Saturday, October 18, 2014

10 reasons why the cross is the perfect symbol for Christian deconstruction - David Hayward

My deconstruction.
I not only documented my own deconstruction in my graphic devotional book, The Liberation of Sophia, but I also launched The Lasting Supper where we help each other through the deconstructive process and find fellowship in the process.
The cross is an important Christian symbol. But for me it is more than that. It has become an important human symbol.
For me, it symbolizes deconstruction. Why do I say that?
  1. It destroys human theology.
  2. It frustrates ambition.
  3. It throws God into question.
  4. It demands a kind of total death.
  5. It exposes raw human existence.
  6. It challenges the status quo.
  7. It mocks magical thinking.
  8. It drains the authorities of their power.
  9. It slams the door on cumulative effort.
  10. It exacts complete commitment.
Jesus was crucified outside the city gates. Similarly, when we go through deconstruction, we find ourselves outside the gates, outside of our beliefs and organized religion. We may feel isolated, marginalized, and even alienated. It can be a lonely, devastating, traumatic experience.
When you are being crucified, all hopes of new life are dashed. It was the darkest period of my life.
Nevertheless, here I am.
I am, in a way, the same person I was before. Recognizable.
But, in another way, I am a different person. Unrecognizable.
How I got here was through a crucifixion kind of experience that lasted, for me, years. I thought I was dead and gone.
Nevertheless, here I am. And I am better for it.
I am a new creation.
Transformed by the renewing of my mind.