22AR27-23

( - previous issue - / - next issue - )

pdf = www.bit.ly/3bj5p3n

chimp = www.bit.ly/3OcXdR0

AR 27:23 - "Deconstruction coaching" as a potential growth industry

In this issue:

CULTURE - Have white evangelicals corrupted a faith and fractured a nation?

DECONSTRUCTION - Coaches are standing by! (Too threatening? Just get the app!)

Apologia Report 27:23 (1,576)

June 22, 2022

Please note: Our office will be closed for a bit. (On June 25th, Pam and I are celebrating our 46th year of marriage.) This means the plan is to get AR to you again the week beginning July 6th.

---

CULTURE

Why do we have a cultural divide so overwhelming that most people on either side complain their opponents don't see the big picture? Unfortunately, the movements involved are so complex that the effort to truly understand them is often too great to result in meaningful change.

To support this analysis, consider the book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, <www.bit.ly/3wCtLuU> reviewed by Scott Wenig (Applied Theology, Denver Seminary) for the Denver Journal (2022). <www.bit.ly/3QbMcAP>

Du Mez finds that Jimmy "Carter's Christian commitment, defined as 'evangelical,' aroused curiosity and brought the [then virtually unknown evangelical] movement to the attention of America's cultural gatekeepers. Forty years hence [Du Mez believes] Trump was the opposite of Carter [and that conclusion] begged the question of how those who said they worshiped Jesus of Nazareth could not only vote for such an individual but also lend him their verbal, financial and political backing. ...

"For Du Mez, Trump was simply the culmination of a decades-long evangelical emphasis on hyped up masculinity rooted in patriarchal views of marriage, family and society combined with a militant mindset. ...

"Professor Du Mez [History, Calvin University] walks her readers through a series of developments within the evangelical sub-culture which she believes pointed directly towards its uncritical embrace of Trump. She begins with ... Billy Sunday ... but quickly moves ahead to ... Billy Graham ... Christian pop authors such as Marabel Morgan ... and the political machinations of Phyllis Schlafly" even though, as Wenig notes, she was "not an evangelical."

"Separate from Schlafly but equally important in creating the culture wars of the 80s and beyond were Bill Gothard, James Dobson and Tim LaHaye" with many more considered - again not all equally well known, such as Oliver North, Jerry Falwell, Bill McCartney (Promise Keepers), Gordon Dalbey, Steve Farrar, Stu Weber, John Piper, Wayne Grudem, and John Eldredge.

Result: in Du Mez's view, "its cumulative effect was to teach men that they were created in the image of a warrior God, making them receptive to the war-mongering of the Bush administration following the catastrophe of 9/11. ...

"Evangelical notables such as Gary Bauer, Franklin Graham, Wayne Grudem, James Dobson and Eric Metaxas all lined up in their public opposition to Mr. Obama, despite his claim of being a Christian. ... Du Mez labels [Trump] 'the latest and greatest high priest of the evangelical cult of masculinity.'"

Wenig assesses where the book "hits the mark and where it falls short. ... One of the book's strengths is its underlying theme that evangelicalism isn't just a system of beliefs à la the famous Bebbington <www.bit.ly/3OwhNvd> quadrilateral, but a nebulous and often dysfunctional religious subculture rooted in consumerism and celebrityism. ...

"A second place where, in my view, Du Mez hands out some righteous cudgels is in her penultimate chapter 'Evangelical Mulligans: A History'. Here she chronicles the moral failures and public meltdowns of evangelical superstars.... Noting the arrogance and moral subterfuge of these individuals makes for maddening reading if one cares at all about evangelicalism as a Gospel movement. ... From 1985 to 2015 popular American evangelicalism gave birth to a number of people who became very powerful and the children morally devoured the mother."

In spite of this, Wenig concludes Du Mez exhibits an "inability to convincingly demonstrate the historical reality of her thesis." Following this discussion, Wenig also concludes Du Mez exhibits an "inability to draw some sharp and necessary distinctions on crucial elements of faith and politics in the modern American context." Further discussion follows.

Wenig's final observation is that "as an accurate analysis of the intersection of historic evangelical faith and contemporary politics supposedly culminating in the weird spectacle of Trump's presidency, it simply does not make the necessary connections to prove its point." Unfortunately, readers on both sides will likely end up with partisan conclusions themselves as a result - and our present accelerating deluge of information in general hurts as much as it helps us. Unless, of course, you get the AR-screened leg up! <ahem>

Thoughtful evangelicals have had much to say about Jesus and John Wayne. Other noteworthy reviews:

* Anne Kennedy, "Jesus and John Wayne: A Fair Portrait of Evangelicalism?" at CMBW.org, April 5, 2021 <www.bit.ly/3xJdW7k>

* Jamie Carlson, "Accusations Aren't Evidence: Responding to 'Jesus and John Wayne,'" at Mere Orthodoxy, January 26, 2021 <www.bit.ly/3tOpMw0>

* Rebekah Curtis, "How to Smear Christianity Without Really Trying," at The Federalist, April 22, 2022 <www.bit.ly/3OeaIzR>

* Neil Shenvi, "Cowboy Christianity: A Short Review of Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne" <www.bit.ly/3QyNs12>

---

DECONSTRUCTION

When "Crystal Cheatham, a Black woman who grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist church she described as fundamentalist, came out as a lesbian, her church didn't accept it." And that was just the beginning. "She created 'Our Bible App,' a platform used annually by more than 40,000.... She also hosts workshops and classes with fellow progressive faith leaders, many from marginalized communities...." (Somehow this reminds us of a passage we read in The Message. Try to guess the reference: "That's what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren't hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in.")

Cheatham's example is how Ericka Andersen begins her Religious News Service piece (May 12 '22): "Deconstructing? There's a coach for that." <www.bit.ly/3MBeeCW> To this we respond: "Did anyone out there expect 'deconstruction' to build up the church once it fell under the gaze of critical theory?"

Andersen finds that "Faith deconstruction - or decolonization, a term more specifically focused on recognizing the influence of white supremacy - is not exactly new but has coalesced into something of a movement in the past four or five years. ...

Andersen informs us that "Cheatham's work is part of a growing slate of resources geared at helping people "decolonize" and "deconstruct" the Christianity that was taught to them." (Such an upbeat vibe. It makes us wonder if the Jewish orientation of RNS is developing a bias.)

Wait. "Tension" is introduced by way of pediatric doctor and Moody radio host Lina Abujamra, founder of Living With Power Ministries. "People doubted their salvation when I was growing up - like, am I really saved? ... 'But they never doubted the system. Now it's sort of bigger - almost like the Wizard of Oz. People are asking, is this all made up?"

"Abujamra said the heart of the deconstruction movement is a search for truth, and she understands why some of the 'corrupt leadership in the conservative, evangelical church' has spurred it on."

So, maybe it shouldn't surprise us to learn that "Many self-identified 'deconstruction coaches' have launched practices in the last several years and seen success. But not all of them are invested in seeing their clients stay Christian. ...

"'I don't think it's our place … to make sure people don't lose their faith,' said Angela Herrington ['a certified life coach and seminary-trained pastor'], who is often hesitant to call herself a Christian in her work. ...

"'I do have a relationship with God," she said. "I don't necessarily identify myself as (a Christian) because I DON'T KNOW how helpful that is...." (EmPHAsis ours.)

Then there is "Katie Blake, a psychology professor and deconstruction coach, [who] isn't trying to get people back to their Christian faith."

Andersen concludes, "The deconstruction movement is a fractured one, living with inherent tensions. For many, deconstruction has led to deconversion. For others, to a faith outside of traditional institutions. For some, deconstruction is an individual undertaking. For many more, deconstruction must necessarily lead to a radical reformation of the church."

Says Cheatham: "People find all sorts of paths and we encourage it.... One of the toxic traits of evangelicalism is the belief that there is only one right way to do it, and we can't swing back into the rut of saying that one way is how you do it correctly." (Ah, that irrationally persistent righteous quest to follow the correct way.)

Know Christ: No need to hide under a rock. (In Him you already have One to securely stand upon.)

( - previous issue - / - next issue - )