Christian rapper Lecrae recently urged believers to “deconstruct” aspects of their faith in “healthy” ways, even claiming Jesus Himself did so during His earthly ministry.
“One type of deconstruction actually involves using Scriptures to deconstruct unhealthy ideas and practices,” he explained in a Twitter thread. “Christ Himself did this by deconstructing the Pharisees’ interpretation of Scripture. ‘You have heard it said, but I say…’ using Scripture to challenge things. Healthy.”
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Deconstruction, the 42-year-old recording artist argued, becomes problematic when people interpret the Bible and Jesus’ words through a lens of current cultural trends, by “using culture to challenge Scripture.”
“This often leads to culture taking precedence over Scripture [and] sadly people begin to deconstruct themselves out of the faith,” Lecrae tweeted. “We begin to question the Bible because it doesn’t line up [with] culture. Unhealthy.”
Lecrae ended his Twitter thread by noting he has gone on his own “deconstruction” journey, and said it has left him with a Christian faith that is “stronger than ever.”
“The goal is not to tear everything down and live there,” he explained. “First is construction, then deconstruction, then reconstruction. Reconstruction leads to a stronger faith, where you’ve thrown out unhealthy views [and] see Christ clear [sic].”
“Many movements from the reformation to the civil rights movement involved deconstruction using Scripture and then reconstruction,” the rapper continued. “I offer this as an encouragement to those struggling. My faith is stronger than ever[.] I’ve been there, and healing is possible.”
He was met immediately with a blend of responses. Some praised his understanding of “deconstruction” while others saw it as “problematic.”
Lecrae engaged with one critic who told the recording artist “nobody should gatekeep [sic] deconstruction” and noted he still has “faith” but no longer identifies as Christian.
“I’m curious what do have faith in?” asked Lecrae in response. “Also, Christianity has so many iterations [and] misrepresentations. Are [you] done with Christ as Messiah? Or simply the way people are implementing the faith around you? Like are [you] disconnected from the Korean church? Ethiopian?”
The Twitter user, whose bio includes the hashtag “#exvangelical,” never responded.
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