An Entrance of Deconstructive Theology

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A mega church of Atlanta, GA, has come under fire recently for hosting the LGBTQ+ affirming, “Embracing the Journey Unconditional Conference,” September 28-29, 2023.

It was advertised as a conference geared toward supporting parents of LGBTQ+ children.

Parents, grandparents, and church pastors were invited to come and learn how to support LGBTQ+ children and youth, with opportunity given to discover how to embrace a new theology that is supportive of such youth.

Among the thirteen breakout sessions advertised were:

• What’s Happening to My Faith: Faith: Order, Disorder, Reorder,”
• “Ministering to LGBTQ+ Youth Today: Creating a Safe Environment Without Pushing Them Away From Jesus,” and
• “LGBTQ+ Faith Stories: Hope For, & Insights About Your Kids.”

Notice anything missing in the sessions?

The Lead Pastor came under severe criticism from theologians and other Evangelical pastors who believe such an LGBTQ+ affirming conference represents a significant departure from historical and biblical Christianity.

The pastor responded to his critics on the Sunday following the conference saying he never subscribed to that version of Christianity because,

“…that version of Christianity draws lines. And Jesus drew circles. He drew circles so large and included so many people in His circle that it consistently made religious leaders nervous.”

While the pastor stated his support for biblical marriage, between a man and a woman, he placed such qualifiers around the statement his actual stance was shadowed and confusing.

He admitted those who struggle with same-sex attraction

“are convinced that traditional marriage is not an option for them” so they commit themselves to “living a chaste life. For many this is not sustainable, so they choose same-sex marriage – not because they’re convinced it’s biblical… They choose to marry for the same reason many of us do; love, companionship.”

He went on to say it is the church’s decision to determine how they are going to respond to one’s decision to enter into same-sex marriage. He stated “…regardless of their starting point, regardless of their past, regardless of their current circumstances, our message is come and see and come sit with me.”

I do not personally know a pastor who would disagree with that final statement by this pastor.

Pastors that are full of the Holy Spirit love and welcome all who come and sit with us to hear the Gospel message.

They will be loved and embraced by mercy and grace. A person’s past or present circumstances do not have to determine their future or their identity.

However, the power of the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ is… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

The entrance to such life transformation comes through the gateway of acknowledging sinful and selfish behavior and turning away from that life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is missing from the Unconditional Conference is any encouragement for turning away from the same-sex behavior and lifestyle.

Each of the breakout sessions affirmed behavior that Almighty God has declared sinful and abhorrent.

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination (Leviticus 18;22 NKJV).

“If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination…” (Leviticus 20:13 NKJV).

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, no idolaters, no adulterers, no homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (NKJV).

“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes and abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27 NKJV).

Did you notice what the Apostle Paul said to the disciples in Corinth. Some of you used to be homosexual. But you were cleansed, justified, and sanctified by the Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit.

The call for repentance at the Unconditional Conference for behavior God calls sinful and even an abomination was nowhere to be found.  

According to the Lead Pastor that is “a version of Christianity that draws lines.” His version of Christianity is a Jesus who draws large circles. Hmmm!

Has this pastor forgotten Jesus Christ said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV).

Has he forgotten, Jesus said to His disciples the night He was betrayed, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth… when He (the Comforter, Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of the world is judged” (John 16:7-11 KJV).

Jesus drew lines, not circles.

Jesus also said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV)

This pastor is clearly teaching and advancing by this conference nothing less than a deconstructive theology.

The seminar he hosted, and was advertised as one of the keynote speakers, openly reflects a post-modern deconstructive ideology.

Again, one of the breakout sessions was “What is happening to my faith: Faith – order, disorder, reorder.”

That is a philosophical construct straight out of the critical theory ideology of the Frankfurt School. Take the current order (faith) and create disorder (abhorrent moral behavior among the believers) and create a reorder (new moral standard that embraces that which God calls an abomination).

The pastor then encouraged his congregation on Sunday morning after the conference to embrace deconstructive theology when he reordered the teachings of Jesus to be a circular, all-embracing, moral standard.

The time is now for authentic disciples of Jesus Christ to recognize we are facing the same dividing of the church faced by the Apostle Paul when He wrote the books of Galatians and Colossians to correct the Gnostic philosophy that was infiltrating the sermons and teachings in some of the churches.

The church faced a similar time at the turn of the twentieth century when pastors and theologians began propagating the higher criticism and the liberal social gospel.

Many of the church movements, such as the United Methodist, some Presbyterian Church movements, and many of the Lutheran organizations fully embraced the new theology and social gospel.

Today it is called, “going woke.”

Whole church movements are embracing deconstructive theology with a weak stance on the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and strong influence from the Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and the LGBTQ+ ideology and moral values.

Pastors must lead their congregations to take a strong immovable position upon the infallible, inerrant, unchanging Word of God, Old and New Testaments.

Pastors must proclaim openly that sin separates people from God; but repentance from sin and embracing the death, burial, and resurrection Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, brings life transformation and deliverance from fleshly strongholds.

Pastors must teach clearly and live consistently the moral values of the Word of God. They must live in this hyper-sexualized morally debased culture, a life of holiness that reveals to their congregation and to the world authentic Christ-like living.

Pastors must have a heart filled with God’s love, mercy, and grace for the sinner and the back-slidden disciple. Their preaching and teaching must be soaked and saturated with God’s love, mercy, and grace.

This alone is the answer and solution for our secularized, pagan, hyper-sexualized culture.

The weak, anemic deconstructive theology will leave the sinner and the world bound by demonic strongholds and floundering deeper and deeper into the quagmire of sinful passions.