Dear Church, a cure for the 'deconstruction' epidemic
In recent years, “deconstruction” has become a buzzword within Christian circles. Young people raised in the Church, many of them once passionate believers, are now publicly questioning or walking away from their faith. They often describe it as a process of “deconstructing” their inherited beliefs in search of something more authentic.
While asking hard questions isn’t inherently wrong, the wave of deconstruction is often not leading to deeper discipleship, but to disillusionment, detachment, and in too many cases, total deconversion.
The numbers are staggering. According to a 2019 study from The Barna Group, 64% of young adults (18-29 years old) who grew up in the Church have either left the faith or are no longer actively practicing it. Among Millennials and Gen Z, fewer than 1 in 10 are considered “resilient disciples.” Another Lifeway Research survey revealed that two-thirds of young adults stop attending church regularly for at least a year after turning 18.
This exodus has caused panic in many church circles. In response, countless churches have scrambled to make themselves more relevant by becoming more digital, more progressive, more casual, more inclusive, more entertaining. Sermons are shorter. Worship is trendier. Sanctuaries resemble concert venues. Christian influencers package theology in TikTok-sized chunks.
The problem with this approach is simple: people are not leaving the faith because the Church isn’t cool enough. They’re leaving because it has lost its authenticity trying to be relevant and its spiritual authority in an attempt to be more convenient.
For many, deconstruction is less about doctrine and more about disconnection. It’s a response to pain, hypocrisy, or the hollowness of a cultural Christianity that had no deep roots. But the answer isn’t a new form of shallow Christianity in trendier clothes. The answer is to reconstruct faith on the solid foundation of ancient, biblical roots.
Hebrews 13:8 tells us plainly: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
If that is true, and it is, then our faith must be anchored in the eternal and unchanging truth of who God is and how He has called us to live. The earliest followers of Jesus didn’t build a movement on slick marketing or culturally accommodating theology. They built it on the enduring ancient practices of the Torah, like keeping the Sabbath, celebrating biblical feasts, public reading of Scripture, disciplined prayer, communion, confession, and community. These practices weren’t man-made traditions but divine rhythms embedded in the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation.
The prophet Jeremiah cries out, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16).
This is the invitation of the Spirit in every age, not to chase trends, but to return to the well-worn paths where the saints of old walked. The “ancient paths” are not outdated; they are tested. They are not irrelevant; they are deeply human and deeply divine.
The early Church didn’t grow because it adapted to Roman entertainment or mimicked Greek philosophy. It grew because it was different. It was holy. It was countercultural. It was biblical. And it was rooted.
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Too many Christians today have a faith built on emotion, community vibes, or political tribalism. When those things crumble, as they always do, faith crumbles with them. But ancient practices root us in God’s Word and not just in human experience. Consider just a few:
Sabbath: God’s weekly gift of rest that is modeled by Him in Genesis 2, commanded in the Ten Commandments, honored by the Jewish people for millennia, practiced by Jesus and the early Church, and largely ignored by the modern Church. It’s time to take it back. Rediscover the sacred rhythm that reorders your life around God, not your schedule.
Prayer: More than spontaneous moments, prayer is daily, disciplined time in God’s presence. Jesus modeled routine and intentional prayer: “When you pray, say…” (Luke 11:2). Prayer doesn’t just express your heart but forms it, shaping your habits, worldview, and intimacy with God.
Fasting: One of the most forgotten commands in the Western Church — yet Jesus said “When you fast,” not “if” (Matthew 6:16). Fasting silences the cravings of the flesh so we can hear the voice of the Spirit more clearly. It’s not extreme — it’s essential.
Without ancient biblical practices like these, along with so many others, we will never have the rootedness necessary to withstand the winds of doubt, disappointment, or cultural pressure. If we do not grow into resilient Christians formed by ancient spiritual practices and deep dedication to the Word of God, our faith will rot from the inside out.
The modern Church must stop trying to reinvent itself and instead return to our biblical roots. The path forward is not a new form of Christianity but a renewed form of faithfulness to the original. This is not a call to nostalgia. It’s not about going back to the 1950s, 1550s, or reclaiming some “golden age.” It’s about going back to the biblical roots of our faith, to the practices of the patriarchs, to the practice of Jesus and the apostles, to the upper room, to the pages of the Torah and the book of Acts, and ultimately, to the very heart of God.
We are living in a generation that is not just questioning Christianity but longing for something real. What they’re really asking is: “Is there something ancient enough, holy enough, rooted enough to hold the weight of our pain and questions?”
And the answer is yes. But it’s not found in a cooler church. It’s found in a crucified and risen savior, and in the ancient paths that He still walks with those who will follow.
The call to the Church today is simple, yet costly: return. Return to prayer. Return to Sabbath. Return to fasting. Return to the presence of God. Return to the Word. Return to the ancient practices that have formed faithful believers for thousands of years. Return to the ancient paths, the good way, and walk in it.
The Church will only endure if she returns to her ancient paths and re-roots herself in them.
Doug Reed is a pastor of over 20 years currently serving at The Tabernacle in Buffalo, NY. He cohosts the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast with Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, engaging global leaders on faith, culture, and Israel. Doug partners with Eagles Wings to lead pilgrimages to Israel and strengthen Christian-Jewish relations. He continues to be a frequent speaker, media guest, and author of several articles.
