The Difference Between Them
podcast by Mark Stinton + Mia Burke
transcript + notes
Welcome to the Bible + Pop Culture’s podcast. In this month’s edition, we’re exploring questions of faith, specifically doubt + deconstruction. To help ground this month’s topic, I felt it would be helpful to paint some broad strokes around what we mean by deconstruction in very loose terms to try to give us a framework for discussion, an attempt to understand what we’re seeing in North American Evangelicalism today.
Today, I’ve invited my friend, Pastor Mark Stinton, to talk through some of these broader strokes of faith formation, growth, + some of our observations about wrestling with the deeper aspects of our faith.
Mark is a graduate of Trinity Western University in Canada; with a BA in Psychology and Sociology as well as holds a certificate in Human Services. He earned a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Pacific Rim University in Hawaii.
He passionately serves as Associate/Youth + Young Adult Pastor at New Hope Kailua. Mark also serves as a faculty member at Pacific Rim teaching Missions + Doctrine.
Welcome and thank you for being here with us today. So first, let’s try to build a framework to give an anchoring point to what we’re talking about today- questions, doubt, + deconstructing one’s faith.
Deconstruction is an approach to understanding the relationship between text + meaning. It was originated by philosopher Jacques Derrida + later Michel Foucault emphasized appearance, suggesting that essence is to be found in appearance.
Deconstruction argues that language, especially ideal concepts such as truth + justice, is irreducibly complex, unstable, or impossible to determine. Many debates in philosophy + many other disciplines. Since the 1980s, it has inspired a range of theoretical enterprises in the humanities + religion.
4:51 What is Being Deconstructed within American Christianity?
Certain Doctrines
Modern Systems/Methods of Church
Political affiliations
Western Cultural Biases
The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity Dr. Soong-Cha Ra
6:55 Why are Many Millennials Deconstructing?
Past traumas from church or hurtful doctrines
Inconsistent orthodoxy + orthopraxy (hypocrisy)
Disenfranchised with programs and fake presentations
Jesus has been misrepresented
The Gospel/Jesus/the Church being used for political agendas
11:40 Spiritual Issues Involved in Deconstruction
Processing pain/reconciliation with the church
Allowing political + cultural values to dictate the direction of our faith
19:10 “Slippery Slope” of doubt + the church’s inability to address it (leads to
apostasy)
Identity: the Western Gospel doesn’t connect with a growing number of POC in the US
Perpetuated in Righteousness: The Journey of the Hawaiian People From Eden (Kalana i Hauola) to the Present Time by Daniel Kikawa
30:45 Love eclipsed by the “Leaven of Herod/Pharisees” (political/religious spirits)
35:20 Pursuing truth over pursuing Christ (losing the mind of Christ in the
process)
After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It By AJ Swoboda
43:13 Church Moving Forward
Allowing the form of church to change, while holding onto orthodoxy
Bringing people back to personal, spiritual connection to Jesus
Reconsider how we disciple young people with their unique frameworks + struggles
Open church to new forms + cultural expressions of worship
Allow space to ask tough questions + live in the nuance of spiritual mysteries
Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief and Unbelief by Ruth Tucker
Bring intentional community back to the centerfold of the church (as opposed to church “performance” culture)
Additional Resources
How to Deconstruct Your Faith w/Out Losing It
Christians Need a Healthier Approach to Faith Deconstruction
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.”
So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!