Blessed are the Disillusioned
Returning to the Way of Jesus When the Church Doesn't Feel Like Home
“The evangelical brand has become so distorted that in many places it is now a political, cultural, and racial identity rather than a theological one.”
—Mark Labberton, Still Evangelical?
For many, the word “church” no longer evokes grace, healing, or deep community—but performance. A brand. A stage.
Pastors feel more like celebrities than shepherds. Worship resembles a concert more than communion. And if you’ve found yourself asking, “Is this really what Jesus had in mind?”—you’re not alone.
A growing number of believers are quietly facing what some call faith deconstruction—the unraveling of a version of Christianity that felt shallow, distorted, or built more on culture than Christ.
But here’s the good news: Disillusionment doesn’t have to be the end. It can be the beginning of a deeper, truer faith.
A Better Way Forward
In Matthew 5–7, Jesus gives us the Sermon on the Mount—a vision of life so radically different that it cuts through both religious legalism and cultural conformity.
He says again and again: “You have heard it said… but I say to you…”
Not to tear down the Law, but to call us deeper. Past appearances. Past performance. Into the heart of what it means to walk with God.
Jesus doesn’t bless the powerful or polished.
He blesses the poor in spirit, the meek, the grieving, the hungry.
The Beatitudes are not sentimental slogans—they’re a radical reversal of who we think is “blessed” and what it means to flourish.
What if Jesus wasn’t calling us to strive harder, but to come home to the kind of life we were made for?
What the Church Needs Now
If the church is going to find its soul again, it must return to what made it compelling in the first place:
Jesus.
That means:
A high Christology — recentering on the love of the Triune God, not religious performance
A culture of humility and mercy — not celebrity and image
Walking with the disillusioned — not fixing them, but listening to them
Reconstructing a faith that’s not just “correct,” but beautiful, embodied, and alive
This isn’t about abandoning the church—it’s about returning to Jesus’ radical, kingdom-centered vision for it. As Karl Barth has famously said, “The Church must always be reformed.”
A Word for the Disillusioned
If you’re reading this and feeling the ache of spiritual fatigue or disappointment, I want you to hear this clearly:
You’re not crazy. You’re not faithless. And you’re not alone.
You may not be losing your faith—you might be finding it again, under the rubble of what was never meant to last.
Jesus is still here.
Still blessing the brokenhearted.
Still calling you to something more.
And it’s more beautiful than what you’re leaving behind.
Wow well if this isn’t a necessary word in this day!
This reminds in the Easter tide season of Emmaus road moment, Jesus met with them in their doubts.