We don't have to be afraid of difficult questions.

At the beginning of February, our Newsology Podcast did a series of podcasts on the very trendy term “deconstruction”. And while the term deconstruction is relatively new, the process is not. As Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 1:9 - “What has been will be again,   what has been done will be done again;  there is nothing new under the sun.”

I do not mean that since it isn’t new, it is something we should be dismissive of. We shouldn’t be. But we should be encouraged, Christianity has withstood the questions of the faith for a long time. And it will withstand questions into the future. How can the church help those who are going down the path of deconstruction? The first thing we need to do is understand what causes people to start seriously questioning their faith, and when we understand the why, we can help them walk through it.

There are a wide variety of reasons, but there are some that seem to be the most consistent. Hypocrisy is a big one. That is not what this article is about, but I feel I need to address it briefly. It was Gandhi who said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Friends, we have to do better. The best way to eliminate hypocrisy is two fold. 1. Spend time with Jesus. It sounds overly simplistic, but it is absolutely true. To be like Jesus, we need to follow Him. Not what we think He should be like, or how we think He would fit into our world, but Him. Get a community of believers, be discipled, and follow Him. 2. We need to be able to admit when we are wrong. We are human, and we won’t be perfect in every aspect of our lives, we need to be able to just admit it, and ask for forgiveness when necessary instead of just pretending that we are perfect.

But another BIG reason for deconstruction is questioning the faith. It generally doesn’t start with questioning the faith as a whole, but some aspect of it. Which leads to bigger and bigger questions. And when we can’t find answers that reconcile what we have been taught about or through Christianity, and with what we know and encounter “outside” of Christianity, we often find ourselves in a spot where we have to toss one side or the other.

I personally believe that questioning aspects of our faith is healthy and good. There are so many things that we have added culturally to the Gospel or what it means to be a Christian. There are many interpretations that have been held to the same level of authority as actual Scripture. Those things need to be detangled from the faith. There are some really important questions that we individually need to wrestle with, so we can make our faith our own, not just a culture that was handed down by our parents or community, but a faith that is deeply personal. For many, that can only come after working through these difficult things.

For the rest of the year, on the 4th week of the month, we are going to take the time on this blog to address some of the big questions that many of us have to wrestle with. How does Science and Scripture work together? How can a loving God, allow suffering and evil? What do I do when I (or someone I love deeply) struggles with sin? What does God say about who we are?

I can’t say we will have all of the answers to any question you ask (actually, I can tell you we don’t have all the answers) but our goal is to have thoughtful, biblical responses to some of the big questions of this moment. 

- Stacy Hamsher