Deconstruction & Doubt | Brian Buhler

[@johnafortune]

GREAT Job, Brian! I thought this was so helpful.

[@PeacePortalChurch]

Glad it was helpful!

[@EdHird]

A great message by one of my favorite ex-North Shore expositors: "Listening is indistinguishable from love."

[@Botmatrix]

Thank you for this talk. I enjoyed the video and the topic, it's a very important conversation! There was so much to unpack that I had to watch it twice. I do have a few clarifying questions. 1. In the talk Brian points out that historically deconstructionism is based on relativist ideology which is contrary to Christian belief, then says that we should celebrate that teens and young adults are deconstructing, and later in the question period mentions that we shouldn't encourage this behavior but let it happen naturally. The celebration part seems contradictory, was it a poor choice of words or did he simply mean that we should celebrate that the younger generation is putting their faith to the test and really honing it in? 2. Brian gives a simple definition for the term "deconstruction", but in the psychology world, it has a much more complex meaning. Is it wise to simplify such a term? I understand that in a talk you want to simplify and build up from the simple foundation but we are talking about philosophy here, not Lego, there is important contextual information that should be included in the definition. Does Brian intend to decouple the term from its contextual meaning? Destigmatize the term if you will. 3. Brian then mentions that Jesus was a deconstructionist, do you feel this is a dangerous statement? This seems controversial, in the Lego sense yes he was but if Jesus was a deconstructionist in the postmodern sense he would also be a relativist, and that forms a very odd paradox. Christians want to identify with Christ and this may encourage Christians to adopt postmodern thinking. 4. This talk maybe hints at it but it doesn't talk about the broader cultural shift, which has been labeled as the "woke movement" by the political right. Is "woke" considered offensive to some? Did Brian intentionally not use that term? It felt like he was creating a new narrative of reality by not using common terms, or maybe he's just not familiar with what's happening in the present conservative philosophy world. 5. I understand Brian wanted to point out what healthy and unhealthy deconstruction looks like, but unfortunately he didn't seem to define the line where this transition happens. Where is the safety net for someone that deconstructs Christianity all the way to unbelief? Believers can't help them if they no longer believe. 6. Where is the line between helping children construct their faith and then deconstructing it? This seems illogical, why wouldn't we help them construct it well in the first place and save the discomfort of deconstructing? Is deconstruction inevitable because our faith gets mixed in with secular ideologies at every point in history? I believe we as Christians should support people having doubts and let them ask all the questions they need. We all need to objectively wrestle with our faith. That being said, I don't feel it's wise to adopt the term "deconstruct" when it comes to our faith because it is synonymous with relativism and postmodernism. Postmodernism is in direct conflict with Christianity. Language is a battlefield when it comes to debating objective truth versus relative truth so it's important to be clear on the definitions and context of terms.

[@elizabethmcleod257]

Im not doubting. I know the LORD and HIS HOLY SPIRIT POWER. This deconstructing word is just word salad.. Get right with Jesus. HE the KING is on HIS WAY!!!! Will you make the rapture??????