I confess that I picked up this book out of curiosity. It is written by the former frontman to one of my favorite Christian art-punk bands, Showbread. Joshua Porter is now a pastor in Vancouver and he has taken to writing about the issue of deconstruction. Porter writes as a pastor who cares for Christians and as one who had deconstructed and came back from it. Death to Deconstruction is a provocative look at deconstruction that will challenge both the deconstructionist and the faithful.
As a frontman for Showbread, Porter was all about shock. That edginess as a musician has followed him into the realm of ministry and as both a pastor and an author he doesn’t mind stepping on toes and giving some shock. The book is full of rather shocking statements. The opening words will certainly get your attention: In the spring of 2018, I decided to kill myself (13). But the shock is not mere performance. Porter has a goal: to tell a different story than the dominant one of our culture. That story is shocking, it is an act of rebellion. Deconstruction is trendy these days, and many who grew up in the church are finding it an appealing narrative. Porter offers readers here a different story and one that He can truly testify to as better.
The book is part theological memoir and part apologetic. Porter explores the concept of deconstruction through his own struggles with faith. Growing up as an alternative kid in rural Georgia, and attending a legalistic church, did not set him up for a strong faith. For many years, he says, he did have a strong faith. His band was an outgrowth of that faith. But as he got older and watched more and more friends walk away from the church and away from Christianity he began to question many things himself. His story is dark, brutally honest, and gut-wrenching. It also serves as an example of the painful dynamics many sufferers go through as they wrestle with deconstruction.
At the same time the book attempts to address what Porter calls the “Five Predators” that stalk Christians, driving some towards deconstruction. The book is broken down into three sections, each highlighting one or more of these predators. Section one focuses on Deconstructing God and addresses the “Predators” of biblical illiteracy and the problem of evil. Section two focuses on Deconstructing Humanity and addresses the “Predators” of politicized Christianity and hypocrisy. Section three focuses on the final “Predator,” one unlike the other four. If the previous four are problems for the church to respond to, the final one is actually a call that all people must submit to: self-denial. I believe Porter excels in this final section and makes some of the most compelling arguments in the book.
The book is well-written and engaging. There are parts that are funny, witty, and clever. There are parts that are dark and intense. He is a good artist. There are a few times where his work suffers under the weight of his words – as if he is trying to describe concepts in too many ways and with too many analogies. There are also times where his dismissal of deconstructionist arguments seems too quick and harsh. I think a softer tone in some of these cases would go further. Porter is also an Open Theist and therefore his work on the problem of evil leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. He doesn’t interact with any texts that do seem to suggest God knows and controls the future. His answers to the problem of evil end up not offering the kind of help and hope that I would want them to.
Admitting all these weaknesses, however, I actually found the book very good. It was engaging, and insightful. There’s a lot to appreciate in this book and a lot to commend. Readers should be forewarned that the book will definitely step on your toes. It will rub you the wrong way and challenge you. That’s a good thing, even if you don’t come away convinced of all that Porter says. I don’t agree with all the he has written here, but I found Death to Deconstruction a decent book.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 
Dave – I am surprised to see your review of a book about deconstructionism at all, especially absent some condemnation of deconstructionist ideas as part of your review. This surprise stems from my opinion of deconstructionist theory as hogwash of the worst possible kind, containing just enough truth to deceive people that it might actually be valid. I am pleased to see the book itself is a condemnation of the ideas of anything deconstructionist.
Deconstructionism is just another Marxist / Socialist theory propagated as a ‘virulent contagious mind virus’ with the intent to divide, conquer, and control those confused souls who would adopt its precepts. Attendant to the theory’s deception is the complexity of Socialist theory, which causes people just enough confusion to lead them to conclude it might actually work, and besides, “It all sounds so wonderful!” But ‘the Devil is in the details,’ in this case quite literally. A good understanding of the motivations of those who would lead us to deconstructionism can be found in Saul Alinsky’s 1971 book, Rules for Radicals. The final acknowledgement on the dedication page reads:
“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgement to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off history begins – or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom – Lucifer. -Saul Alinsky” (Alinsky, Saul D., Rules For Radicals, 1971, Vintage Books Edition, October 1989, Dedication page.)
This book has become a ‘Devil’s guide to Leftist (deconstructionist) violence’ over the past 50 years, is still in print and in use, and is so evil it is difficult to read, even as an attempt to better understand the enemy. Be warned, read it at your peril.
There is much more that could be said here, precisely because the socialists (deconstructionists) use complex arguments to deceive their victims. But, this is a comment, not an article, so I will not attempt it here (at the risk of being accused of dodging substance, I will happily engage in the discussion anytime) and conclude with a brief quote from Peter Kreeft’s 2023 book, Socrates’ Children:
“I have tried to be fair to all points of view, including philosophies I strongly disagree with such as nihilism, skepticism, and even deconstructionism, which I cannot help suspecting is not even serious but just “jerking our chain.”” (Kreeft, Peter, Socrates’ Children, An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers, 2023, Word on Fire Institute)
Back in the late 19th and early 20th Century when Socialism was shiny and all brand new, we foolish humans could be forgiven for succumbing to it’s false promises. 120 plus years later there is no longer any excuse for people of goodwill to tolerate the murderous abuses of socialism in any of its guises. How many millions must die before we reject these ideas? Death to Deconstruction indeed.