To paraphrase the author of Ecclesiastes, of the writing of “deconversion” testimonies, there seems to be no end. In a somewhat recent innovation, many have embraced a different term for deconversion. It’s common to hear something like, “I haven’t lost or abandoned my lifelong Christian faith”; I’m merely “deconstructing it.”
John Williamson, the host of the “Deconstructionists Podcast,” defines this kind of “deconstruction” as “examining your faith from the inside looking for potential weaknesses.” He likens the process to prepping a ship before it sails to make sure “it doesn’t sink once you get out to sea.”
In and of itself, to self-examine our faith is a good thing. The 11th-century Christian philosopher Anselm of Canterbury spoke of “faith seeking understanding,” which is “an active love of God seeking a deeper knowledge of God.” Throughout the history of the Church, this “deeper knowledge of God” has included a healthy regard for apologetics and a willingness to ask and seek answers to the hard questions.
Unfortunately, this is not the kind of “faith seeking understanding” that’s going on in much of the “deconstruction” stories. According to Williamson, the process of deconstruction is also “about taking ownership over what you believe and potentially letting go of some of the things that no longer work.”
That kind of talk should set off alarms. In place of Anselm’s deeper knowledge of God, human autonomy and personal ideas about what is best for us have moved to the center of our faith journey. The primary, and maybe even the sole, judge of what works is us. Even worse, the criteria that determine whether beliefs or religious practice “works” are determined by us.