D is for Deconstruction

Deconstructionislove.Thisiswhatmakesitdifferentthandestructionordemolition.Deconstructionislove.Ifitwerenotlovethenonewouldsimplywalkaway,abandon,orneglecttheproject,idea,orinstitution.Ifthewaythingsareweregoodenough,onewouldtakeuppreservationorconservation.Deconstructionisanadmissionthatthestatusquoisinsufficientorunsatisfyingatsomelevel.Deconstructionisnotdestruction–butforthoseintopreservationitfeelslikeitis.Itmightbebettertothinkofde-constructionin‘forestfire’terms.Imagineitasacontrolledburn(orpurifyingfire)thatclearsouttheoldbrushandundergrowthtomakespacefornewgrowth.Deconstructionislovingsomethingenoughtopullitapartandseewhatmightbesalvaged–orfreed–fromthesuffocatingstagnationandbound-up-ness.Whenatopicorinstitutionhasbecomeassumedorpresumed,itisinneedofthiskindoflove.

Likeaplantthathasbeeninapottoolong–orhasgottentoobigforthecontainer–therootscanactuallybegintogrowbackonthemselves.Thisisaconditionknownasrootbound(orpot-bound)andlovingthatplantmeanstotakeitoutofthepotandtopull(orevencut)attherootsinordertoseparateandloosenthem.Institutionscanbetheirownworstenemy.Christianorganizationsseemparticularlypronetobecomepotbound.Tolovethechurch–orthechristiantraditionforthatmatter–inthe21stcenturyrequiressometoughlove.Ifyoudidn’tloveyoucouldjustwalkaway.Ifitwere‘goodenough’asitis,thenyoucouldsettleinandsettledownforthelonghaul.Deconstructionislovingthetraditionenoughtopullat(orevenpruneit)inthehopesoflifeandhealthandnewgrowth.Oneofmyfavoriteprogramstolistentois‘Ideas’bytheCanadianBroadcasting(CBC).Theyrecentlyhadaserieson‘AfterAtheism’aboutnewdevelopmentsregardingbeliefinGod.ThefirstepisodewaswithRichardKearneyon‘Anatheism:GodafterGod’.ThesecondepisodewaswithJackCaputo(hisbookonthesubjectisgreat).Iwouldhighlyrecommendgivingthemalisten.Whatthosetwoepisodeshavegotmethinkingaboutisthepassionittakestostickwiththetopicoffaithandtheconvictionisrequirestobelievethatthereissomethingworthallthelaborandcare.Iknowlotsofpeoplewhowereraisedwithsomekindofbeliefbuthaveeitherlostinterestorhaveintentionallywalkedaway.Ialsoknowlotsofpeoplewhoarefinewiththingsthewaytheyarewhoarehappytokeeppluggingaway.Someofinthelattergroupactuallytakeoffenseatanattempttoupdate,modify,revisit,revamp,orcontextualizeforourtimeandplace.Ifindmyselfinneitherofthosecamps.IlovethechurchtoomuchtowalkawayfromitbutIcarewaytoomuchtoleaveitintheconditionthatitcurrentlyrestsin.Deconstructionisn’tforeveryone.Infact,oneofthemostchallengingaspectsofitissimplytryingtoconvincethepreservationistsandconservationiststhatyourintentionsaregoodandthatyou’renottryingtokillthething!Tothosewhoassumeandpresumethatthingsshouldremainastheyare,pullingandclearingcanfeelorseemlikedestruction.IhavewrittenbeforeaboutTheWorldComeofAge(Bonhoeffer)orwhatotherscallTheWorldTransformed(Hunt)orwhatKaufmancallsTheNuclearAge.Thesimplefactisthatthe20thCentury–betweentechnologyandwar–changedtheworldandradicallyalteredwhatwecallsociety.Therealityoflivinginthe21stcenturyareverydifferentthantheywereinthe12th–letalonethe2nd.Thequestionsofthe21stcenturyarenotansweredbyrepeatinginheritedanswersorbyparrotingancientthought.Farming,hygiene,reading,telephones,banks,travel(airplanes)….therearethousandsofexamplesofhowdifferentourexistenceisfromthoseinpreviouscenturies.Eventhewaywasimagineourself(identity)andcommunity(belonging)haschanged.Deconstructionislovingthequestionenoughtodareadifferentanswer.Thenturningaround

andexaminingtheinitialquestionsitself.Weliveinworldcomeofage–anuclearage–thataskssomethingdifferentofus.Theologycannotjustcontinuetorepeatthesameoldanswersoverandover–orlouderandlouder–andwonderwhyitisn’tsatisfyingthedemandsbeingputonitbythoseinsideandoutsidetheinstitution.Fromthelinguisticturninphilosophytoglobalizedmarkets,fromHiroshimatoAuschwitz,fromtwittertothepill….weliveinadifferentworldthantheancients.Ourreligiousbeliefsdeservetobere-examinedandlonginglypulledat(orevencutat)inordertoprune(orbleed)inthehopesoflifeandhealth.Deconstructionisnowanecessarypartoftheology.Deconstruction.Atermusedprimarilyin*hermeneutics(theartandscienceofinterpretingwrittentextsorspokenlanguage)todescribetheprocessofanalyzingaparticularrepresentationofrealitysoastoofferacritiqueofhowatext“constructs”apictureofreality.Althoughdeconstructionistsarenotalwaysexplicitlynegativeinpractice,theyoftenusedeconstructionasatechniquetodiscreditatexttowhichtheyarephilosophicallyorideologicallyopposed.Deconstruction,whichissometimesknownaspoststructuralism,aroseoutof,andinresponseto,atheoryofliteraturecalled*structuralism,whichsoughttoanalyzethecommonstructuresthatcharacterizevarioustextsorliteraryworks.PocketDictionaryofTheologicalTerms(KindleLocations361-364).KindleEdition.Sowhatisthestickingpoint?Whatseemstobethehesitation?OnecentralproblemmightbetheChristianfascinationwiththepast.ModernChristianity,inalmostallofitsforms,hasdevelopedaviewthatsomeperiodinourhistorywas‘better’.ThisisanorientationthatskewstheworkofGodinthepresentmomentandlimitsthevisionforGod’sworkinthefuture.WhetheritisEdenanditsfallfromsupposedperfectionorromanticizedearlynotionsof‘the’earlychurchofthe1stcentury,themedievalnotionsofThomasAquinasortheheady(butcontentious)daysoftheProtestantReformation,someperiodofthepastisseemasthepinnacle…andpossiblythegoalofwhatweshouldreturnto.Thisrealityisbafflingonthreecounts:

1. Christianityisareligionbasedonthe‘incarnation’ofthedivinepresenceembodiedhereandnow–inaplace,inatime,andinflesh(John1:14).

2. ThegiftofPentecostisthatthespiritofChristcametoallflesh,thatwomenandmenofeverytribeandtonguewerenotjusttheworkofGodbut,now,thebodyofChrist.

3. TheChristianNewTestamentisprimarilyafutureorientedseriesofdocumentsthatlookforwardtoatimewhentheworldwillnotworkthewaythatitcurrentlydoesbutwhenGod’swillandwaywillbetheorderoftheday.

SowhyaresomanyChristianprojects,programs,andtheologiesframedaspast-orientedendeavors?

Whatfollowsisanexperimentinwritingforthehereandnow

Perhapsthisiswhysomany(re)ligiousorganizationsandpeople(re)sortto

(re)clamationprojectsin(re)actiontotheperceivedproblemsthat(re)sultfromourdenialor

failureto(re)cognizethatwehaveindeedenteredintoanewanddifferentera–aplacethat

wehaveneverbeenbefore.

Theimpulseto(re)achbackintotheimaginedpastandattempttosalvagesome

measureoforderorto(re)orientourselvestothisnewlandscapeinunderstandable.The

danger,however,is(re)soundingasweendeavortobecome(whatthefantasticbooktitle

labels)‘TheWayWeNeverWere’.1

Itisnotablehowmanycontemporaryreligious/spiritualprojectsemployamotivethat

beginswiththeprefix‘Re’.Admittedly,theresomeimportantwordsinscripturethatbegin

with‘Re’.Wordslikeredemption,reconciliation,andrestorationareindispensableexamples.

Twootherpowerfulwordsthatwouldcompletethatconstellationwouldberepentanceand

reparations.2

Unfortunately,thesefive‘Re-’wordsarenottheonesthatshowupthemostin

1StephanieCoontz,TheWayWeNeverWere:AmericanFamiliesandtheNostalgiaTrap(BasicBooks,1992).

2MorecouldbesaidonexploringthosefiveBiblicalconceptsforthe21stcentury.Theprimaryproblemwiththepastmaybethatitistooeasytoromanticizesomenotionorconceptinisolationwithoutaddressingthelargerstructuresofinjusticeandexclusionthatitwasembeddedinorbirthedoutof.

Christiancirclesorarefoundthemostinspiritualliterature.While‘revelation’and‘religion’

maybethemostprominentofferings,theyarenottheonlyones.Manyreligiousprojectsare

framedwithwordssuchas:

• Revisit• Reclaim• Restore• Return• Renew• Reform• Renovate• Reframe• Redefine• Remember• Recall• Re-imagine• Re-present• Reinforce• Revive• Reexamine• Redeem• React• Respond• Retreat

Theabovegroupof‘Re-’wordsmayhaveacomfortingandcomfortableringtothem,

buttheyareinsufficientforthechallengesthatweareupagainst.Oneofthemajorchallenges

ofthispast-orientedthinkingisthatitplacesthevitalenergyinthepast–likeasortofbigbang

orapoolcuestrikingthecueballandsendingitcrashingintothegroup–theinitialenergyis

dissipatedandweareslowinglosingsteam(andpower)toatrophy.

IwouldarguethatthenatureofChristianityisincarnational–sothepastisnotthesole

determiningfactorforourpresentorfutureexpression.Wehaveaccesstoanuntapped

reservoirofpowerforthepresent.Wearebeingcompelledorcalled(lured)bythepossibilities

ofthefuture.Wecanneverre-turntothepast.Thenatureoftimeandrealitydonotallowus

torevisitbutonlytoremember.

Deconstructionislovingthepastenoughnottosimplyconserveorpreserveit.