I’ve noticed that a lot of evangelical pushback to deconstruction and those leaving the faith manifests as an apology on behalf of the way that some in the Church have treated individuals and groups, swiftly followed by an invitation to a ‘true’ form of Christianity.

Of course, they don’t tend to recognise that their ‘true’ version of Christianity is often indistinguishable from the one which caused the hurt, but that’s beside the point.

My major problem was never with particular instances of hurt from the Church. Sure, the churches I attended weren’t perfect, and sometimes they messed up, but I could always see the humanity within that. I wouldn’t blame ‘God’ for a person’s mistake.

My problem was with the belief system itself. It was with the book which claimed divine inspiration but demonstrated the same flaws expected in any human work. It was with the doctrines which crack under scrutiny. It was with a history littered with widespread violence.

Many evangelical Christians are happy to admit to the failings of their institution, but wouldn’t dare to question the ground upon which it is built. Perhaps they’ve never read Jesus’ warning about a tree bearing fruit according to its kind.

Those within the deconstruction community have shared times where the Church has been an unhealthy and damaging place for them, but from what I’ve seen, that’s not just because of certain members of the church, it’s because of the foundational beliefs which they treasure.

To leave one type of church and join another would be like switching rooms on the Titanic.

Unless your version of Christianity recognises that the Bible is devoid of the divine, that a personal god is a projection of individual ideals, and that Christian doctrines are human constructions, it’s unlikely to warrant a great return.