I was recently disappointed. The author of homemaking blog Redeeming Home, Nicole Crone, recently shared her story of deconstructing from Christianity. You can read about it here. She was someone I had admired and received encouragement from, through her helpful articles and e-books on biblical homelife, raising a large family, headcovering, and modesty.
Though I understand what it is to want to make sense of things and to have doubts (I guess you could say that I myself “deconstructed” for a time when I was younger), I couldn’t help feeling sad. But I want to avoid being emotional in this post. What I want to do is share with you how I think she, and other Christians who have gone this path (perhaps you can think of some), will eventually and inevitably end up in one of three positions:
- Complete destruction of every vestige of belief in God
- Denial of logic in order to sustain a sense of morality apart from the God of the Bible
- Reconstruction
No, I won’t provide documentation to back my beliefs, though that would certainly boost credibility. I don’t have the time to do more here than share my thoughts, based in part on my own experience. However, I think you will perhaps see the common sense behind that reasoning as I explain it below.
Complete Destruction of Belief in God
To those who have already deconstructed, the idea that this process must necessarily lead to abandoning all belief in God might seem ridiculous. Nicole says she believes in a concept of God that sees Him more as an “energy or force,” though while continuing to see this world as “intelligently designed by a Creator.” I wonder how those two concepts could possibly be viewed as compatible.
An energy or force can’t intelligently design or create anything.
Furthermore, if this energy/force/creator is indeed the cause behind this world, just what kind of creator is he if, as she claims, there is no original sin: “The Christian doctrine of original sin was very harmful to my life and I am so sorry that I ever wrote a blog post with that in mind.” Wait a minute — without a Fall, then how can you explain the brokenness of the universe, and of our very bodies? Without the Bible’s explanation of how sin marred and ruined everything, you are left with a “god” who is either evil or incapable. What kind of god is that?
This cognitive dissonance will eventually be unsustainable, I suspect.
There will come a time when the only logical option left, apart from returning to the Bible, will be atheisim.
Denial of Logic to Sustain a Sense of Morality
Another result of deconstruction may be that the deconstructor at some point will have to invent their own sort of ethics in order to sustain a sense of morality apart from God. Those ethics will not come from anything except their own “conscience,” but since every man’s conscience seems to be telling him different things, depending on how hard his heart is toward the truth and how brainwashed he is by society, there cannot possibly be a code of ethics we can all, as human beings, always agree upon — apart from the absolute standard of God’s word. Some will “follow their conscience” and abort their children, while others will “follow their conscience” and save them instead. Morality in this case is not stable, but undependable.
How can you live your life that way, practically speaking?
Allow me to quote from Francis Schaeffer, who is much more fluent on this topic than I am:
But eventually, as you examine the new theology as well as the pantheism of the East, you come to the place where you cannot rightly speak of right or wrong. In Western religious pan-everythingism, we find men trying to avoid this conclusion, and to retain a distinction between cruelty and noncruelty. They try to hold off the acknowledgment that there is no basic meaning to the words right and wrong. But it cannot be done. It is like starting a stone downhill. Beginning with the impersonal, though one may use religious terms and even Christian terms, there is no final absolute and there are no final categories concerning right and wrong. Hence, what is left may be worded in many different ways in different cultures, but it is only the relative — that which is sociological, statistical, situational — nothing else. You have situational, statistical ethics — the standard of averages — but you cannot have morality.1
Believing in virtue, ethics, following one’s conscience, etc. can progress us a short distance. Then you get to the cliff. That precipice is the point at which we realize our ethics have taken us only so far and can take us no farther. Once we realize this, then the only options left, again, are to either fully reject God and turn to atheism, or return to Christianity. The only way to remain a deconstructionist with a workable set of ethics is to deny the inevitable logic of where one’s position must take them. The person must live in a constant state of tension.
Reconstruction
I have hope for those who have deconstructed. There is a possibility that they will realize the poverty of the views they currently regard as freeing. They will see that they have been blind, when they thought their eyes were finally open to the truth. They have been led astray by the father of lies, Satan. They thought they were wise, but this was only a foolish, worldly “wisdom” — not the true wisdom of God (1 Cor. 3:19).
And they will become acutely, painfully, beautifully aware that the Jesus of the Bible they’ve denied is waiting for them to come to Him with open arms. He understands our struggles to want to make sense of things. Our doubts are not a shock to Him. He invites us to fall into His loving, merciful embrace and receive His forgiveness and healing.
They may roll their eyes at that now, thinking they’ve progressed beyond rigid religious beliefs like the ones I hold — but the uselessness and emptiness of their deconstruction may eventually catch up to them. Then, I believe they will be glad for those who stood firmly upon the word of God as the absolute, inerrant authority for us all, even with all its supposed “contradictions.” They will be glad those people didn’t accept their deconstruction as an even remotely reasonable alternative to Christianity. Why? Because those who, by God’s grace (not because any of us are so great on our own), remain faithful will be like a comforting lighthouse beam showing them the way back.
I fear for those who may be led astray through the influence of deconstructors. And I’m greatly concerned for the deconstructors themselves. Let us pray for them, and for ourselves, that the Lord Jesus Christ will rescue us and keep us steady in Him when the temptations and struggles of the world and flesh that we all wrestle with, to different degrees and in different ways, threaten to knock us down and blow us away.
Despite how reasonable and sophisticated all the arguments against the inerrancy of the Bible may seem (and those arguments can really get you confused fast, if you’re not careful), I believe there are a few basic things that deconstructionists forget, and that I think we would all do well to remember:
- The many prophecies which have been fulfilled, against incredible odds. This proves the divine origin of the Bible.
- The historical evidence for everything in the Bible. The people groups, cities, historical events, historical people (such as Jesus), etc. can all be shown through archeological and historical evidence to be just as the Bible portrayed them. In other words, the Bible is accurate. Compare this to the Book of Mormon, for example, which can’t even come close to such accuracy.
- Miracles. I’m thinking of things like Muslims who weren’t even searching for Jesus having dreams about Him. I’m thinking of the amazing stories that some Christians can tell about God’s intervention when they prayed to Him in Jesus’ name. I’m thinking of people who couldn’t get free from the bondage of sin finally being able to overcome it when they surrendered to Christ. I don’t think these things could have happened without Jesus being divine, and I don’t think people would have been led to Him without the Bible, though a dream is certainly a start.
Maybe you can think of other things that confirm the validity of the Bible as the word of God, which I haven’t mentioned here. Perhaps you would like to share additional resources. I kindly invite you to do so below in the comments section! Also, here are a few other questions which may be good discussion-starters:
- Could you share your thoughts on deconstructionism?
- Have you known Christians who deconstructed? How did you deal with that disappointment?
- What did you do to boost your own faith while reading about others who for the most part abandoned theirs?
- Have you ever struggled with doubts about the Christian faith? How did you deal with those doubts successfully?
Friends, one last note: Thank you so much for your comments on my post, The Legalistic, Man-Made “Pants for Women Rule” that Governs in Christianity. I read each and every comment, and I greatly value the time you all took to leave me your thoughts!
~Jessica
- Schaeffer, Francis, A. Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1990. ↩︎
Thankyou so much for this post. When I see people leaving their faith like this I get so sad. I went through this journey a few years ago after a student past away and I questioned my faith so much. I hope this dear lady comes back to Christ.
Thanks for this insightful article, Jessica. With so many competing interpretations flooding the internet today, I think Christian deconstruction is more or less a test of faith that we all go through.
She seems like a very serious and sincere person. I read that she started out as a contemporary form of Christianity and went on to explore Southern Baptist, Reformed Baptist, and then the Messianic movement. I assume that perhaps she had been seeking a more encompassing and more historically rooted form of Christianity and ended up going to the Messianic Movement.
Jessica, do you remember “Into the Deep” by Abigail Favale? Abigail went from evangelicalism to feminist theology, then lost her faith. (And years later her Christian faith was restored.)
Despite their very different theological vectors, feminist theology and the Messianic & Hebrew Roots movement seem to have one thing in common. It is (to borrow a phrase from Abigail) a “hermeneutics of suspicion.” In other words, they lead their followers to be skeptical of every basic doctrine that has been providentially generated and formed in the 2,000 years of Christian church history.
For example, they would preach: “The doctrine of the Trinity is unbiblical and paganistic.” “Paul was paganistic, being influenced by Hellenism and thus his words are untrustworthy.” “Paul was sexist.” “The Christian church apostatized in the first century. (Deprived of its Hebrew roots/ poisoned by patriarchal venom, etc.)” “Most of the New Testament versions in English are not trustworthy. Only our particular NT version is true and unbiased.”
If we begin to look at the various doctrines through the colored glasses of this kind of hermeneutics of suspicion, I think that the deconstruction into Christian deconversion that Mrs. Nicole has followed is inevitable. (I respect Nicole for her consistency and honesty in that regard.) I think she is where she is now through a series of these processes.
And as you point out, I think the construction of an all-alternative ethic without faith in the Bible and in Christ would be extremely difficult. May God protect and guide Nicole and each of us in our faith journey.
Don’t’ allow yourself to be too disappointed. Either she was following a fad the first time and wasn’t truly born again, or she is just going through a stage and will come back to Christ. People are heavily influenced by social media these days, often jumping on the “Christian Band Wagon” because it appeals to them for a season, however, if they have been truly born again, they will find their way back to their Savior, Jesus. I would recommend praying for this young woman. Only the Holy Spirit can draw her back…if she was even really with Him in the first place.
It is very sad. And I can see you are feeling the pain of losing someone you considered a sister. I would say this, it sounds like her faith began to be shaken when she found “contradictions” she couldn’t explain. Every Christian goes through this. It is then we must go deeper and beg God to answer our questions. But even before that, you and I don’t know what feelings or life experiences may have prompted her doubts. We really never know unless we know people quite intimately. I know it hurts. But God did promise us that this would happen – it is in scripture. As far as deconstructionism: it’s ok to question your faith, but we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I hope this movement goes full circle and it comes back around to a revival. 🙂 Jenny
I’m not sure she can rightfully call herself Christian anymore! Once you abandon the Lord, ISTM that it would be nigh impossible to return. I’m grateful Brian & I haven’t faced this crisis of faith.
On an unrelated note: How are you doing with your pregnancy Jessica? When are you due?
Going Messianic was already a departure from the faith. It causes believers to question Paul’s Epistles. She was “fallen from grace”. More than likely she had never actually been established in foundational grace doctrine. The book of Romans is foundational doctrine for the believer today. She also didn’t know how to rightly divide the scriptures (2 Tim 2:15 KJB). She could see the differences between Christ’s earthly ministry to Israel and his heavenly ministry to us today in the dispensation of grace, but didn’t understand what she was seeing and so she threw Paul out of the window! I noticed that she is now into Stoicism. That was a philosophy that was popular in the days of the early church and its making a comeback. Her biggest issue is not making God’s word rightly divided her final authority. She’s turned to man’s wisdom (philosophy) instead. I’m praying that she will come to the knowledge of the truth and be recovered out of the snare of the devil.
2 Tim 2:15
15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17And their word will eat as doth a canker:
Col 2:8 KJV – 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Gal 5:4 KJV – 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
1Co 11:1 KJV – 1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Eph 3:2 KJV – 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Romans 1
11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
Hello,
I was subscribed to her channel, email for her blog, but when she sent out the email that she was on the path of falling away? My jaw dropped to the floor, I had to reread the email. I’m truly shocked that she chose to do this. It makes me wonder about her salvation. It’s very sad and I’m praying for her. I have unsubscribed from everything that she had. She’s making a horrible decision,
Thank you for sharing this. I’m praying for you and your beautiful family. Blessings ✝️
Dear Jessica,
Around us, we hear about several christians that belonged to a group of churches where modest clothing was the rule. And we hear also from other christians that belonged to a group of churches where head’covering and modest clothing was the rule. Some of them are my cousins, and I loved to have fellowship with them.
And now it is said that the leaders were too severe, that they were like dictaters….
And what do I think? What do I believe? I asked myself these questions.
In his goodness, our heavenly Father lead me to search Scriptures as I was in a great distress concerning one of our children.
I just wrote a comment on the previous post, and quoted two verses from Psalm 119; and I want to quote the two following verses in the same Psalm:Let me live, that I may praise thee, and let thy ordinances help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servent, for I do not forget thy commandments.
Greetings from Marguerite
When I first saw your post, I wasn’t quite sure who you were talking about, but realized that the blog author looked very familiar – and then I realized, quite suddenly, that I used to follow her blog closely, and I was actually quite familiar with her. When we moved, two years ago, I lost all of my links, and since I had realized at that time that she had been going down some unhealthy roads, I never got around to trying to find her site again. I am so sorry to hear what has happened to her and her faith.
Nicole is definitely well-researched and conscientious. Most of those I know who have walked away from the faith are not so well-intentioned. Usually it seems to be just a combination of laziness and a desire to sin without feeling bad about it that motivates people to jump ship. I hope that her journey eventually leads her back home to Christ.
And you are quite right about where all of this leads. Most people don’t want to go quite so far as to delve into honest atheism, so they stop at a vague agnosticism with “be nice to people” morality. I think there’s honestly more hope for atheists, because they are the ones willing to deal with hard truths. Often former atheists make wonderful new Christians! 🙂
I will be praying for Nicole – daily if I can remember it!
When I speak for myself, I have made quite a journey over the last three years. I would call myself still a christian, but not like one who goes to a church. I go to a messianic congegration every Saturday (Sabbath). I never thought about doing that before, but my eyes were opened for this truth, which the church sadly has lost in the first centuries when Rome got more and more power and took away alot of the Jewish (biblical) roots of our faith. There is so much richness in finding it back again. It is what Jesus teached his followers. I read (not intentional) Matthew 5:17-20 and that is when my life began to change about this subject and I started a lot of research. My faith got so much deeper and now my family with 5 kids is happily celebrating Shabbat and Gods feast days! So much looking forward to his coming 1000 year kingdom where also these days will be celebrated.
We also get alot of criticism but we try to be patient and pray for the people around us, that their eyes also will be opened and we can celebrate together in these last days, waiting for Jesus to come!
Thank you for very sincere article.Since I was young, I have listened so many gospel songs …and seen some gospel singers who had done great works left Christianity or had scandal which is definitely against Bible teaching. Sometimes I felt disappointed like you did by the author.But I believe that God still can give occasion to those who seemed to abandon their faith…to let him or her to go back to Him again.
Many Christians….sometime they seem to be so honest and sincere in our eyes….leave God in trials,I know.Sadly some of them leave Him by sinning .But if they truly hope,God can give them way to return,I believe.
I think that Christians who declares that they abandoned faith in Christ in public are so unhappy.For words can let others stumble.
Truly life of Christ is the most precious treasure we can be given in our life.I hope and pray that Nicole the author will return to Him with joy and her will again.
Dear Jessica,
I don’t know if I am right, but I guess one reason may be the lack of prayer. If we don’t pray – the bible says without ceasing – we may not have a strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ and then we may easily be seduced. All men of God like Abraham, David, … were praying men.
I personally had a hard time in the last year. I prayed and poured out my heart to Jesus Christ. And when nobody can comfort you, Jesus Christ is able to and he does. I hope I will never forget what he has done in my life, how he has lifted me up in my dark hours. Through this circumstances I had to pray and I learned to pray and I am now very thankful for this experience.
Let us pray for the christianity and for the lost sheeps.
Karin
I am afraid that Christian Deconstructionism is only another expression for falling away from the faith, i.e. apostasy. The Word of God contains numerous serious warnings with regard to this danger. Yes, “Christians” can depart from the faith and get lost. What really counts is being born again by the Spirit of God. Those may go through difficult times of doubt and failure, like the Apostle Peter who even denied the Lord Jesus. But eventually they will be restored.
Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to deceitful spirits, and doctrines of demons.
1Tim 4,1 (see also: Lk 8,13; Hebr 3,12)