{"id":4620,"date":"2024-11-07T07:28:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/?p=4620"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:47:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:47:37","slug":"deconstructors-want-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/learn\/voices\/deconstructors-want-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"What if Deconstructing Christians Want More Jesus \u2014 not Less?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of Christians who are “deconstructing” their faith, critically analyzing Christianity and finding that it falls short. Many end up leaving behind the beliefs and commitments they formerly held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in spite of what you may have heard, an overwhelming number of those who deconstruct their faith \u2014 as many as 86%, according to a 2022 HarperCollins study \u2014 don\u2019t walk away from the faith altogether, but instead find another form of the Christian faith that fits them better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is it that deconstructors are searching for \u2014 and not finding \u2014 in their home churches? The answer, as it turns out, is faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Jesus Out of the Church<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been listening to deconstructors for more than a decade, and one consistent message we have heard is just how important Jesus is to them. Many will flat out say Jesus is their Lord, even if they think it\u2019s cringey to parrot what institutional Christians say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I (Scot) taught college students for seventeen years, and many were among the finest Christians I have ever met. Some of them confessed they no longer went to church, but they were always quick to add, \u201cNot because I\u2019m not a Christian. Not because I don\u2019t follow Jesus.\u201d In fact, more than one person said, \u201cBecause <\/em>I follow Jesus, I don\u2019t go to church.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we learned from them in their deconstruction and reconstruction phases of faith was that they believed their church attendance kept them from following Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what did they do instead? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They served the homeless. They spoke out against injustice. They prayed and read the Prophets and the Gospels. They met with a few other followers of Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They did these things because <\/em>they followed Jesus. The churches they knew were filled with church attenders and admirers of Jesus, but not real Jesus followers. And whether they were right or wrong, they thought they could discern the difference. They told me they wanted a Jesus-first<\/em> religion, not a church-first<\/em> religion. So they chose to follow Jesus and left the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens When Jesus Goes Invisible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Jesus-first way of life was all the first followers of Jesus knew. They knew no other way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gospel of John informed its readers that Jesus performed an astounding miracle by turning \u201cfive small barley loaves and two small fish\u201d into food for five thousand men (John 6:9<\/a>). Since the women and children were not counted, we can assume that some ten to fifteen thousand people were there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think there is some serious exaggeration at work in this account, you would not be alone. What is not an exaggeration is the reality that Jesus is someone who does astounding things<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the incidents that came next were no less astounding. After feeding all those people, after collecting the leftovers that were more than the original loaves and fishes, and after pushing his disciples out onto the Sea of Galilee to get away from it all \u2014 after all this, a storm broke out, and the disciples were scared witless and rowed like madmen to outrun the storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four miles out from shore, Jesus showed up. Barefoot surfing without a board or a sail. They saw him, and they were scared. And then Jesus spoke to them. Many translations render his words as, \u201cIt is I,\u201d but the Common English Bible gets it exactly right: \u201cI Am\u201d (John 6:20<\/a>, CEB).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know what \u201cI Am\u201d evoked in Jesus\u2019 world? It\u2019s the divine name \u2014 I am who I am \u2014 found in the book of Exodus (3:14<\/a>). When Moses wanted to know God\u2019s name so he could go back and tell all the Israelites about a crazy plan to liberate them from Egypt, he asked God, \u201cWho do I tell them sent me?\u201d And God replied, \u201cI Am Who I Am. So say to the Israelites, \u2018I Am has sent me to you.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything about the Christian faith depends on Jesus being the I Am. What it means is this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus reveals God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus is God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The God of Christians looks like, or ought to look like, Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus goes invisible, God does too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We Need to Listen to Deconstructors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where many deconstructors start. Knowing Jesus is God forms the foundation for their deconstruction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because deconstructors are not playing games. They are pleading with the church to remember who their God really is. To remember that God is Jesus and Jesus is God.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why we need to listen to deconstructors. If Jesus is to be the center of our churches, and people are leaving because it\u2019s not a reality, then maybe they\u2019re saying something we need to hear. Can we really blame them for wanting a place where Jesus can be found?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Jesus-First Way of Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Christians today may not think much of a man saying, \u201cI Am.\u201d But first-century\u00a0listeners would not have skipped by those words. They may have said, \u201cWhat in the world?\u201d while wondering to themselves, Who does this guy think he is? <\/em>The problem we face today is that far too many believers skip past the audacious and amazing claims and teachings of Jesus. Christianity has become a religion with an institution (church) and a national culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we are willing to listen, the deconstructionists of today are saying, \u201cI want this Jesus. I want him to be front and center. I don\u2019t want religion. I don\u2019t want an institution. I want a community centered on listening to Jesus and living like him during the week.\u201d When they read of Jesus\u2019 claim to be the I Am, they mutter, That\u2019s what I\u2019m talkin\u2019 about! <\/em>In their deconstructing, they are not motivated to leave the church; they are looking for a community built around a reconstructed faith that exalts Jesus as Lord of all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If church leaders are willing to listen, this is what the deconstructor\u2019s exit interview will reveal. They want a Jesus-first way of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\n
\"Cover<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Adapted from Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ<\/a><\/em> by Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filled with stories of those who have walked the path of deconstruction without losing their faith,\u00a0Invisible Jesus<\/em>\u00a0is a prophetic call to examine ourselves and discern if the faith we practice and the church we belong to is really representative of the Jesus we follow. Each chapter looks at a different topic and offers biblical reflections that call for us to not only better listen, but to change how we live out our faith as followers of Jesus today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invisible Jesus is published by Zondervan, the parent company of Bible Gateway.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deconstructing Christians are seen as doubt-filled or rebellious. But often it’s the opposite: they’re looking for Jesus in the church, and not finding him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[469,467,31,458],"tags":[71,236,260,186,144,221],"yoast_head":"\nWhat if Deconstructing Christians Want More Jesus \u2014 not Less? | Bible Gateway News & Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Deconstructing Christians are seen as doubt-filled or rebellious. 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