Knocking down LEGO is for kids not adults

My four year old son loves to build structures out of LEGO for the primary reason to knock it down upon completion. Countless LEGO buildings have been destroyed by everything from a four year old giant to a Dromaeosauraus.

When I ask Jude if he wants to build something else after the great destruction, he generally says no. The joy Jude feels with LEGO is rooted all in the destruction. But Jude is four and four year old boys are supposed to have joy in destroying LEGO and one day four year old boys grow up.

But some of us don't grow up. Some of us still get the greatest joy out of destruction.

There is no problem wanting to deconstruct things in this world. Deconstructionism is essential to critical thinking and self awareness and the development of values. Many people have made a living on deconstructing different things in this world. Pollock deconstructed painting. Neo-atheism deconstructed religion.

But, like my son, at some point deconstruction is not enough. We have to grow up. We have to be able to build up something after we have deconstructed it. Otherwise we become so cynical that there is nothing in this world that is worth putting trust into.

Deconstruction is critical for your formation, but it is not enough to just be break things into pieces.

That is for kids.

What is true learning? Not addition.

A church person once told me that they attend church in order to learn more and "grow in their faith". When pressed on what they mean when they say "grown in their faith" this church person said to grow in faith is to be built up in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Like creativity, growing in Christ is about subtraction.

That sounds like a great church answer. 

Of course we are looking to be shaped in the ways of Christ. But let us address something that maybe we know but forget.

Learning is not about addition↬. It is a common understanding that when we learn it is like just filling up a container (our brain) with more information and data. This is a big reason we want our children to go to college, so they can learn "more" because there is a sense of lack without that education. 

If you have attended any level of education and reflect on your experience, it is clear that leaning is about subtraction rather than addition. 

We do not come to school with a lack but with an abundance of "what we know to be true" and the challenge of education is that it asks us to not add to "what we know to be true" but calls into question "what we know to be true". Learning is, at its core, about subtraction. 

When we attend church, and if we are there to grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ, then we must be reorient ourselves away from addition and toward subtraction or (ironically) we will never grow.

*On a separate note, this is post #800!

Jones throws down, Valendy responds

Divine Incorporation by Todd Schorr

A bit ago Tony Jones challenged all progressive theo-bloggers to write something about God. I got the challenge a day before it was due and so I submitted a previous post.

Jones put my post into a Storify with other progressives who wrote something about God. 

I hope you get a chance to read some of the submissions on the Storify as many of them are really quite good.