Recently a common thread has run through so many of the conversations I’ve had over coffee, after Sunday services, or during quiet catchups across the parish. More and more people are pulling up a chair to talk honestly about their faith—or, in many cases, their struggle with it. Often, these chats begin with a confession: "Fr Ben, I have a faith, but I just can't stomach what church has become."

Many feel exhausted by human-devised dogmas, rigid legalism, and the harsh, conditional religion that seems to dominate headlines and certain pulpits. People are walking away from systems that feel heavy, control-driven, and lacking in God's love! In contemporary Christian circles, this process is frequently referred to as 'deconstruction', describing the necessary dismantling of toxic or unsustainable religious ideas. 

Yet 'deconstruction', on its own, can sometimes feel like standing in a pile of rubble, wondering if anything worth saving remains.

This brings to mind a compelling distinction made by the theologian Bradley Jersak. Rather than settling for mere deconstruction, he speaks of Restoration, offering an evocative analogy to explain why. Imagine a classic masterpiece that has hung in a cathedral or gallery for centuries. Over generations, layer upon layer of dark varnish, soot, dust, and careless retouching cover the canvas. The original image becomes obscured beneath a murky, oppressive brown. To someone looking at it for the first time, the painting appears dull, heavy, and uninspiring. 

If you smash the frame and discard the canvas, you would lose the masterpiece entirely! But a restorer does something far more patient and precise. A restorer carefully applies solvent to lift away the yellowed varnish, the accumulated dirt, and the crude human additions. As those heavy layers fall away, something breathtaking happens: the original, vivid colours emerge, and the depth, light, and true beauty intended by the master artist are revealed once again.

That is precisely what is taking place right now in the lives of so many seekers and believers. We are not tearing down the Faith; we are stripping away the human-made soot that was never supposed to be there in the first place. When human beings turn faith into a system of control, fear, and boundary-policing, Christianity becomes a heavy burden which so often does the exact opposite of what Jesus promises. But when we look closely at the Christ revealed in the Gospels, we encounter something radically different: unconditional grace over rigid condemnation, real relationship over cold, coercive dogma, and healing and wholeness over spiritual gatekeeping. Following Christ was originally called The Way—a lived, vibrant journey of walking in God’s restorative love. It was never meant to be a static set of ideological tests or a weapon to exclude others.

If you find yourself questioning aspects of religion that feel oppressive or untrue to the spirit of the Gospel, please know you are not failing in faith. You may simply be taking your first steps in the careful, necessary work of restoration. Removing the grime of human error doesn't destroy the art—it honours it. As those heavy, artificial layers melt away, what remains is not a void, but the stunning, original beauty of God’s love made visible in Christ. My door is always open for these conversations. Whether you are full of faith, carrying a burden of doubt, or simply looking to rediscover the true colours of the Gospel, you are welcome here just as you are.

The Rev'd Fr Benjamin Edwards
Vicar of Great Barton & Thurston