John Cooper, the lead vocalist of the band Skillet, addressed his "brazen" response towards deconstruction and warned against people who lure Christians into this philosophical movement.
In a Facebook post, the musician said that he is not angry with people who have different beliefs or anyone who struggles to understand the principles of Christianity. But he lamented that deconstruction, which has become an "epidemic," has led other believers, whom he personally knows, away from the Christian faith - something that saddened him deeply.
Cooper explained that he is "brazenly speaking out against" people who have deconstructed from Christianity and went on to start a ministry to attack the Bible, as well as the core principles of the Christian belief, and try to lead other believers into deconstruction.
He cautioned that the individuals who are leading others to deconstruct are doing it "subtly" or "aggressively." He wrote:
"They seek out-aggressively or subtly-people who are struggling, sad, questioning, or having a bad day. Then they whisper (or scream) that it's because Christianity is oppressive. This is what I have a problem with, and even though these people feign shock at my brazen words, are they being any less brazen?"
He also warned Christians against the two definitions of deconstruction.
"(1) There are those who hold a conviction that the Bible is God's authoritative word and therefore approach it with faith, and they allow the Holy Spirit to guide them into deeper conviction of sin, a deeper love for Jesus and His perfections, and a deeper understanding of what is righteous and what is evil," he explained.
"(2) Then there are people who read the Bible afresh, but without faith and without a belief that the Bible is God's authoritative word. They consider the words on it's pages of no greater or lesser importance than any other book, religion, or Tik Tok influencer-rather, they use their own feelings and intellect to decide what they agree with and disagree with," he added.
Cooper pointed out the "danger" of describing both scenarios as "deconstruction," adding that the first definition does not aptly describe the theory. He then shared the real meaning of deconstruction, citing a website's definition.
He believes that the term "deconstruction" is being manipulated to "deceitfully" lead Christians away from the faith.
"Many ex-Christian influencers subtly try to encourage deconstruction by offering an inclusive 'space' to have doubts and to question. But the 'space' is designed to do the second kind of deconstruction I listed," he argued.
Further, he stressed that indulging deconstruction can mix the theory of humanism into the person's Christian belief, something that aligns him with the world but drives away from the truth of the Christian faith.
The musician pleaded for believers to be wary of people who encourage others with the second definition of "deconstruction he shared," citing 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 and Proverbs 14:12.
He emphasized that only Jesus Christ is the true "foundation" whom people can "build [their lives] upon that leads to life," and warned them against individuals "who teach another gospel."
Though he said that he will still love people who choose to deconstruct, he fears that their faith "will fizzle out."
The vocalist concluded by reminding about Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 3:11, declaring that Jesus Christ is the true foundation.
Cooper also tackled other emerging philosophies through his book, "Awake and Alive: To Truth."
