Foundation of Hope (by Pastor Brian)

I recently learned of a movement in the Christian community known as “deconstruction.”  It is a trend that has swept the American evangelical church, primarily among youth to middle aged adults causing many to question or leave their faith altogether.  So, what is deconstruction and what is causing this phenomenon?

According to author Alisa Childers, “Deconstruction is the process of systematically dissecting and often rejecting the beliefs you grew up with.  Sometimes the Christian will deconstruct all the way to atheism.  Some remain there, but others experience a reconstruction.”

I compare the deconstruction of faith to a home remodeling project.  Deconstruction begins with determining what needs to be removed or replaced before rebuilding or reconstructing to a newer and better room.  

Similarly, the deconstruction of faith is taking a close look at your faith to determine what needs to be removed or replaced.   In researching the cause of why this deconstruction of faith is happening,  I discovered that it was largely due to the disappointments, failings, and hurts caused by the Christian Church and some of its influential leaders.

There is no denying that in the past and in the present the Church has failed.  The bad news is that the Church will continue to let us down because it consists of imperfect and sinful people.  Yet, there is good news found in the hope of Jesus.  Last month,  Easter was celebrated and Christians rejoiced all over the world because Jesus rose from the dead.  The hope  of the resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith.

1 Corinthians 15:17
“And if Christ has not been raised,
your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

 Without the resurrection of Jesus, the Christian faith is without meaning, without purpose and without hope. The hope of heaven is eliminated if Jesus did not overcome death to take away our sins. But, because in fact, Jesus rose from the dead, we are not destined to live in the hopelessness of this world. On a daily basis we are confronted with the tragedies of wars, crime, and disasters. Understanding how we live in an imperfect world detached from perfect God, we should not be surprised by these horrible realities of pain and suffering that happen both outside and inside the Church because…
                                     
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.”

Why do people lose hope and therefore faith in Jesus? It could be that hope and faith in imperfect people has caused doubt and discouragement. Rather than focusing upon the failures of imperfect humans and churches, may we center our attention upon the successes of the perfect God-Man, Jesus.

If you are in the process of questioning and taking a hard look at why you believe what you believe, my prayer is that your faith would not be lost or destroyed because of your experience with imperfect people. Rather your faith would be raised to life and restored by the truth of the resurrection of our perfect Lord Jesus, the foundation of hope.

By His Grace,
Pastor Brian