{"id":16100,"date":"2021-10-25T19:16:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T19:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/?p=16100"},"modified":"2022-11-23T20:31:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T20:31:18","slug":"the-religious-industrial-complex-sub-sector-of-religious-deconstruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/featured\/the-religious-industrial-complex-sub-sector-of-religious-deconstruction\/","title":{"rendered":"Ditches of Religious Deconstruction"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mp-row-fluid motopress-row mpce-dsbl-margin-left mpce-dsbl-margin-right\">\n<div class=\"motopress-clmn mp-span12  mpce-dsbl-margin-left mpce-dsbl-margin-right\">\n<div class=\"motopress-text-obj\">\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It&rsquo;s still kind of hip culturally&mdash;the chronic, never-ending deconstruction. There are many reasons this is happening on such a large scale, but suffice it to say it is significant in western Christian circles. I know this because I have been there and have several t-shirts to prove it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I still spend time in this orbit, paying particular attention to the various voices and watching as the various subgroups\/tribes take shape, each claiming a better mousetrap and many declaring Freedom and encouraging others to jump in with them &#8211; &ldquo;<em>The water&rsquo;s warm&rdquo; as only urine infused kiddy pools can be<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, a closer look often reveals something else&#8230;<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">They are not free from the old institutional religion or destructive theologies.&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For in their bitterness, pointed one-liners and self-justified snark, it shows ever so clearly that they are stuck.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">They thrash about with their scathing take-downs and begin to think because they have a little insight, a growing social media crowd who are angry just like them &#8211; that they should build their ministry &#8211; akin to a toxic spiritual version of Las Vegas in the desert. They think their vitriol is prophetic. They think they are cutting edge. They believe they are spiritually elite because they can gather a crowd to watch them throw stones and hurl zinger one-liners.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But see. Their entire message and actions, with caustic<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">wit, snark, and irreverent spins, reveal in glaring terms they are not free. They live and breathe to react to the systems, theologies, ideologies and people they despise (maybe for good reasons). The words of Jesus come to mind when he asks, &ldquo;Why are you looking for the living amongst that which is dead?&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Deconstruction is brutal and can be an excruciating season, but please understand deconstruction is not the goal.&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">God leads us out to lead us into something new<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. For the love of God, don&rsquo;t make your home in the spaces of transitions and aridity.&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Resist the urge to build your cottage industry ministry in the transitional spaces of deconstruction &#8211; because, truth be told, you will gather the lost, the bitter and the angry. And the only help you can be to them is being lost and angry together.<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;All the while cheering each other on in self-righteous snark &#8211; throwing rocks as you cheer each other on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yes. We need voices and guides to help us navigate our deconstructions and the in-between places, but we need wise guides who understand the desert is not the destination. We need prophetic voices who understand that deconstruction is not the end goal.&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We need voices who are more about what they are for than what they are against.<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;Anyone can gather a crowd, Likes, Shares and Retweets by throwing stones and tearing down something. This is too easy. It is uniquely spiritual to be FOR something, towards making something beautiful. To embody and live into the change you wish to see. This takes courage. This takes genuine faith.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We also need&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">skilled guides who can help us untangle from ill-fitting, sometimes toxic and abusive religious ideas.&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Support us as we explore the generous bandwidth of rich insights and practices beyond our often narrow, static western religious traditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">We&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">need wise guides that will help us (re)discover the genuine&nbsp;<\/span><em style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">still, small voice<\/span><\/em><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;within us and help us discern the invitations of the Spirit and in turn, respond.&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #0e101a; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A few thoughts for the Deconstruction &#8211; Reconstruction Journey<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Religious-induced trauma is real&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8211; take steps to address it with a Trauma-informed therapist (ideal if they have experience with religious trauma).<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">2)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Beware of Snarky voices that sound wise and certain in their endless critiques but have never created anything new<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. These voices tend to reshuffle the chairs on the Titanic rather than produce anything novel. You will find the same legalism as you have fled, just with a fresh coat of paint. Typically, you&#8217;ll find &#8220;the same shit, a different pile,&#8221; and not always in smaller packages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">3)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Beware of any invested in you being just as angry and stuck as they are<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">4) Good&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Theological insights don&#8217;t automatically translate into deep wisdom<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Those insights that are genuinely lived into produce deep wisdom and transformation. We can intellectually untangle the theologies of Eternal Conscious Torment, Hell, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, memetic theory,&nbsp;<\/span><em style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">yadda yadda, yadda&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and still be self-righteous fundamentalists. Show me the love. Talk is cheap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">5)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Passing through<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;&#8211; the desert is the space between where we were and someplace new. The desert helps us prepare for, dream of, shed baggage and heal as we enter the new. Yes &#8211; there are essential things to be learned in the desert, but these are often seen in hindsight from the perspective of the new space on the other side of the desert.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">6)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Don&#8217;t wait for the crowd<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;to get healthy. You may be alone or find a couple of others to share the journey with. Many get stuck in the bitterness traps along the way.&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Keep moving<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">7)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">On your way, grow, and then be a guide<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Take the splinters out of your eye, (practice good self-care, including good boundaries) before trying to help someone with theirs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">8)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Love is the way. Love is the Guide<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. The God who is love is not coercive despite what you may have been taught all your life. Instead, God calls, coaxes and lures us forward with love. Not as a reward or punishment (withholding love) but instead as a faithful, loving companion along each step of the way, presenting us with a host of loving possibilities in each moment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">10)&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Discerning the way<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;&#8211; ask yourself what invitations of the Spirit are before you in your next steps. Is it genuinely loving? Is it honest? Is it healing\/restorative? Is it merciful? Is it kind? Does it make us more genuinely human?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">(Be aware of hurts and bitterness with a veneer of Christian virtue that justifies cruelty, bitterness, chronic victimhood, scapegoating \/ the mob.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Dear ones, I get that folks will continue to find themselves in the deserts of faith:&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Keep going! Deconstruction is not an end in itself.<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;We deconstruct so we can reconstruct in more healthy, life-giving ways. This is the rhythm of maturity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For those who have set up permanent camps and are stuck in bitterness, as someone who has been where you are,<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">I want you to know there is much more that awaits you on the other side of reactionary bitterness and its self-righteousness. That which you once hoped for is there waiting to greet you<\/span><strong style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. It&#8217;s time to break camp!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-size-adjust: auto; color: #0e101a; background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">___________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'System Font';\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Image by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/joshuaworoniecki-12734309\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4891499\">Joshua Woroniecki<\/a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4891499\">Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"God takes us out via the desert to bring us into something new. For the love of God, don\u2019t make your home in the spaces of transitions and aridity. Resist the urge to build your cottage industry ministry in the transitional spaces &#8211; because, truth be told; you will gather the lost, the bitter and the angry. And the only help you can be to them is being lost and angry together. All the while cheering each other on in self-righteous snark- throwing rocks as you cheer each other on.","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,8],"tags":[343,743],"class_list":["post-16100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sole-significance","category-featured","tag-love","tag-religious-deconstruction"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ditches of Religious Deconstruction - Michael Rose<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/featured\/the-religious-industrial-complex-sub-sector-of-religious-deconstruction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ditches of Religious Deconstruction - Michael Rose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"God takes us out via the desert to bring us into something new. For the love of God, don\u2019t make your home in the spaces of transitions and aridity. Resist the urge to build your cottage industry ministry in the transitional spaces - because, truth be told; you will gather the lost, the bitter and the angry. And the only help you can be to them is being lost and angry together. 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