9.11.22 - A Church for People Who are Deconstructing (Kenny Camacho)
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, John 3:1-9, Galatians 1:11-18, Habakkuk 1-2
“All faith is wrestling. It’s trying to hold onto something that is bigger than we are. And it’s healthiest when the goal is connecting to that bigger thing…not controlling it. Any mechanism we have built to control or limit our God needs to be deconstructed. But what if our imagination for the church wasn’t just introducing people to a packaged and sanitized God but living together in the awe, and even in the confusion, a real and amazing God creates?”
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How would you answer the question, “who is church for?”
Every church isn’t meant to be the same! We exist as parts of the larger Body of Christ. What do you feel makes this church community unique?
Have you heard people, either inside the church or outside of it, use the word “deconstruction”? What was your initial sense of what it meant? What did you think of Kenny’s definition?
It can be really scary to “take apart” your faith! But, for many, it is an important step in truly accepting Christian hope. How can something good come from “deconstructing”?
Kenny said the first thing we can learn from Scripture about reaching “deconstructors” is the importance of asking honest and humble questions. How does this help? How can it be important for you?
The second step is putting the Jesus story first–even above the Church story. Which story do you tend to prioritize? Have you ever seen Christians try to “squeeze” Jesus into the system their church promotes? What happens–to us, to our churches–if we put Jesus first?
Lastly, when we open ourselves up to taking things apart, it’s important that we hold out hope that they can be put together again! How can a church community help support someone who is “deconstructing” in a way that honors and respects them?