks for this gentle, pastoral, and biblically faithful post, Chris. While reasons for deconstructing can be as many as those who doubt, being a good listener is part of being a merely good human.
Great article. On the historical upside, there have also been many skeptics, or even atheists, who have changed in the opposite direction. C.S. Lewis and Pascal come to mind as examples. I believe a big factor in the growth of "Nones" is the way that many churches have moved away from the Gospel and sound doctrine being the main attraction. A recent "State of Theology" survey done by Ligonier Ministries about the doctrinal beliefs of people who still go to church provides evidence that the dialog in sermons and among believers has veered off track. A free download is available here:
I went through a deconstruction of sorts around 1995, twenty years into my pursuit of the Christian Worldview. At the time, I was looking around at the constant appeal to emotions from the pulpit in the church I attended and the explosion of a power struggle leading to the church splitting into factions most of which went out the door. It was clear to me that all of that was soulish and not spiritual, and I had had enough! I committed myself to investigating Christianity and my place in it. I was going to pursue the Truth, regardless of where it led me. (a scary proposition, for sure)
Since then, I have discovered great and precious truths that have founded my Christian worldview on solid ground. There ARE good answers to the big questions, and I am not required to sacrifice my rationality to find them. I am still in the church I started with, (what’s the point of jumping to another ship if the rest of the fleet is also sinking?) I may be a little bit of a burr under the saddle of my pastor because I cannot be slotted into his preconceptions, but I am given some leadership roles, mostly out of a serious need in the church, being populated by immigrants mainly from Africa. I still see serious deficits in the Evangelical World. I study apologetics and theology to have answers. That is the best I can do.
It's great to hear part of your story, Ian. I'm glad you're still active in your church, despite some of the challenges, and still benefiting from your study of the Christian worldview.
Thanks for this gentle, pastoral, and biblically faithful post, Chris. While reasons for deconstructing can be as many as those who doubt, being a good listener is part of being a merely good human.
Thanks, Paul, much appreciated.
Great article. On the historical upside, there have also been many skeptics, or even atheists, who have changed in the opposite direction. C.S. Lewis and Pascal come to mind as examples. I believe a big factor in the growth of "Nones" is the way that many churches have moved away from the Gospel and sound doctrine being the main attraction. A recent "State of Theology" survey done by Ligonier Ministries about the doctrinal beliefs of people who still go to church provides evidence that the dialog in sermons and among believers has veered off track. A free download is available here:
https://store.ligonier.org/the-state-of-theology-epub?
Greg Williams
https://christiansoldier21.substack.com/
Thanks for the good observations and link, Greg.
I went through a deconstruction of sorts around 1995, twenty years into my pursuit of the Christian Worldview. At the time, I was looking around at the constant appeal to emotions from the pulpit in the church I attended and the explosion of a power struggle leading to the church splitting into factions most of which went out the door. It was clear to me that all of that was soulish and not spiritual, and I had had enough! I committed myself to investigating Christianity and my place in it. I was going to pursue the Truth, regardless of where it led me. (a scary proposition, for sure)
Since then, I have discovered great and precious truths that have founded my Christian worldview on solid ground. There ARE good answers to the big questions, and I am not required to sacrifice my rationality to find them. I am still in the church I started with, (what’s the point of jumping to another ship if the rest of the fleet is also sinking?) I may be a little bit of a burr under the saddle of my pastor because I cannot be slotted into his preconceptions, but I am given some leadership roles, mostly out of a serious need in the church, being populated by immigrants mainly from Africa. I still see serious deficits in the Evangelical World. I study apologetics and theology to have answers. That is the best I can do.
It's great to hear part of your story, Ian. I'm glad you're still active in your church, despite some of the challenges, and still benefiting from your study of the Christian worldview.
It looks too much like a fair attempt to cover ALL the bases in objective truth to abandon.
Great article, Christopher! Your insights and advice are what Christian parents and leaders need to read and hear -- then do.
Many thanks for the kind words, Mark!