Is your Christianity contingent on anything other than Christ? Being liked? Being comfortable? Being in power? Being happy? Being right? If so, consider that all of those foundations are like shifting sand, and you are the foolish builder of Matthew 7:26–27. When the winds come, your faith will crumble. If you’re like the wise builder, however, and your Christianity sits firmly on the foundation of Christ alone—firm and content on the sufficiency of his work and his Word (however unpopular it becomes)—then the house of your faith will stand.

Every week it seems new CCM stars, former Christian celebrities, or Christian college graduates announce “evolving” beliefs on Christianity—how their “deconstruction” journey is leading them to reconsider or abandon faith tenets they once believed. Some of these journeys are thoughtful and ultimately constructive wrestlings that result in a more durable, orthodox faith. Others are cynical, reactionary, and result in deconversion. Various “issues” are catalysts for these deconstruction journeys, but in my experience one stands out as the Jenga piece most likely to cause the whole tower of faith to collapse: biblical sexual ethics.

In the landscape of contemporary Western Christianity, most roads away from orthodox faith travel through an increasingly populous pit stop called “LGBTQ+ affirming.” It’s a stop that doesn’t just change the route; it reconfigures the whole map. If we ignore, dismiss, or question what Scripture says about sex and identity, it naturally leads to further and deeper questioning of Scripture’s authority and an ever shakier faith. But more and more Christians—even those steeped in Scripture and raised in the church from a young age—are making this move. Why?

Shaky Foundations

Even if all roads eventually lead to the sexual-ethics-line-in-the-sand, they don’t all originate in the same place. It’s helpful to consider some of the different, subtle shapes Christianity can take that at first might seem benign—but will later set up a Christian for compromise.

From what I’ve observed, most deconstructing Christians who shift on sexual ethics come from a faith background that has one (or more) of these precarious foundations.

1. Consumeristic

Perhaps the most widespread distortion of Christianity (at least in Western culture today) is a consumeristic orientation that understands faith mostly in self-enhancing, “what does it do for me?” terms. This is church-shopping faith, in which a believer looks for the “perfect church for me” as for the perfect pair of jeans. And like anything else in consumerism, it’s a faith rooted in the assumptions of expressive individualism and deeply oriented to comfort. Faith is great as long as it adds but doesn’t subtract from my life; as long as it has benefits but few costs. Faith is plausible insofar as it doesn’t impede my autonomy or put boundaries upon the “true self” I want to express in my own unique way. This faith thrives in contexts where Christian beliefs aren’t controversial, Christian practices aren’t countercultural, and where churchgoing is a net gain (or net neutral) for one’s social status.

2. Pragmatic

The pragmatic tendency comes from a good motivation: to be as effective evangelistically as possible. It’s the type of faith that birthed the seeker-sensitive movement, megachurches, the emerging church, hipster Christianity, and various other missional or church-planting strategies. Highly attuned to felt needs, public opinion, and “meeting people where they’re at,” this outward-oriented, PR-minded faith has good intentions—do whatever is necessary to fill pews and win the lost—but often bad results.

3. Political

When political affiliation and theological beliefs merge, the latter inevitably becomes shaped by—and made to serve—the former. This sets up a situation in which Christians might “change their mind” on some issue for political reasons (either by switching parties or by changing along with their existing party) or be forced to “rethink” Scripture’s teaching on the issue in order to serve political purposes.

4. Emotionalistic (“All heart”)

To be sure, emotions are vital in healthy Christianity. But an inordinately emotionalistic faith can be shaky. This is the faith largely centered on experience: heart-stirring worship, rousing sermons, the “mountaintop” experiences of spiritual ecstasy. It’s a faith often evaluated in terms of intensity and zeal. If I’m “not feeling church anymore” or if it starts to get boring, it’s a problem. This “good vibes only” faith also tends to avoid contemplating God’s judgment, preferring to conceive of God as an always-hugging figure akin to Santa Claus or Mr. Rogers.

5. Cerebral (“All head”)

Doctrine and biblical knowledge are certainly vital in healthy Christianity. But an overly cerebral faith can be problematic, especially when “right belief” is divorced from, and has little bearing on, the rest of our lives. Some forms of Christianity may rightly emphasize catechesis and sound teaching, but if it isn’t connected to formation and lives visibly shaped by those beliefs, it’s a recipe for disaster. Too many Christians know the right answers but fail to live rightly. Too many churches don’t properly bridge belief and behavior. This disconnect is deadly for a sustainable faith in a changing culture.

Read More