Ep. 39 Heart Burnin’, Still Yearnin’: The Future of Faith w/ Brian Zahnd

Show Notes

Episode Summary

Deconstruction has become a dirty word in evangelical circles. Some people think all we want to do is burn Christianity to the ground. Others worry that the deconstruction community isn’t doing enough to shed itself from fundamentalism. We will just be honest, most days we’d rather just let evangelicalism go up in flames, purging the entire super-structure that is modern Christianity. We know that’s not the end goal of deconstruction, but it just feels easier to sit back and watch it burn. Maybe that’s why this episode was so convicting. In our first interview of Season Two, Pastor Brian Zahnd joins us to share his own deconstruction journey by taking us with him down a different road, one carved on the ancient pilgrim path of the Camino de Santiago. What he found along the way just might point us toward the future of faith; a faith centered in contemplation, mystery, and mysticism. Plus, some exciting news! This episode also introduces our new co-host, Kelly Rose Lamb. I hope you will welcome her with open arms as she joins the show! 

Bio

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd provides a forum for pastors to engage with leading theologians and is a frequent conference speaker. He is the author of several books, including Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, Beauty Will Save the World, and his latest When Everything’s on Fire: Faith Forged From the Ashes. You can find him on Twitter @BrianZahnd.

Quotables

• “I’ve seen people deconstruct their Christian faith, leave Jesus, and keep their fundamentalism.”

• “I began to deconstruct before it was in vogue.”

• “I wasn’t having doubts about Jesus. I was having doubts about Christianity American style.”

• “Deconstruction is a little bit violent for me.”

• “I didn’t begin as a radical Jesus freak only to become a petulant Republican with a fish on his bumper.”

• “My deconstruction was highly public and not as popular with my congregation as I had hoped.”

• “I still believed in Jesus but the party was over. And then, I discovered a thrilling, beautiful, intoxicating Christian faith.”

• “Jesus deserved a better Christianity than what I knew.”

• “I’m convinced at this point that my pilgrim self is my best self.”

• “When Notre Dame was on fire, nobody was shouting, “Burn it all down! Empty the pews! They were weeping.”

• “Do we really think that the world would be better if there wasn’t a community of people passing on the story of Jesus? Do we really think the world would be better without the Sermon on the Mount?”

Timestamps and References

• [01:46]—Meet our new Co-Host Kelly Rose Lamb

• [09:06]—Brian’s own deconstruction journey

• [20:40]—From water to wine, trading in fundamentalism for a much more intoxicating faith

• [22:17]—When deconstruction becomes violent

• [24:40]—The “Third Way” of deconstruction

• [26:16]—What do we mean when we say, “Everything’s on fire?”

• [27:21]—Walking the pilgrim route of the Camino de Santiago as a metaphor for deconstruction.

• [34:07]—When Notre Dame burned

• [39:28]—Resisting the label of deconstruction and why it matters

• [44:40]—Some of the problems with Progressive Christianity and how progressivism has the potential to become the new fundamentalism

• [46:49]—What does the future of faith look like

• [55:00]—The role of contemplation and mysticism. As Karl Rahner writes, “The Christian of the future will either be a mystic, or nothing at all.”

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Credits

This episode was produced by The Sophia Society and written by Kelly Lamb and Gary Alan Taylor. Music is by Faith in Foxholes.