Deconstructionalists Rejoice!

For a good few years now some have been resonating with thinking that comes with the so-called 'Post-modern Mindset' - thinking that leads to some serious questions being asked about how we do faith and church. This kind of thinking is also often known as 'de-constructing' because it involves taking apart structures that have been in place for years (even centuries) and assumed to be fixed and solid. Upon de-constructing it is found that the underlying assumptions perhaps weren't so good after all.

One of those structures has been the fixed weekly Sunday gathering that many seem take as if it was the definition of church. This thinking is often exposed by language such as 'we go to church'. A common symptom is a high degree of focus on the Sunday gathering, and the high level of importance placed on it.

Another symptom is that people seem to confuse taking someone 'to Jesus' with taking them 'to church'. That is not to say that taking someone to a church gathering will not be helpful towards someone meeting Jesus, but we should pinch ourselves and remember our task is first & foremost to take someone to Jesus. Of course the church aspect should then follow, naturally arising in discipleship.

Now don't get me wrong! I still believe that gathering is important (in fact very important). Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 makes the case for not giving up on meeting together. But Deconstructionalists ask whether the Sunday gatherings should bear the weight we put on them.

Now, with our Covid-19 lockdown scenario, our Sunday physical gatherings are simply not possible!

So Deconstructionalists Rejoice! The arguably dubious tower of over-inflated-importance given to Sunday gatherings is demolished! Now (presumably) is our chance to highlight the importance of individual and in-the-small discipleship practices and experiences (an importance that needn't exclude the complementary importance of gatherings, when they become possible again).

Interestingly churches have rushed to attempt 'live streaming' of their services, so that people can gather virtually. There is value in these, I am sure ... but if the Deconstructionalists are right (or at least their thinking has merit), then I fear that the live streaming efforts might be missing a valuable learning point that this strange season affords us.

An Alternative Pandemic

We live in uncertain times. The spread of an unseen threat has set governments and policy-makers scrambling to make appropriate decisions. The media has to walk a tight-rope of helpfully informing versus inadvertently stirring panic. The reaction of the public shows some disturbing signs (e.g panic buying).

The whole covid-19 virus outbreak scenario raises some interesting questions. Among them are questions about the sustainability of our developed nation's economies, our dependence on trade and people simply being out and spending!

For Christians, remember that the concepts of virology and being effective witnesses of the good news of Jesus go hand in hand (see my post 'Go Viral' from 2015!). Yes we want to play our part as good citizens in preventing the spread of harmful viruses such as covid-19, but equally we want to be caught in the wind of the Spirit in spreading the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom!

That means being ready and willing to tell of that good news whatever the circumstances. It means being tenacious, jumping beyond the limits and inoculations that society may try to put on gospel-witness.

It means also helping people discover the grace of God but then not limiting them to some kind of faithful holding-pen, but rather releasing them in their God-given calling such that they are able to witness to Jesus themselves to others!

Let us do our bit to limit and prevent the spread of any kind of harm.

Let us do our bit to spread that which is good, and persist with it.