D is for Deconstruction - vermonthillsumc.org€¦ · D is for Deconstruction Deconstruction is...
Transcript of D is for Deconstruction - vermonthillsumc.org€¦ · D is for Deconstruction Deconstruction is...
D is for Deconstruction
Deconstructionislove.Thisiswhatmakesitdifferentthandestructionordemolition.Deconstructionislove.Ifitwerenotlovethenonewouldsimplywalkaway,abandon,orneglecttheproject,idea,orinstitution.Ifthewaythingsareweregoodenough,onewouldtakeuppreservationorconservation.Deconstructionisanadmissionthatthestatusquoisinsufficientorunsatisfyingatsomelevel.Deconstructionisnotdestruction–butforthoseintopreservationitfeelslikeitis.Itmightbebettertothinkofde-constructionin‘forestfire’terms.Imagineitasacontrolledburn(orpurifyingfire)thatclearsouttheoldbrushandundergrowthtomakespacefornewgrowth.Deconstructionislovingsomethingenoughtopullitapartandseewhatmightbesalvaged–orfreed–fromthesuffocatingstagnationandbound-up-ness.Whenatopicorinstitutionhasbecomeassumedorpresumed,itisinneedofthiskindoflove.
Likeaplantthathasbeeninapottoolong–orhasgottentoobigforthecontainer–therootscanactuallybegintogrowbackonthemselves.Thisisaconditionknownasrootbound(orpot-bound)andlovingthatplantmeanstotakeitoutofthepotandtopull(orevencut)attherootsinordertoseparateandloosenthem.Institutionscanbetheirownworstenemy.Christianorganizationsseemparticularlypronetobecomepotbound.Tolovethechurch–orthechristiantraditionforthatmatter–inthe21stcenturyrequiressometoughlove.Ifyoudidn’tloveyoucouldjustwalkaway.Ifitwere‘goodenough’asitis,thenyoucouldsettleinandsettledownforthelonghaul.Deconstructionislovingthetraditionenoughtopullat(orevenpruneit)inthehopesoflifeandhealthandnewgrowth.Oneofmyfavoriteprogramstolistentois‘Ideas’bytheCanadianBroadcasting(CBC).Theyrecentlyhadaserieson‘AfterAtheism’aboutnewdevelopmentsregardingbeliefinGod.ThefirstepisodewaswithRichardKearneyon‘Anatheism:GodafterGod’.ThesecondepisodewaswithJackCaputo(hisbookonthesubjectisgreat).Iwouldhighlyrecommendgivingthemalisten.Whatthosetwoepisodeshavegotmethinkingaboutisthepassionittakestostickwiththetopicoffaithandtheconvictionisrequirestobelievethatthereissomethingworthallthelaborandcare.Iknowlotsofpeoplewhowereraisedwithsomekindofbeliefbuthaveeitherlostinterestorhaveintentionallywalkedaway.Ialsoknowlotsofpeoplewhoarefinewiththingsthewaytheyarewhoarehappytokeeppluggingaway.Someofinthelattergroupactuallytakeoffenseatanattempttoupdate,modify,revisit,revamp,orcontextualizeforourtimeandplace.Ifindmyselfinneitherofthosecamps.IlovethechurchtoomuchtowalkawayfromitbutIcarewaytoomuchtoleaveitintheconditionthatitcurrentlyrestsin.Deconstructionisn’tforeveryone.Infact,oneofthemostchallengingaspectsofitissimplytryingtoconvincethepreservationistsandconservationiststhatyourintentionsaregoodandthatyou’renottryingtokillthething!Tothosewhoassumeandpresumethatthingsshouldremainastheyare,pullingandclearingcanfeelorseemlikedestruction.IhavewrittenbeforeaboutTheWorldComeofAge(Bonhoeffer)orwhatotherscallTheWorldTransformed(Hunt)orwhatKaufmancallsTheNuclearAge.Thesimplefactisthatthe20thCentury–betweentechnologyandwar–changedtheworldandradicallyalteredwhatwecallsociety.Therealityoflivinginthe21stcenturyareverydifferentthantheywereinthe12th–letalonethe2nd.Thequestionsofthe21stcenturyarenotansweredbyrepeatinginheritedanswersorbyparrotingancientthought.Farming,hygiene,reading,telephones,banks,travel(airplanes)….therearethousandsofexamplesofhowdifferentourexistenceisfromthoseinpreviouscenturies.Eventhewaywasimagineourself(identity)andcommunity(belonging)haschanged.Deconstructionislovingthequestionenoughtodareadifferentanswer.Thenturningaround
andexaminingtheinitialquestionsitself.Weliveinworldcomeofage–anuclearage–thataskssomethingdifferentofus.Theologycannotjustcontinuetorepeatthesameoldanswersoverandover–orlouderandlouder–andwonderwhyitisn’tsatisfyingthedemandsbeingputonitbythoseinsideandoutsidetheinstitution.Fromthelinguisticturninphilosophytoglobalizedmarkets,fromHiroshimatoAuschwitz,fromtwittertothepill….weliveinadifferentworldthantheancients.Ourreligiousbeliefsdeservetobere-examinedandlonginglypulledat(orevencutat)inordertoprune(orbleed)inthehopesoflifeandhealth.Deconstructionisnowanecessarypartoftheology.Deconstruction.Atermusedprimarilyin*hermeneutics(theartandscienceofinterpretingwrittentextsorspokenlanguage)todescribetheprocessofanalyzingaparticularrepresentationofrealitysoastoofferacritiqueofhowatext“constructs”apictureofreality.Althoughdeconstructionistsarenotalwaysexplicitlynegativeinpractice,theyoftenusedeconstructionasatechniquetodiscreditatexttowhichtheyarephilosophicallyorideologicallyopposed.Deconstruction,whichissometimesknownaspoststructuralism,aroseoutof,andinresponseto,atheoryofliteraturecalled*structuralism,whichsoughttoanalyzethecommonstructuresthatcharacterizevarioustextsorliteraryworks.PocketDictionaryofTheologicalTerms(KindleLocations361-364).KindleEdition.Sowhatisthestickingpoint?Whatseemstobethehesitation?OnecentralproblemmightbetheChristianfascinationwiththepast.ModernChristianity,inalmostallofitsforms,hasdevelopedaviewthatsomeperiodinourhistorywas‘better’.ThisisanorientationthatskewstheworkofGodinthepresentmomentandlimitsthevisionforGod’sworkinthefuture.WhetheritisEdenanditsfallfromsupposedperfectionorromanticizedearlynotionsof‘the’earlychurchofthe1stcentury,themedievalnotionsofThomasAquinasortheheady(butcontentious)daysoftheProtestantReformation,someperiodofthepastisseemasthepinnacle…andpossiblythegoalofwhatweshouldreturnto.Thisrealityisbafflingonthreecounts:
1. Christianityisareligionbasedonthe‘incarnation’ofthedivinepresenceembodiedhereandnow–inaplace,inatime,andinflesh(John1:14).
2. ThegiftofPentecostisthatthespiritofChristcametoallflesh,thatwomenandmenofeverytribeandtonguewerenotjusttheworkofGodbut,now,thebodyofChrist.
3. TheChristianNewTestamentisprimarilyafutureorientedseriesofdocumentsthatlookforwardtoatimewhentheworldwillnotworkthewaythatitcurrentlydoesbutwhenGod’swillandwaywillbetheorderoftheday.
SowhyaresomanyChristianprojects,programs,andtheologiesframedaspast-orientedendeavors?
Whatfollowsisanexperimentinwritingforthehereandnow
Perhapsthisiswhysomany(re)ligiousorganizationsandpeople(re)sortto
(re)clamationprojectsin(re)actiontotheperceivedproblemsthat(re)sultfromourdenialor
failureto(re)cognizethatwehaveindeedenteredintoanewanddifferentera–aplacethat
wehaveneverbeenbefore.
Theimpulseto(re)achbackintotheimaginedpastandattempttosalvagesome
measureoforderorto(re)orientourselvestothisnewlandscapeinunderstandable.The
danger,however,is(re)soundingasweendeavortobecome(whatthefantasticbooktitle
labels)‘TheWayWeNeverWere’.1
Itisnotablehowmanycontemporaryreligious/spiritualprojectsemployamotivethat
beginswiththeprefix‘Re’.Admittedly,theresomeimportantwordsinscripturethatbegin
with‘Re’.Wordslikeredemption,reconciliation,andrestorationareindispensableexamples.
Twootherpowerfulwordsthatwouldcompletethatconstellationwouldberepentanceand
reparations.2
Unfortunately,thesefive‘Re-’wordsarenottheonesthatshowupthemostin
1StephanieCoontz,TheWayWeNeverWere:AmericanFamiliesandtheNostalgiaTrap(BasicBooks,1992).
2MorecouldbesaidonexploringthosefiveBiblicalconceptsforthe21stcentury.Theprimaryproblemwiththepastmaybethatitistooeasytoromanticizesomenotionorconceptinisolationwithoutaddressingthelargerstructuresofinjusticeandexclusionthatitwasembeddedinorbirthedoutof.
Christiancirclesorarefoundthemostinspiritualliterature.While‘revelation’and‘religion’
maybethemostprominentofferings,theyarenottheonlyones.Manyreligiousprojectsare
framedwithwordssuchas:
• Revisit• Reclaim• Restore• Return• Renew• Reform• Renovate• Reframe• Redefine• Remember• Recall• Re-imagine• Re-present• Reinforce• Revive• Reexamine• Redeem• React• Respond• Retreat
Theabovegroupof‘Re-’wordsmayhaveacomfortingandcomfortableringtothem,
buttheyareinsufficientforthechallengesthatweareupagainst.Oneofthemajorchallenges
ofthispast-orientedthinkingisthatitplacesthevitalenergyinthepast–likeasortofbigbang
orapoolcuestrikingthecueballandsendingitcrashingintothegroup–theinitialenergyis
dissipatedandweareslowinglosingsteam(andpower)toatrophy.
IwouldarguethatthenatureofChristianityisincarnational–sothepastisnotthesole
determiningfactorforourpresentorfutureexpression.Wehaveaccesstoanuntapped
reservoirofpowerforthepresent.Wearebeingcompelledorcalled(lured)bythepossibilities
ofthefuture.Wecanneverre-turntothepast.Thenatureoftimeandrealitydonotallowus
torevisitbutonlytoremember.
Deconstructionislovingthepastenoughnottosimplyconserveorpreserveit.