Dear friends,

It wasn’t that I planned to ​“decontruct” my faith a decade ago. It’s simply that my life was falling apart, and my faith with it.

One moment from that season is seared in my memory…

I am alone in the dining room. My wife is hospitalized and the outcome is uncertain. Our two toddlers are asleep. My beliefs are crumbling and, like Pilate to Jesus, I’m asking, ​“What is truth?”

Hoping for mental relief, I put on some music, an Andrew Peterson album. The words of his song ​“The Good Confession” cut through like jaws of life:

“I believe he is the Christ, Son of the living God.”

My soul rose up in agreement. I don’t know what else is true, but this one thing I believe in the very core of my being.

This laid the cornerstone for reconstructing my faith. From there, it was rebuilt brick by brick — though not in a linear and tidy way — with the help of loving and listening friends and the wisdom of the saints through the ages.

It’s said that great books aren’t written but rewritten. Could it be that great faith isn’t built, but rebuilt?

Think of the disciples: they were with Jesus, abandoned Jesus, and reconnected to Jesus with a bond stronger than death. Or think of someone like G.K. Chesterton, who rejected Christianity and set out to find the truth, only to find himself back on the shores of Christendom, now strengthened by the journey. Their stories can help us make sense of ours.

“Deconstructing” is a term that usually applies to a narrow niche: American evangelicals who are re-examining their childhood beliefs. But ​“reconstructing” is a process most Christians must undergo for Christ to build within them a faith that can withstand the hurricane-force winds of life.

I’ll leave you with an encouraging word by Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore, from ​“A Liturgy for those Deconstructing their Faith.”

You are in a critical place, but take heart—
you could be on the cusp of becoming a new creation.
May you deconstruct in order to rebuild.
May you find steady ground and a solid rock on which to plant your feet.
May the end of your story be deeply satisfying, for God is leading you to the true foundation of your faith.
May you learn the sound of His clarifying voice and follow your Good Shepherd when you do not know where to turn.
May you ask for help when you need it
and whisper the words of this simple prayer—
Oh God who does not rest until the lost sheep is found,
would You come and find me?