The following is a powerful word from our friend Richard Murray. In a day and age where some much need spiritual “deconstructing” is happening all over the place, Richard brings a word wisdom to help us see things from a higher perspective…
Deconstruction is powerful, but only for a season.
Deconstruction is NOT spiritual vision.
Deconstruction is the clearing away of OTHER obstructions which have previously blocked our vision.
Once deconstruction does its season’s work, THEN we we must retract deconstruction’s “fangs.” In so doing, we can now let the “visioneering” of God’s virtuous and valiant ways release its positive energies into our minds and hearts.
As our eyes adjust to new light, we need to remember to put the sword of deconstruction back into its sheath, there to await for another season of need.
Deconstruction is much like the chemotherapy treatment used by cancer patients. If they are not both used judiciously, for brief and limited periods, then extended exposure to their influence can poison us and leave us vulnerable to all sorts of other attacks.
When somebody has been too long submerged in deconstruction, they often get the bends of bitterness and dehydration of heart. They end up disbelieving anything and everything.
Sometimes, even deconstruction itself needs deconstructing. It is undeniably useful, but it’s not the endgame. Divine vision is the endgame. Deconstruction is a seasonal and occasional tool to help our eyesight prepare to better behold the light. But deconstruction is not the light itself.
Jesus didn’t spend the majority of His time meticulously DECONSTRUCTING the false religion of His day. Rather, He spent the the bulk of His short life DEMONSTRATING the true religion of His Father.
Certainly Jesus’ “demonstrations” of healing and restorative goodness had deconstructive side-effects, but laborious and endless religious deconstruction was not the primary focus of His words and actions. He was primarily seeking to “course correct” Old Testament Judaism toward the kingdom of God, not obliterate it with unending criticism. Jesus was seeking to evolve religion into unfeigned love, not devolve it into nihilistic despair and bitterness.
Sure, in a handful of passages, Jesus strongly rebuked the “hive mind” of the Pharisees, but it was usually when they had physically grouped up in His presence to openly challenge and impede His ministry efforts. Warning others against the leaven of the Pharisees was certainly a peripheral concern, but it wasn’t His primary message. Rather, unfeigned love of God, unfeigned love of neighbor, and unfeigned faith in God’s mercy and goodness was His central message.
Peter confirmed this ministry emphasis of Jesus as follows: “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND HEALING ALL THAT WERE OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL; for God was with him.” Acts 10:36-38. As can be readily seen from this description, no core focus of deconstruction is here mentioned.
John likewise summarized Jesus’ focus as follows: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5. Again, no deconstruction is mentioned here.
Here is my concern. If all we bring to the table is continual and crushing deconstruction of everybody else’s religious beliefs, then we really have little to offer. We simply lack the omniscience to label and pigeonhole EVERYBODY else’s views as flagrantly false and maliciously motivated. Caustically “calling out” everybody else’s errant beliefs should not consume our time.
The Christians who have most influenced me are not those who bashed and begrudged everybody else’s imperfect theology, but rather are those who offered a positive vision of Jesus which honors His Father’s nature, inspires us to better and brighter beliefs, and catalyzes our inner energies of love and light to shine forth.
Putting a bushel of caricatured criticisms over everybody else’s imperfect light doesn’t produce any divine light itself. It ultimately just produces greater darkness. John Wesley wisely said, “Think and let think.” Sure, occasional deconstruction is warranted, but demonstration is the more needful thing.