It is becoming more and more popular for Evangelicals to speak up about the word deconstruction. In their minds, they see this as some kind of demonic plot to undermine their view of how things should go. In my opinion, their foundation is crumbling because of a faulty understanding of spirituality and their own mistakes along the way. They have doubled down on and bank their future upon their interpretation and strategy for the future.
In addition to this judgment, some deconstructing Christians have maligned the term deconstruction. They wonder what will happen if we deconstruct everything. Many of these people have reemerged in some form of orthodoxy and re-established themselves there. I won’t mention names, but in my opinion, they’ve settled for a partial deconstruction and reestablished their incomes and resurrected some form of ancient Christianity.
Neither one of these assessments and approaches suits the people that hang out with me in the desert. At some point, I decided to deconstruct everything. I wanted the demolition to be complete and total until all that remained was what was genuine and solid and something I can build my future on.
And now, I don’t even call it reconstructing, I call it evolving. I found that most of what was taken apart in my deconstruction was unnecessary. Especially in the 21st century, most of what we considered vital or essential in the past wasn’t necessary for moving forward. The only thing that pulls me to go back is that I could earn an income there, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to capture me. At this point, I can’t compromise my evolution for 30 pieces of silver.
People that don’t understand deconstruction also don’t understand that we are able to salvage some golden nuggets of religion and Christianity and still move forward in totally different ways than we would have ever imagined. For example, in my mind, the sermon on the Mount, the Golden rule, the great commandment and many other universal truths survive simply because they are truth. We also find nuggets of truth from other beliefs systems.
But there are also some things that don’t survive the demolition. Most of the elements of western religion don’t make the cut. The Sunday morning show, driving to church to hear a sermon, and a dependence on clergy to be priests for us do not survive a true deconstruction.
Just like 500 years ago, with the advent of the printing press, the internet enabled us to rapidly assess everything in our practices quickly; and if we are brave, most of what we consider essential can be removed. We resist this change, because it creates a cognitive dissonance and it invokes feelings of intense fear. But if we keep advancing courageously, beautiful vistas appear in the future and we feel ourselves beginning to evolve into something more complete and whole.
Once we break free from the things we are addicted to, like the Sunday morning spectacle and advocating our spiritual well-being to someone we pay money to, we can move forward confidently into a new and beautiful horizon. The Mars Hills and Hillsongs of the world, along with all the other smaller replicas, will fade away into existence when we stop feeding them.
In my evolution I am discovering words like presence and authenticity and compassion. I’m finding a connection with everything in the universe and a spirituality that is nothing like what I paid for in the past. What is possible seems to be endless and what I once thought was essential seems to be useless to me now. I can barely imagine attending an emotional worship service, but I can’t also barely describe the beauty of communion with nature and the Divine that I find there. When I go inside, I began to understand how everything is spiritual and everything is connected and everything I need is right here within me.
Deconstruction has allowed me to understand that I don’t have to drive anywhere to hear anyone or receive something that I have to give money to. I don’t have to join any organization to feel community and I don’t have to have approval from any person or organization. I am content and satisfied and complete right here where I am.
I hope you continue to evolve and destruct everything until you find the only things that are necessary for your evolution.
Beer where you are, be who you are,
Karl Forehand
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