Welcome to Deconstructionology, a collaborative community of courageous thinkers who transcend unhealthy and limiting beliefs, systems, and structures in order to create the best of all possible worlds.
Ludwig Feuerbach, in Lectures on the Essence of Religion, wrote:
“My only wish is to transform friends of God into friends of man, believers into thinkers, devotees of prayer into devotees of work, candidates for the hereafter into students of the world, Christians who, by their own procession and admission, are ‘half animal, half angel’ into persons, into whole persons.”
German anthropologist and philosopher, Ludwig Feuerbach, sums up quite well the passion behind my writing on Substack: “Transforming candidates for the hereafter into students of the world”.
The term deconstruction means to disassemble something into its separate parts and processes in order to understand it more insightfully. Our lives are often governed by deeply-held beliefs, mindsets, narratives and ideologies that we rarely question or examine. We often find this to be true in the case of one’s learned religious beliefs, but it extends into virtually every domain of society and culture.
The work of deconstruction involves the use of critical thinking, interdisciplinary knowledge, self-reflection, inner conscience, and deep wisdom to determine the legitimacy of the conceptual regimes that shape and control our lives. They must be evaluated, not based on tribalism, tradition or convention, but on their value in creating greater existential health, individual, collective and planetary well-being, and societal flourishing.
The lived human experience is filled with all kinds of tensions, contradictions, nuances, lessons and complexities, which may not be apparent on the surface or through the lens through which we most familiarly see the world. My hope with this Substack newsletter is to inspire and provoke people to look and live more critically, courageously and compassionately.
I often deconstruct life’s biggest questions, and issues of ultimate significance. Whatever your religious, spiritual or philosophical beliefs, they relate to every aspect of our lives. As a published author and founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality, I especially connect with the openminded, freethinkers and all those interested in becoming more profound human beings.
I do not identify as a “Christian” or “Atheist” but I’m consistent in challenging every scared cow wherever they might appear, and finding common ground for a deeper wisdom and a greater good.
My academic and professional background is in theology, philosophy and existential health. After leaving my former religious life and megachurch ministerial career, I spent 25 years pioneering religious trauma research, building religious deconstruction and reconstruction models, and spent 40,000 hours counseling people through faith transition, existential crisis, and the volatility of leaving religion.
There are countless people who are trying to make sense of religion, spirituality, cultural issues, personal growth, and complexities of the lived human experience, in light of their past religious conditioning or indoctrination, and learning new mindsets and tools for doing life differently. There are many nuances in how people choose to put the pieces together in their post-religion spirituality and outlook on the world.
Not quite a year ago when I started publishing articles with these thoughts in mind, I wanted to create a space for people to think through their own path forward without my telling them what they should think or do. While it’s true that I often address what I believe to be the fallacies, corruptions, and abuses of toxic religion, I’m not against all religion.
I feel like I’ve succeeded with my newsletter if an Atheist, deconstructing Christian, or any open-minded person of faith or philosophy, finds something that challenges or inspires them to be a more profound human being.
A couple articles to help you understand myself and this newsletter a little better are:
You don’t have to pay a penny in order to support this endeavor—I’m just grateful to have you here. Anybody who picks the free option will get at least two published articles a week, daily Notes, and unannounced extras.
Paid subscriptions ($5 monthly or $50 annually) allow me to dedicate my time and energy to this endeavor. This includes publishing more articles and the opportunity to collaborate on projects with likeminded Substack writers.
The additional perks for paid subscribers are:
An additional weekly paid-member-only exclusive article
Free copy of my Life After Religion 30-Day Detox Guide
Free copy of my unpublished book, How to Have a Great Day Without Religion: A Universal Handbook for Living Life Well
Free copy of my Substack digital book, The Deconstructionology Encyclopedia (Volume One)
Access to the archive vault of all my published articles
Exclusive chat threads and live video discussions
Special offers to courses, seminars and events
I also have a “founders plan” for those inspired to make a significant financial investment in this endeavor at $250. Each founding member receives:
60-minute Zoom video call
First access and special deals on my upcoming books, speaking events and other projects
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