Preparing Your Student to Launch and Yourself for Deconstruction
Shortly after moving to a post-Christian, post-modern, and even post-atheistic society, I yearned for something in my spiritual life I could not explain. I chalked it up to language barrier and lacked understanding of the German church. I countered the yearning by saturating myself with known solutions. I streamed sermons from our sending church, re-read powerful Bible studies, blasted loud worship music, and revisited podcasts. Yet, they no longer connected with me spiritually like they used to. My beliefs had not changed, but the system that supported those beliefs was no longer adequate.
The main message out of the American, Bible-belt church no longer spoke to my current cultural climate and “Godless” environment. My current culture lacked the general elements that fed me outside of reading my bible daily. The expression of lies from Satan were stronger and more present than I had ever experienced. I felt lost, lacked feeding, and was thirsty for holy water. I talked about this realized somberness with my boss, “The system I had created to strengthen my belief is no longer adequate. All I have left is the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Is that enough?”
Nate and I have mentored and encouraged countless young adults in this same culture of void. Their tears of fear, words of despair, and questions of faith rang that same questionable truth, “All I have left is the Trinity and the Bible. Is that enough?” Just like in Potsdam, many colleges are a breeding ground of darkness and deceit, and many students often feel lost, lack feeding, and are thirsty for holy water. They may realize the system created for them to strengthen their beliefs (i.e. high energy worship services, visually stimulating presentations, or flashing screens) lacks the substance to answer the questions that desire to pull apart their very belief system.
Deconstruction of faith and systems that support biblical beliefs does not have to be scary if we keep tethered to the Trinity and the Bible. It is enough.
It is imperative to equip our students to train their ears to hear God’s voice and to validate His voice through Scripture. The necessity is to teach them how to “self-feed” rather than build a system of experiences which can solicit rudimentary emotions that feel good but lack substance.
Before we launch students into schools or cultures that may be void of daily spiritual reminders, here are some questions to ask them:
· Have you ever heard God speak to you? How did you affirm what you heard?
· Without using a Bible study, do you know how to “self-feed,” which is to read God’s word and apply it to your life?
· If you are not able to attend a Christian organization or young adult ministry gathering, what are the devices that keep you tethered to Jesus?
What if your student is deconstructing?
- Listen. This means, first of all, that in our approach to contemporary claims we need to avoid an attitude of hyper-criticism, which assumes that if any idea is new (or, if we have never heard it said that way before) it must be false. Although we have the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Scriptures, no single person has all the truth. (James 1:19-20)
- Discussion. We must learn to say, “yes and no.” “Yes” to what is good and right. “No” to what is bad and wrong. This will require that we use our critical faculties and listen to students as they speak and write. We need to avoid the extravagances of validating or dismissing everything, rather enable conversations with attitudes of yes and no. This will also require us to search the Scriptures more carefully and fully, to be in a better position to make valid assessments of others’ truth claims. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)
- Love. This generation wants to know that salvation is beautiful, and what is beautiful is Jesus. We can show them Christ’s beauty by loving them. We love them when we “see” them as a neighbor who we should love as ourselves. Ask yourself, “In that conversation, did the student feel loved by me? Or did I try to win and make them the loser?” (Matthew 22:37-40; John 1:14; Hebrews 4:15)
- Pray. We must pray for our students. Pray for their ability to hear God’s voice, to self-feed on Scripture, and to have a Trinity-led mentor or friend in their life. We must pray for those mentors and friends. Through prayer we can embrace that we are no longer our student’s main source of input and then trust the Spirit’s affirmation or correction in our and their hearts.
Dear Lord, give me the wisdom to choose my words with care – or perhaps to just remain silent until I’ve thought things out a little more. Remind me that You would have me be quick to listen. Then – and only then – to speak. Amen.
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19 – 20