TFW you deconstruct so all the kids on the playground think you’re cool.
— brian 🚞🚋 (@mononoaware42) November 11, 2021
“I’ve received over 10,000 DM’s over the course of this year from people all over the planet deconstructing,” tweeted the New Evangelicals. “I have yet to be told they were doing it so they can sin more or for street cred.”
Pastor Kyle J. Howard, retweeted the article, saying, “Tell me you your church isn’t safe for church abuse survivors without explicitly saying your church isn’t safe for church abuse survivors.”
“If the church in America cares at all about stemming the tide of people rapidly leaving Christianity,” said Zach Lambert, a pastor in Austin, Texas, “we need to do a whole lot less shaming those who question or doubt their faith and a whole lot more shepherding folks through deconstruction and reconstruction.” Lambert continued, “Providing safe spaces where folks can be fully loved and accepted as they walk through deconstruction and/or reconstruction is a core function of any healthy church. If your church isn’t doing that, then it’s not healthy.”
RELATED: Singer Mike Donehey Critiques the Church’s Response to Deconstruction: ‘It’s Your Job to Be Gentle’
In a Nov. 12 Twitter thread responding to the critiques he’s received, Butler maintains that no one who has sent him “fan mail” has given an adequate response to his article. “I strive to be humble, a good listener, and open to correction,” he said, “but I’m still waiting for a critique that touches on any of the article’s ‘actual’ content.”
Tim Whitaker, who created the New Evangelicals, invited Butler on his podcast to explain his views in more detail. You can listen to that conversation in several places, including Apple Podcasts.
