Do not focus on the hocus pocus

By Patrick W. Andersen

The title, Deconstructing Christianity, presents a conundrum. Which definition of deconstruct does one follow? Are we taking apart Christianity to examine it and expose any flaws that we find? Or are we attempting to destroy it completely? The ambiguity of the word itself invites division, but let us hope for reasonable debate instead of a pointless face-off.

First, let’s settle on a definition of Christianity. A very large majority of the faithful equate Christianity with the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia, in which a magical king sacrifices himself to save his followers and then comes back to life again in bodily form. C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe as a story for children, and I believe the magical wonders of the story are the same reason that Saul of Tarsus (known to Christians as St. Paul) and his followers told the story of Jesus in almost precisely the same way.

The Jesus story was already very compelling but circulated mostly only within Jewish circles in Judea and Galilee. When Saul chose to take his own notion of it out into the Gentile world of the Roman Empire, he needed to compete with the Greek and Roman house gods popular in the larger society. So, the stories grew. For instance, at the wedding in Cana, I suspect the man Jesus spoke so powerfully and gave such an inspiring message that someone at the feast said his words were like life-giving water and were superior to the wine that was served to the guests. Then the story would have…