We were lucky to catch up with John Williamson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I think we’ve probably been misunderstood/mischaracterized since the very beginning from both sides. I remember when we first started the podcast we’d get people thinking that the whole idea of the podcast was to convince people to completely reject religion – “destruction” vs. “deconstruction.” We’d have to reassure guests constantly that that’s not what we were about. Eventually one of our favorite guests suggested putting a bracket around the “D” and “E” at the beginning of our name to highlight the word “construction.” Our intent was never to encourage people to burn it all down per say. Our only goal was to provide a safe space for people to wrestle with their faith, ask questions, etc. Sometimes that does mean getting ride of some things, but that certainly doesn’t mean everything.

Conversely, we also had to explain that we also weren’t promoting any particular denomination, particular stream of Christianity, or even Christianity as a whole. We believe that The Divine is much larger than any one particular religious expression and that The Divine can be found in a multitude of forms all over the world. For this reason we really pushed back against joining any “religious” networks simply because we didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into being limited to just that.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is John Williamson. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio and host two podcasts including The Deconstructionists Podcast. I got into podcasting through a desire to record some life-giving conversations with one of my best friends and to create a safe space for others to explore the same type of conversations we were having. I interview interesting guests from a number of backgrounds including academics, authors, musicians, comedians, scientists, etc. who fit within the theme of “spiritual deconstruction.” The way we’ve always defined “spiritual deconstruction” is taking ownership over your (often inherited) faith, wrestling with it, and asking questions about the things you believe.

I’m really proud of the guests that I’ve interviewed over the years and the friendships I’ve made in the process. My goal has always been to keep the conversations fun and interesting and ultimately helpful to others, and I think I’ve been able to do that. I still receive emails from listeners about how something discussed during an episode helped them in some way and that gives me the energy to keep it going.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Ultimately to share the art with others. I’m an independent podcaster and the best thing folks can do is to rate, review, subscribe, and share as they say. That really does help new listeners to find your work. Good podcasts take a lot of time, energy, and money to produce as well so donations definitely help. Most podcasts aren’t a part of a big network so we survive based on donations, ad revenue, and things like Patreon. Even if it’s just a dollar, it helps a ton!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think just hearing that people listen and that the work means something to them. That’s the thing that keeps me creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thedeconstructionsts.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deconstructionistspodcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeconstructionistsAnonymous/?_rdr
• Twitter: https://x.com/deconstructcast
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeePhqoUaiwmi63s6u3XSyg?app=desktop

Image Credits

Jared Hevron