Deconstructing Deconstruction: Pt. 3- Moral Licensing & the Desire for Street Cred

Deconstruction is trending. And many are simply struggling to make sense of it all. 

But what if we deconstructed a person’s reasons for deconstructing? In other words, what if weren’t so quick to assume that someone who is deconstructing Christianity is doing so because they’re genuinely interesting in finding truth? What if perhaps they’re looking for something else?

In psychology, moral licensing is the process of fooling ourselves to justify bad behavior using other good behavior. If we borrowed that term and used it in the context of Christian deconstructionism…is there a way someone could morally justify their behavior by deconstructing, amending, or changing their understanding of that behavior in order to excuse a lifestyle they want to live?

What if there are other people who simply don’t want to be unliked? Many people in our culture see Christians who hold to the teachings of the Bible as narrowminded, uneducated, unintellectual, prejudiced, unread or just flat out ignorant. What if you’re in a particular subculture (like music, theater, or the arts) and you holding to those Christian views makes you the odd man out or gets you shunned or ridiculed?

Well…you can deconstruct, amend, change, or completely throw out your understanding of the Christian faith in order to fit in.

What if beneath the trend of deconstruction there are deeper forces at work? Things like pride. Fear. Rebellion. Or the just the general desire to be liked and seen as cool by the culture at large?