Chronicles of the End Times
Occasionally, people say, are we really in the last days? How do we know? Does it matter one way or another? We will try to answer these questions and many others in this study. But the most important question may be, how can we reach others with hope in these changing times? One part of prophecy is often emphasized over another, causing us to lose perspective and miss the blessing and beauty of prophecy in scripture. I have taken the information in this study from many authors and teachers who have their lives studying God's word. I have added some insight that the Holy Spirit taught me. With God's help, I have endeavored to keep the whole counsel of the word of God in full view to give us an accurate picture of Christ and His great love for a lost world. I pray that this will challenge you and cause you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has me preparing it. Let's begin!
Chronicles of the End Times
Freedom or Bondage: Deconstructing Deconstruction
The digital rebellion against traditional faith has found a powerful new platform, and it's capturing the hearts and minds of an entire generation. What exactly is the "deconstruction movement," and why has it gained such momentum in recent years?
Technology itself isn't evil—from medical advances to convenient communication tools like this podcast—but in the wrong hands, even good innovations can become weapons. Today's faith deconstruction movement exemplifies this reality. Unlike honest spiritual inquiry that strengthens belief through deeper understanding, modern deconstruction represents a systematic dismantling of Christian fundamentals, repackaging ancient rebellion in contemporary language.
What makes this particularly troubling is how it's marketed. Through platforms like TikTok, influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers—not theologians or biblical scholars—lead the charge, creating communities where core Christian doctrines are labeled "toxic" or "abusive." The substitutionary atonement of Christ? Dismissed as "divine child abuse." Biblical teachings on sexuality? Characterized as harmful constraints rather than loving boundaries. This isn't merely disagreement; it's a fundamental reframing that transforms theological differences into moral imperatives, encouraging followers to view traditional Christians not just as wrong but as actively dangerous.
The answer doesn't lie in better arguments or intellectual debate. As Charles Spurgeon wisely noted, "You don't need to defend a lion; just let him loose." True freedom comes not from casting off divine guidance but from embracing a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ—moving from merely hearing about God to experiencing Him personally, as Job described. When someone encounters the living Christ, they discover both their own fallen condition and God's overwhelming love, revealing that authentic freedom isn't found in rebellion but in relationship with our Creator. Have you experienced this transformative encounter with Jesus, or are you still designing a version of faith that merely accommodates your preferences?
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Speaker Names
Speaker 1
00:00
Welcome everyone, this is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today.
00:18
Today we're going to look into the deconstruction craze, or movement as some call it, and what is deconstruction? So, we're going to look into that today and how the enemy of our souls is trying to destroy the younger generation and put doubt and rebellion into their hearts. There's nothing new under the sun, as the Bible says, which is true, but there are new ways of doing the old things, and the devil is up on technology. Sometimes we think of God as somebody with a long beard sitting in a chair who doesn't understand the new technology, which is like a riot, right. But I mean, people do have that image of God for some reason, and they also have that of the devil and the spiritual world right, totally detached from what's going on here on earth, and that's far from the truth. The enemy knows how to use technology. He knows how to influence people in new ways. We have to remember that we are dealing with super intelligent beings and, of course, Yahweh himself, the Lord of all, god of all things, the creator of everything that's going on. Science is wonderful and we benefit from it. I have benefited from it. I'm sitting here talking to you on a podcast. I've had AI help with many things, even health, but like every other tool, it can be used in many different ways. We've seen over the last few years how cars and trucks be used as a weapon to run people over on purpose. But cars and trucks aren't evil, so neither is the technology that we see today. It's the use of the technology that is in question, so we're going to look into it.
02:15
There is a lot going on as far as this deconstruction. There are deconstruction gurus, deconstruction evangelists, deconstruction pastors, guides, workshops. It's really incredible. It's an all-out assault on faith and also brings us to the word of freedom. We want to be free. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I know all about the cries for freedom. We want to be sexually free. We want to be free of all laws and anything that's going to hold us back from being our true selves. Right, that's the theme. It's an old theme, but it's still going on, and social media has given it new life. So, before we get into all that today, I just want to thank so many of you that are donating to the podcast. It is really so important because that's what makes things move, those that support us and allow us to keep doing what we're doing. So, thank you once again for all that you do, and some of you have given really amazingly to this ministry, and I'm so blessed that. It encourages you and I hope it strengthens you in your faith, because that's what it's all about. So, let's move on.
03:34
There's a book you may have read it. It's the Deconstruction of Christianity, written by Alyssa Childers and Tim Barnett. It's been out about a year. I think it came out in January of 2024. And I think it would be good for you to read.
03:50
It gives you a lot of information about what deconstruction actually is. There's a lot of interpretations of that and some say well, you know, it's just questioning your faith, and it enables you to get stronger in your faith. You can ask questions, hard questions. That's fine, but that's not what it's about the deconstruction movement. It's not about digging deeper to find out what is true. It's about how we feel. Do we feel like we're being taken? Do we feel like we're being constrained? Put in a box? We have to believe this because it was told to us by our parents or by a pastor or someone else, but we really want to be free of it, break ourselves free.
04:39
I want you to listen to a couple of comments that came from an interview from Focus on the Family, and just a few spots here and there to give you a little insight into the research that these folks have done and the contact that they have had and the ministry that they have to try to help, especially young people, because a lot of this is being broadcast on TikTok. It's up for a minute and it's gone. It's a great way to influence people, but, like everything else, it could be influenced for good, or it could just be fun, or it could be evil. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 3
05:18
Deconstruction is not just a that, it's a how, it's a methodology, it's how people are thinking and rethinking their faith. Let me ask you about the movement. Well, I would say, without social media, there is no deconstruction movement. Social media has brought people together in a way that it's never happened before. We're unbelievers, people reconsidering their faith, people wanting to leave their faith, are able to find these online spaces, online communities. They're finding deconstruction coaches. You can go to people and pay them.
Speaker 1
05:51
And there are conferences. There was Decon 2023.
Speaker 3
05:55
And if you went to the lineup of speakers, what you would find is it's a whole bunch of TikTokers not Bible scholars. These are influencers on social media who have massive accounts. Some of them have half a million people that follow them, and their entire account is set up merely to mock, ridicule and challenge Christianity. Every day they post videos and, by the way, Elisa and I, part of our job, our day job, is to respond to this nonsense. And so, we're online, we're going to conferences and we're answering these challenges one by one because people desperately need answers. Right Online, we're going to conferences and we're answering these challenges one by one because people desperately need answers.
Speaker 1
06:32
Right, one of the fundamental things about deconstruction that we discovered, and we kind of touched on this when we talked about truth. But people in the deconstruction movement are not necessarily looking for what's true. They're looking for what is according to their own internal compass, what feels healthy, what feels liberating, and so you're going to hear words like toxic theology, abusive doctrines, and what they mean by that is things like objective claims, like we're all sinners, we need a savior Jesus died on the cross for our sins, biblical sexuality these types of things are viewed as toxic beliefs.
Speaker 3
07:11
Pete that Jesus died for our sins is toxic, Jennifer.
Speaker 2
07:14
Yes, yes, Pete, that's amazing.
Speaker 1
07:15
Jennifer, in fact many people in the deconstruction hashtag. If you mention substitutionary atonement, the idea that Jesus died in our place or took our punishment upon himself, they say well, that turns God into a cosmic child abuser. And now we're just talking about child sacrifice. And how could you worship a God that needs a blood sacrifice of His own Son?
Speaker 2
07:35
just so you can be reconciled. Jennifer
Speaker 1
07:38
Avery, it is twisted. And so, there's a lot of conversation in that hashtag about abuse. And so, because they view Christian beliefs as toxic. Well, and some, by the way, will still consider themselves to be Christians, but they are progressive Christians, meaning they've denied all of those core, fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. But it's the impetus for them to disconnect from their church and, sadly, from their blood families is really strong, because it's not and this is so important for people to understand if you have loved ones who are deconstructing, it's not that your loved one thinks that you're wrong. They think that you're toxic, they think you're abusive, you're unsafe.
Speaker 2
08:18
I'm always amazed at how the enemy can twist things to take something that is positive and make it a negative. I do a lot of research Actually, I spend most of my days doing research, talking to other people, and even agnostics or atheists have to confess that they may not believe Judeo-Christianity, but they admit that it produces the best civilization, it produces the greater nations because it encourages a relationship with the Creator of the world. The rebellion continues to grow. We've talked a lot about the rebellion in many podcasts over the years, but as we draw closer to the coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the rebellion grows larger and it grows stronger and more adamant, and that cannot be denied. We are seeing the split in the church everywhere we look. Maybe in your own fellowship, in your own church, there are those who have designed their own Jesus and that Jesus that they designed suits them. But like the old saying goes, Jesus is not an outfit or a suit that gets tailored to your lifestyle, but that you get tailored to the suit or the garment, because that's how it works with Jesus.
09:37
I like to read a scripture in Psalms. It's Psalm 2. You may be familiar with it. It's a prophetic scripture talking about the last days and the final rebellion. Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in heaven laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. The Lord is talking about the last days and how Jesus, when he returns, shall be the king of all and rule upon the earth from Jerusalem.
10:28
So how do we deal with all this? What does this all mean to you and me? You may have run into it already Maybe someone in your family, someone that you know, people from your church or fellowship. The deconstruction movement has been going on for a number of years, but it's just another tool of the enemy. And who is he aiming at? He's aiming at those who are younger, less experienced and certainly not familiar with the Word of God.
10:55
It brings us back to relationship. If we really fall in love with Jesus, if we have the personal relationship that goes beyond human understanding. It's a moment when we meet Jesus face to face, as it were, in the Spirit, and those of us who have come to Christ, who are born again, that have been given the Holy Spirit, we know that he is true, we know that he is real, we know that he is the Almighty because we have met him. And some people would say, well, you know, you know what. You need to be wrapped in a white coat buddy, because sounds insane. But, just as in life, you can read about someone, you can hear about someone, but it's until you meet them that you really know them.
11:39
And I'm going to refer to a scripture in Job that we have used before, but it is just perfect for this situation. This is Job answering the Lord after the Lord rebuked him and declared to him who he was. Then Job answered the Lord and said I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know. Hear and I will speak. I will question you and you make it known to me I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
12:26
When we meet the Lord as it were, face to face, in the Spirit, the first thing that happens is that we know who we are. We know that we are fallen, we have fallen short, we are covered in unrighteousness and then, in a moment's time, another revelation happens. We feel the love of God, we feel his arms wrap around us and saying yes, this is a truth that has been revealed to you. But here is another truth I love you and I want you to be with me forever. In fact, I would like you to rule and reign with me over my kingdom. That is like a fairy tale, but it is not a fairy tale, it is truth.
13:05
We are a peculiar people. The Word of God says in Peter, and that is true. We are a people, a hidden nation among the world, that believes in an invisible God, that believes in the God who made all things, and we believe there's a kingdom coming very soon. So, I end with this how do we deal with people that are going through these things? I do not believe it's through debate. I believe it's through relationship. That's the only way we win. That's the only way we draw these people back is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
13:39
We come in a disaster, we come in a mess, whether it be physically or mentally, spiritually all the above and God accepts us and then we start on a journey in which he begins to fix those things in us and gives us the full life and the real freedom, because who the Son sets free is free. Indeed, I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon. “You do not need to defend a lion, you just let him loose.” Let God loose in your life. Allow him to do the things that you cannot do, and you will be blessed and shocked at the revelation of who Jesus Christ is. We all need it every single day. This is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Love you all. Thanks for all your support. And remember keep looking up. The King is coming.
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