LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

During the summer after my senior year of high school, my parents encouraged me to find a job away from our family farm, so I took a job with a hardscaping company installing patios and outdoor displays. Since I was relatively unskilled, I spent most of my time measuring and digging the foundations of the patio projects. 

The most important job I did was called tamping, where I used a machine to forcefully shake and strengthen the dirt below. Without tamping, a foundation can sink over time as the ground settles and shifts. I think that this simple task can apply to our spiritual lives; sometimes you need to shake the foundation in order for it to become stronger. 

In recent years, many American Christians , some calling themselves “exvangelicals,” are looking at their faith through a critical lens, rummaging through the past sins of the church and finding many points of critique. The exvangelicals are intentionally shaking the foundations of church leadership, theological teachings, and ways of living through a  movement broadly titled “deconstruction.” Deconstructing is the act of slowly breaking apart and analyzing ideas, beliefs, and interpretations — although some criticize it as a complete teardown of ideas.

Careful consideration and interpretation of belief is, in fact, absolutely imperative for deepening one’s faith. But without proper guidance, deconstruction can lead to destruction, where the very foundations of one’s faith are not only shaken, but fall apart. The Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren says it best: “What a sinful church needs is not deconstruction but deep construction. We have to forsake shallow critique to build a more faithful vision of the community of Jesus.” [1]

In this issue, we strive to look at some foundational ideas in the culture around us, in the Bible, and in our own lives. Our writers and artists have constructed thought-provoking, beautiful articles and art pieces that explore this idea of foundations. My prayer is that you would be challenged, encouraged, and strengthened in your faith as you explore this issue. Above all, I pray that you would feel Jesus working in your heart as you carefully deconstruct, analyze, and reform your faith together with us.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.

In Christ,

Seth Bollinger
Editor-in-Chief

SOURCES

[1] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/november/exvangelical-warren-guide-to-deconstruction-church.html