Showing posts with label Doubt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doubt. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Thursday, 18 August 2011
Beyond Doubt
There is a blog that has the catch line, 'to believe is human, to doubt is divine.' I have to say that I think that is nonsense. Every Christian goes through times of doubt and those times can be deeply painful. The Bible never portrays doubt in a positive light. However we are told to have mercy with those who doubt (Jude 22). I find the following clip from William Lane Craig to be very helpful.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Can we have a positive view of doubt?
In his assessment of the Emergent church, Kevin DeYoung criticises the conversation’s tendency to see doubt as the essence of faith. This glorification of doubt can be seen in the subtitle of Peter Rollin’s blog, which reads ‘to believe is human; to doubt is divine.’ The doubt that is particularly encouraged in the Emergent conversation is the doubt in doctrine. Dave Tomlinson states that doubt creates a ‘holy insecurity’.
One is reminded of G. K. Chesterton’s words: ‘A man is meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth . . .’ The primary problem with the Emergent attitude towards doubt is that rather than seeing doubt as something to be worked through it is seen as a beneficial state to be in.
This is not to say that doubt needs to be viewed entirely negatively. While the New Testament never sees doubt as something good doubt can present us with an opportunity to grow. If we are willing to work through our doubts we can emerge from them with a faith stronger than it was before. Our aim is not simply to restore old faith but to have our faith transformed into something that is more reasoned, confident and certain. For this to happen we need to see doubt as something to be worked beyond.
One is reminded of G. K. Chesterton’s words: ‘A man is meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth . . .’ The primary problem with the Emergent attitude towards doubt is that rather than seeing doubt as something to be worked through it is seen as a beneficial state to be in.
This is not to say that doubt needs to be viewed entirely negatively. While the New Testament never sees doubt as something good doubt can present us with an opportunity to grow. If we are willing to work through our doubts we can emerge from them with a faith stronger than it was before. Our aim is not simply to restore old faith but to have our faith transformed into something that is more reasoned, confident and certain. For this to happen we need to see doubt as something to be worked beyond.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Mystery and Absurdity
The Bible is not embarrassed about the fact that not all things have been revealed to us. For the moment we see but a poor reflection (1 Cor. 13:12, see also Deut. 29:29). Sometimes we have to say 'only God knows' but that is not the same as declaring 'it makes no sense'. As Os Guinness writes:
... rationality is the alternative of absurdity, but has no quarrel with mystery. Mystery is beyond human reason, but is not against reason. It is a mystery only to man and not to God. Where God has spoken and spoken clearly, rationality comes into its own; where God has not spoken, or for his own reasons not spoken clearly, there is the area of mystery. An area of mystery is rational to God, but faith must suspend judgement and not press human reason to answer questions when it has insufficient evidence.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
‘Dealing with Doubt’
It is not surprising that Christians have doubts. After all we are being asked to believe in some things that we cannot see (e.g. God and heaven), other things that do not normally happen (e.g. a virgin birth and people being raised from the dead) and we are presented with ideas that we may struggle to hold together (e.g. a loving God who is all-powerful and a world in which people endure dreadful suffering). Doubt is a very common problem amongst Christians. Practically all Christians suffer from doubts at some stage in their walk of faith.
This doubt can be very distressing. After all Christianity is not merely the holding of some vague opinions or a pastime, the Christian faith is a way of life. When a Christian experiences doubt it can feel like their world is falling apart—the very thing by which they shape their existence is being undermined. This distress may be heightened if we feel guilty for having doubts and do not want to share our questions for fear that we will create a stumbling-block for our fellow believers or that we will be judged by other Christians.
While doubt is very common it can also be very complex. That is why we are going to begin by looking at the roots of doubt.
1. Understanding to roots of doubt:
When Thomas stubbornly refuses to accept the evidence for Christ’s resurrection he finds himself rebuked by Jesus who tells him to, ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27). James criticises those who doubt as they pray, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6)—the Bible consistently calls for a child-like trust in God when we pray, we are to realise that the God of the universe can respond to our requests. Addressing a church where some of the members are genuinely confused by the activity of false-teachers and the fact that some have left the church under their influence Jude counsels, ‘be merciful to those who doubt' (Jude 22).
Do you see that there are different attitudes to different doubters? That is because the roots of doubt vary from person to person.
This doubt can be very distressing. After all Christianity is not merely the holding of some vague opinions or a pastime, the Christian faith is a way of life. When a Christian experiences doubt it can feel like their world is falling apart—the very thing by which they shape their existence is being undermined. This distress may be heightened if we feel guilty for having doubts and do not want to share our questions for fear that we will create a stumbling-block for our fellow believers or that we will be judged by other Christians.
While doubt is very common it can also be very complex. That is why we are going to begin by looking at the roots of doubt.
1. Understanding to roots of doubt:
When Thomas stubbornly refuses to accept the evidence for Christ’s resurrection he finds himself rebuked by Jesus who tells him to, ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27). James criticises those who doubt as they pray, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6)—the Bible consistently calls for a child-like trust in God when we pray, we are to realise that the God of the universe can respond to our requests. Addressing a church where some of the members are genuinely confused by the activity of false-teachers and the fact that some have left the church under their influence Jude counsels, ‘be merciful to those who doubt' (Jude 22).
Do you see that there are different attitudes to different doubters? That is because the roots of doubt vary from person to person.
Maybe you have come into contact with the living God but you don’t want to face the implications his reality has for your life, so you hide behind your questions. Jesus would say to you, ‘Stop doubting, and believe.’
Maybe God has shown his faithfulness to you time and again in the past but you are refusing to trust him in this latest crisis. You need to stop doubting and trust God as you pray.
But perhaps an antagonistic person in work has been challenging your beliefs. It might be that there are some questions that genuinely trouble you. You are not using these questions to keep God and his challenges at bay. You would genuinely like your doubt to disappear. Jude would counsel the rest of us concerning you, “Be merciful to those who doubt.”
Sometimes a person’s doubts are a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. A young woman may ask ‘how can we be sure that the Bible is true?’ but behind her scepticism there is the unhappiness of living in an overly-strict Christian home. A young man may tell us that he believes Science and Christianity are incompatible but after further discussion he reveals that he is sleeping with his girlfriend. An elderly man may claim that he no longer believes God exists but behind his doubts there is anger that God did not answer his prayers and heal his terminally ill wife. A businesswoman may feel that her faith no longer makes sense but actually her real trouble is that she is over-worked and stressed.
In helping people deal with their doubts we need to listen carefully to what is going on in that person’s life. The best solution to some of our doubts may be to get some needed rest—and then we will see our questions in a better focus. We may be helped by someone praying with us and sharing God’s compassion so that we are reminded that God can be trusted—even when life does not make sense. It may even be that we need to stop neglecting our faith—our doubts could be a symptom of prayerlessness or disobedience, the Bible sees a link between how a person behaves and what they believe (2 Tim. 2:25).
2. Understanding the reason for faith:
In a letter to the Irish Times a Mr. Michael McGuire of Donegal wrote: ‘Science is based on reason logic and proof. Religion is not. There is nothing wrong with this. Religion is not based on proof.’ I would say that many people agree with his understanding of religious faith. They think that faith is pretty groundless, a sort of blind leap in the dark. Such faith would ask us to take our brains out and would not be able to stand up to rational argument. We would always be prone to intellectual doubts.
But we could go too far the other direction. We could imagine that faith is built entirely on finding the answers to our questions. Let’s be honest most of us did not become Christians simply because people proved to us it was true. We certainly believed it was true but we didn’t have all the answers to show why. Indeed there are many questions we still can’t answer but we still believe.
I would want to say to Mr. Michael McGuire that Christian faith and reason are not enemies. I would want to show him some of the proofs for Christianity—like the fact that the followers of a crucified Messiah were willing to be persecuted for their claim that he had risen from the dead and that we have their written testimony to the resurrection. But these facts alone won’t bring someone to faith. What is needed is the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
When we looked at 1 John we saw that the apostle talks about the fact that he and the other apostles witnessed the events surrounding Jesus’ life, death and resurrection (1 John 1:1-3) and he points to the internal witness of the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6). There is the external evidence and the internal witness. John says that the internal witness is the more important of these (1 John 5:9). One writer concludes that John ‘asserts that the knowledge inspired by the Holy Spirit is even more certain than the testimony of the apostles themselves.’
This is how one preacher describes coming to faith:
Before we move on to our final point I want to mention something about mystery. The Bible is not embarrassed by the fact that not all things have been revealed to us. For the moment we see but a poor reflection (1 Cor. 13:12, see also Deut. 29:29). Sometimes we have to say ‘only God knows’ but that is not the same as declaring ‘it makes no sense.’ Regarding mysteries Os Guinness writes:
We are on shaky ground when we speculate too much on those things that are in the realm of mystery. In his wisdom God has chosen not to give us answers to some questions. Indeed our speculations may cause the doubter more harm than good.
So for example if someone asks ‘why did this tragedy happen in my life?’ we need to be careful how we respond. We might recall a verse like Lamentations 3:33 which tells us that God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men—we can be sure that God is not capricious or flippant with regards to human suffering. But we also should not go so far as to explain why this tragedy happened to them. There is an element of mystery. God has not revealed all the answers to us on this. That is not the same as saying that there is no answer but we are simply admitting that the God who knows all things has not revealed it.
3. Feeding faith and crushing doubt
I want to finish by giving three ways in which we can encourage the crushing of doubt and the building of faith.
a. A Listening Community
Poor Job! His friends were so unhelpful. They gave him lousy advice and they did not listen to him. He replies to his friend Zophar saying, “If you want to offer comfort, then listen to me” (Job 21:2 CEV). Job’s words could be echoed by many doubters. We need to listen well if we are going to help doubters work through their struggles.
We are not simply to listen to the questions that are been presented to us, we are also to listen to the nature of the person as well. ‘Is this person anxious by temperament, so that every question raised about faith grows out of proportion?’ ‘Has this person experienced some traumatic events in life that make it hard for them to trust God?’ ‘Does this person want an excuse to walk away from the challenges that the Christian life is presenting them with?’
We should not underestimate the value of simply giving a listening ear. Neither should we think that we need to have all the answers before we can help those struggling with doubts. It may be that simply being able to express the anxieties caused by doubts, and perhaps to know that they are not on their own in their struggles, is enough to bring relief to the doubter.
The challenge to listen well ought to be taken up by the whole church fellowship. Churches need to become honest places where people no longer pretend that they are above such things as doubts. The fellowship needs to encourage an atmosphere where people are willing to be open with each other and where people can be convinced that people care.
b. An Inquiring Mind
While faith is not based on reason alone it nevertheless does not see reason as an enemy. The Christian should not be scared of investigating truth and should not discourage an inquiring mind. Nevertheless because of the imperfect nature of human knowledge, and sometimes the biases of those doing the inquiring, it should not surprise us that some people’s investigations will lead them to conclusions that they say argue against the faith.
When presented with a difficult question the Christian should not panic. They should see that there is nothing new in the questions that they are facing. Other Christians have faced these very same questions before and not seen the need to abandon faith. If they are willing to spend some time reading and studying they may see how Christian scholars have responded and may come to grow in their confidence in the reasonableness of faith. This may help them later on later occasions as they ‘give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have’ (1 Peter 3:15).
This is not to suggest that our Christian lives are to be consumed with finding answers to questions that we might be thinking through. We need to learn to carry on living out our faith even when we don’t have all the answers. William Lane Craig gives the following advice:
Any thinking Christian will have a “question bag” filled with unresolved difficulties he must learn to live with. But from time to time, as you have the opportunity, it’s good to take the bag down from the shelf, select one of the questions, and go to work on answering it. Indeed, I can say that working hard on an unresolved question and pursuing it until you finally find an answer that satisfies you intellectually is one of the most exhilarating experiences of the Christian life. To resolves a doubt that has troubled you for some time brings a wonderful sense of intellectual peace and inspires confidence that there are solutions to the remaining difficulties in your question bag.
c. A Dependant Heart
Perhaps all of us, at times, identify with the father who comes to Jesus about his son and ends up exclaiming, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24b). Here is a man who can confess that he does have some faith but also acknowledges his spiritual weakness and appeals to Jesus to create in him a heart that believes more firmly. The Christian knows that belief is not simply an intellectual matter but is ultimately a gift from God. At times we can meet people who could many answers to questions that are raised about the faith but are nevertheless plagued with doubts. The best advice for such a person may simply be to cultivate their spiritual walk.
Faith makes most sense when it is being put into action. Faith is a relationship with the living God that is strengthened as we talk with him in prayer. It is a walk in which we experience been led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:18). Not only do we understand God better as we study his word but this is a message which is at work within those who believe (1 Thess. 2:14). The Christian also needs the support of a church. The local church is a gift given by God to believers; it is a community in which God’s dwell in a special way (Eph. 2:19-22); it is be a fellowship in which we build one another up and encourage one another. If a Christian is stagnant in their walk, lazy about their devotions and neglectful of meeting with others then their faith will always be vulnerable to doubts!
Maybe God has shown his faithfulness to you time and again in the past but you are refusing to trust him in this latest crisis. You need to stop doubting and trust God as you pray.
But perhaps an antagonistic person in work has been challenging your beliefs. It might be that there are some questions that genuinely trouble you. You are not using these questions to keep God and his challenges at bay. You would genuinely like your doubt to disappear. Jude would counsel the rest of us concerning you, “Be merciful to those who doubt.”
Sometimes a person’s doubts are a symptom of a deeper spiritual problem. A young woman may ask ‘how can we be sure that the Bible is true?’ but behind her scepticism there is the unhappiness of living in an overly-strict Christian home. A young man may tell us that he believes Science and Christianity are incompatible but after further discussion he reveals that he is sleeping with his girlfriend. An elderly man may claim that he no longer believes God exists but behind his doubts there is anger that God did not answer his prayers and heal his terminally ill wife. A businesswoman may feel that her faith no longer makes sense but actually her real trouble is that she is over-worked and stressed.
In helping people deal with their doubts we need to listen carefully to what is going on in that person’s life. The best solution to some of our doubts may be to get some needed rest—and then we will see our questions in a better focus. We may be helped by someone praying with us and sharing God’s compassion so that we are reminded that God can be trusted—even when life does not make sense. It may even be that we need to stop neglecting our faith—our doubts could be a symptom of prayerlessness or disobedience, the Bible sees a link between how a person behaves and what they believe (2 Tim. 2:25).
2. Understanding the reason for faith:
In a letter to the Irish Times a Mr. Michael McGuire of Donegal wrote: ‘Science is based on reason logic and proof. Religion is not. There is nothing wrong with this. Religion is not based on proof.’ I would say that many people agree with his understanding of religious faith. They think that faith is pretty groundless, a sort of blind leap in the dark. Such faith would ask us to take our brains out and would not be able to stand up to rational argument. We would always be prone to intellectual doubts.
But we could go too far the other direction. We could imagine that faith is built entirely on finding the answers to our questions. Let’s be honest most of us did not become Christians simply because people proved to us it was true. We certainly believed it was true but we didn’t have all the answers to show why. Indeed there are many questions we still can’t answer but we still believe.
I would want to say to Mr. Michael McGuire that Christian faith and reason are not enemies. I would want to show him some of the proofs for Christianity—like the fact that the followers of a crucified Messiah were willing to be persecuted for their claim that he had risen from the dead and that we have their written testimony to the resurrection. But these facts alone won’t bring someone to faith. What is needed is the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
When we looked at 1 John we saw that the apostle talks about the fact that he and the other apostles witnessed the events surrounding Jesus’ life, death and resurrection (1 John 1:1-3) and he points to the internal witness of the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6). There is the external evidence and the internal witness. John says that the internal witness is the more important of these (1 John 5:9). One writer concludes that John ‘asserts that the knowledge inspired by the Holy Spirit is even more certain than the testimony of the apostles themselves.’
This is how one preacher describes coming to faith:
“[Faith] isn’t a conclusion reached at the end of chain of deductive reasoning or scientific evidence. It’s not that I struggle to convince myself to believe things that are highly dubious. Rather I surrender to things which by divine illumination I now inwardly perceive to be glaringly self evident…Faith isn’t like wrestling with a geometric theory until we arrive at the end and say ‘there I have worked it, there’s the proof!’ Faith is more like having cataracts removed from your eyes. When we joyfully declare, ‘I can see things now that I couldn’t see before.’ Faith is an experience of divine revelation. It is hearing God’s testimony in your heart and surrendering
to it.”
Before we move on to our final point I want to mention something about mystery. The Bible is not embarrassed by the fact that not all things have been revealed to us. For the moment we see but a poor reflection (1 Cor. 13:12, see also Deut. 29:29). Sometimes we have to say ‘only God knows’ but that is not the same as declaring ‘it makes no sense.’ Regarding mysteries Os Guinness writes:
… rationality is the alternative to absurdity, but it has no quarrel with mystery. Mystery is beyond human reason, but is not against reason. It is a mystery only to man and not to God. Where God has spoken and spoken clearly, rationality comes into its own; where God has not spoken, or for his own reasons not spoken clearly, there is the area of mystery. An area of mystery is rational to God, but faith must suspend judgement and not press human reason to answer questions when it has insufficient information.
We are on shaky ground when we speculate too much on those things that are in the realm of mystery. In his wisdom God has chosen not to give us answers to some questions. Indeed our speculations may cause the doubter more harm than good.
So for example if someone asks ‘why did this tragedy happen in my life?’ we need to be careful how we respond. We might recall a verse like Lamentations 3:33 which tells us that God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men—we can be sure that God is not capricious or flippant with regards to human suffering. But we also should not go so far as to explain why this tragedy happened to them. There is an element of mystery. God has not revealed all the answers to us on this. That is not the same as saying that there is no answer but we are simply admitting that the God who knows all things has not revealed it.
3. Feeding faith and crushing doubt
I want to finish by giving three ways in which we can encourage the crushing of doubt and the building of faith.
a. A Listening Community
Poor Job! His friends were so unhelpful. They gave him lousy advice and they did not listen to him. He replies to his friend Zophar saying, “If you want to offer comfort, then listen to me” (Job 21:2 CEV). Job’s words could be echoed by many doubters. We need to listen well if we are going to help doubters work through their struggles.
We are not simply to listen to the questions that are been presented to us, we are also to listen to the nature of the person as well. ‘Is this person anxious by temperament, so that every question raised about faith grows out of proportion?’ ‘Has this person experienced some traumatic events in life that make it hard for them to trust God?’ ‘Does this person want an excuse to walk away from the challenges that the Christian life is presenting them with?’
We should not underestimate the value of simply giving a listening ear. Neither should we think that we need to have all the answers before we can help those struggling with doubts. It may be that simply being able to express the anxieties caused by doubts, and perhaps to know that they are not on their own in their struggles, is enough to bring relief to the doubter.
The challenge to listen well ought to be taken up by the whole church fellowship. Churches need to become honest places where people no longer pretend that they are above such things as doubts. The fellowship needs to encourage an atmosphere where people are willing to be open with each other and where people can be convinced that people care.
b. An Inquiring Mind
While faith is not based on reason alone it nevertheless does not see reason as an enemy. The Christian should not be scared of investigating truth and should not discourage an inquiring mind. Nevertheless because of the imperfect nature of human knowledge, and sometimes the biases of those doing the inquiring, it should not surprise us that some people’s investigations will lead them to conclusions that they say argue against the faith.
When presented with a difficult question the Christian should not panic. They should see that there is nothing new in the questions that they are facing. Other Christians have faced these very same questions before and not seen the need to abandon faith. If they are willing to spend some time reading and studying they may see how Christian scholars have responded and may come to grow in their confidence in the reasonableness of faith. This may help them later on later occasions as they ‘give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have’ (1 Peter 3:15).
This is not to suggest that our Christian lives are to be consumed with finding answers to questions that we might be thinking through. We need to learn to carry on living out our faith even when we don’t have all the answers. William Lane Craig gives the following advice:
Any thinking Christian will have a “question bag” filled with unresolved difficulties he must learn to live with. But from time to time, as you have the opportunity, it’s good to take the bag down from the shelf, select one of the questions, and go to work on answering it. Indeed, I can say that working hard on an unresolved question and pursuing it until you finally find an answer that satisfies you intellectually is one of the most exhilarating experiences of the Christian life. To resolves a doubt that has troubled you for some time brings a wonderful sense of intellectual peace and inspires confidence that there are solutions to the remaining difficulties in your question bag.
c. A Dependant Heart
Perhaps all of us, at times, identify with the father who comes to Jesus about his son and ends up exclaiming, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24b). Here is a man who can confess that he does have some faith but also acknowledges his spiritual weakness and appeals to Jesus to create in him a heart that believes more firmly. The Christian knows that belief is not simply an intellectual matter but is ultimately a gift from God. At times we can meet people who could many answers to questions that are raised about the faith but are nevertheless plagued with doubts. The best advice for such a person may simply be to cultivate their spiritual walk.
Faith makes most sense when it is being put into action. Faith is a relationship with the living God that is strengthened as we talk with him in prayer. It is a walk in which we experience been led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:18). Not only do we understand God better as we study his word but this is a message which is at work within those who believe (1 Thess. 2:14). The Christian also needs the support of a church. The local church is a gift given by God to believers; it is a community in which God’s dwell in a special way (Eph. 2:19-22); it is be a fellowship in which we build one another up and encourage one another. If a Christian is stagnant in their walk, lazy about their devotions and neglectful of meeting with others then their faith will always be vulnerable to doubts!
Monday, 28 September 2009
Doubt: ‘Is your faith reasonable?’
In a letter to the Irish Times, which went under the heading ‘Science and religion’, a Mr. Michael McGuire from Donegal wrote: ‘Science is based on reason, logic, intellect and proof. Religion is not. There is nothing wrong with this. Religion is not based on proof.’ Similarly the Collins English Dictionary defines faith as ‘strong or unshakable belief in something, especially without proof.’ On the other hand in her book entitled ‘Unnatural enemies—An Introduction to Science and Christianity’ Dr. Kirsten Birkett says, ‘The Bible never encourages people to take “a blind leap in the dark”. On the contrary, it encourages people to use their minds, to think, to find out the truth. The Bible goes into great detail to give sufficient evidence for the claims it makes.’
I suspect that many Christians’ understanding of ‘faith’ is closer to the explanation given by Michael McGuire than that expressed by Kirsten Birkett. As a result they have an unexamined faith that may be susceptible to doubt. They may be vulnerable when difficult questions are asked by sceptical people. They may struggle to give reasons for why they believe Christianity to be true.
In the New Testament the Greek word translated ‘faith’ can also be translated ‘trust’ or ‘believe’. It does not imply something that is done in the absence of evidence. Indeed the early Christians did not encourage detaching belief from reason but rather sought to show people the reasonableness of belief. So Luke begins his Gospel telling Theophilus that he had carefully investigated everything from the beginning and written an orderly account so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught (Luke 1:3-4) and the noble Bereans examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:12). Of course we don’t ignore the essential witness of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to faith and keeping them in the faith (1 John 5:6-10).
To suggest that Christianity is reasonable is not to say that we will have answers to every question that is raised. Sometimes we will struggle to give answers through our own deficiencies. It is not that answers don’t exist it is just that we are not informed of them. It is important not to depend too much upon ourselves in this situation. We should realise that the sceptic’s questions are rarely new and that thoughtful Christians who may be more informed that us have dealt with them with confidence. If the person asking the question is a genuine seeker or a troubled believer we should seek to get the help of a person or book that may be able to provide some answers. It is wise for the pastor to build up a library that includes books dealing with the common questions people face.
Some questions don’t have easy answers because God left the issue in the realm of mystery. The Bible is not embarrassed about the fact that we don’t know everything. For the moment we see but a poor reflection (1 Cor. 13:12, see also Deut. 29:29). Sometimes we have to say ‘only God knows’ but that is not the same as declaring ‘it makes no sense.’ Regarding mysteries Os Guinness writes:
… rationality is the alternative to absurdity, but it has no quarrel with mystery. Mystery is beyond human reason, but is not against reason. It is a mystery only to man and not to God. Where God has spoken and spoken clearly, rationality comes into its own; where God has not spoken, or for his own reasons not spoken clearly, there is the area of mystery. An area of mystery is rational to God, but faith must suspend judgement and not press human reason to answer questions when it has insufficient information.’
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Doubt: ‘Will you listen?’
Job replies to the unhelpful advice of his friend Zophar by saying, ‘If you want to offer comfort, then listen to me’ (Job 21:2 CEV). These words could well be echoed by many doubters. If we want to offer doubting people help we must begin by listening to them. Indeed a listening ear may the primary answer to their doubts. As Os Guinness points out, sometimes ‘it is not so much specific answers to specific doubts that bring relief but rather that doubts can be discussed at all.’
Listening to someone struggling with doubt is neither passive nor silent. We should certainly not talk over them or dominate the conversation but we should ask probing questions. The reason for this lies in the fact that the roots of doubt may be deeper than first realised. The doubter themselves may not fully understand their own doubt and need help from someone who can see things more objectively.
As we listen and ask questions we might discover that a person’s doubts are straightforward—they may have seen a one-sided television program that cast doubt on a claim of Christianity not realising that there is nothing new in the antagonist’s claim and that Christian scholars have given answers to the issue raised. We may find that another person’s doubts are merely a smokescreen—the person has attended church often but are hesitant to commit their life to Jesus so they hide behind their many questions. Still others may reveal complex roots to their doubts—deep wounds or struggles with mental health may result in difficulties with trusting that God exists and that he cares.
Monday, 21 September 2009
Doubt: ‘Is there more than meets the eye?’
Peter Hicks points out that surveys of those who have ‘lost their faith’ indicate that most people actually give up their intellectual beliefs after they have decided, for other reasons, that they no longer wish to live Christian lives. This does not necessarily mean that their changed intellectual beliefs are not heart-felt. The Bible sees a connection between right behaviour and right belief (e.g. 2 Tim. 2:25). However, it does mean that the doubts that we are being presented with are not necessarily the core problem.
The ‘other reasons’ prompting a person to abandon belief vary greatly. A young woman may ask ‘how can we be sure that the Bible is true?’ but behind her scepticism there is the unhappiness of living in an overly-strict Christian home. A young man may tell us that he believes Science and Christianity are incompatible but after further discussion he reveals that he is sleeping with his girlfriend. An elderly man may claim that he does not believe that God exists anymore but behind his doubts there is anger that God did not answer his prayers and heal his terminally ill wife. A businesswoman may feel her faith no longer makes sense but actually her real trouble is that he is over-worked and stressed.
We should not assume that behind every presentation of doubt lies a deeper issue but neither should we be naïve about the possibility. We should pray that if there is an underlying problem behind the presentation of doubt it would be revealed to us in conversation with them, for if we do not know of the core issues it is improbable that we will make progress with the presentation issues. More progress may be made listening to the young woman’s pain at living with legalistic parents than a discussion on manuscript evidence. That young man is unlikely to be convinced through any credible book on the relationship between Science and Christianity while he is choosing to ignore a Christian moral principle. Demonstrating God’s love through caring Christian community will be more helpful to the elderly man than an intellectual discussion addressing his doubts that God exists. The overworked businessman may find his doubts ease when he gets a better balance between work and leisure.
The ‘other reasons’ prompting a person to abandon belief vary greatly. A young woman may ask ‘how can we be sure that the Bible is true?’ but behind her scepticism there is the unhappiness of living in an overly-strict Christian home. A young man may tell us that he believes Science and Christianity are incompatible but after further discussion he reveals that he is sleeping with his girlfriend. An elderly man may claim that he does not believe that God exists anymore but behind his doubts there is anger that God did not answer his prayers and heal his terminally ill wife. A businesswoman may feel her faith no longer makes sense but actually her real trouble is that he is over-worked and stressed.
We should not assume that behind every presentation of doubt lies a deeper issue but neither should we be naïve about the possibility. We should pray that if there is an underlying problem behind the presentation of doubt it would be revealed to us in conversation with them, for if we do not know of the core issues it is improbable that we will make progress with the presentation issues. More progress may be made listening to the young woman’s pain at living with legalistic parents than a discussion on manuscript evidence. That young man is unlikely to be convinced through any credible book on the relationship between Science and Christianity while he is choosing to ignore a Christian moral principle. Demonstrating God’s love through caring Christian community will be more helpful to the elderly man than an intellectual discussion addressing his doubts that God exists. The overworked businessman may find his doubts ease when he gets a better balance between work and leisure.
Friday, 18 September 2009
Encountering the doubter: ‘Is doubt a sin?’
The reason I ask this question is that the Bible seems to take differing attitudes towards the doubter. For example the risen Jesus rebukes Thomas saying ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27). James is similarly critical of those who doubt writing when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6). However, Jude counsels be merciful to those who doubt (Jude 22).
My belief is that the differing attitudes towards doubt are due to the different nature of the doubter. Before we conclude that a person’s doubt is sin we should look at the heart that is being exposed in the doubt. Thomas is not an example of a person with a genuine intellectual struggle he is someone who has was presented with ample testimony but stubbornly refused to believe. Likewise the Bible is consistent in calling for faith in prayer (e.g. Mark 11:23-25) because we are to have a child-like trust that the God of the universe can respond to our requests. However, there is no sense of rebuke with the genuine struggler who exclaims ‘I believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24). Jude seems to be thinking of people who are genuinely confused by the activity of false-teachers and the fact that some have left the church under their influence. Of the Jude text Michael Green writes:
Thinking through this topic a friend suggested that there seems to be culpable doubt and non-culpable doubt. Tidball exclaims that contrary to popular thinking, doubting is not necessarily wrong. When we encounter the doubter we need to take time and listen, seeking to understand what attitude of heart lies behind the doubt. Only then will we be in a position to think through an appropriate response. Even where stubbornness is at the root of the doubts we should seek to lovingly engage with the person, as well as challenging them towards repentance.
My belief is that the differing attitudes towards doubt are due to the different nature of the doubter. Before we conclude that a person’s doubt is sin we should look at the heart that is being exposed in the doubt. Thomas is not an example of a person with a genuine intellectual struggle he is someone who has was presented with ample testimony but stubbornly refused to believe. Likewise the Bible is consistent in calling for faith in prayer (e.g. Mark 11:23-25) because we are to have a child-like trust that the God of the universe can respond to our requests. However, there is no sense of rebuke with the genuine struggler who exclaims ‘I believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24). Jude seems to be thinking of people who are genuinely confused by the activity of false-teachers and the fact that some have left the church under their influence. Of the Jude text Michael Green writes:
When men begin are beginning to waver, that is the time for a well-taught Christian to come alongside them and help. A man who is flirting with false teaching is not to be ‘sent to Coventry’ by his Christian friends; they must have him in for coffee and chat it over with him in love. And they must know the faith so well that they can convince him while he is still hesitating. A loving approach, a sense of the right occasion and a carefully-thought-out Christian position—these are the qualities required …
Thinking through this topic a friend suggested that there seems to be culpable doubt and non-culpable doubt. Tidball exclaims that contrary to popular thinking, doubting is not necessarily wrong. When we encounter the doubter we need to take time and listen, seeking to understand what attitude of heart lies behind the doubt. Only then will we be in a position to think through an appropriate response. Even where stubbornness is at the root of the doubts we should seek to lovingly engage with the person, as well as challenging them towards repentance.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Doubt and plausibility
A teenager, from a non-believing home, goes to a Christian camp organised by the church an aunt of his goes to. He is immediately drawn to the friendly ‘cool’ leaders who talk openly about their belief in God. All week he has to attend the meetings. No one ever articulates doubt and Christianity is presented as been the only sensible view on the world. Eventually on the last night, when he is feeling sentimental at the camp’s end and tired for lack of sleep, in the scripted reverence of the camp-fire setting and guitar-lead songs, along with the crowd, he asks Jesus into his heart.
When the teenager arrives home things are different. His parents respond cautiously to his declaration of faith, fearing that he has been caught up in religious fanaticism. His school-mates, who weren’t at the camp, slag him and claim that he has been ‘brain-washed’. Even his teachers seem to be sceptical about Christianity. He does not attend a church and the habit of a quiet-time disappears amongst the business of life. Almost inevitably the boy’s interest in Christianity wanes and within a few months he is embarrassed about that prayed he prayed by the camp-fire.
Sociologists talk about ‘plausibility structures’. Derek Tidball says that plausibility structures “are networks of relationships inhabited by ‘significant others’ who help to give and maintain a person in the belief that his interpretation of the world is plausible.” In the Christian camp it was easy to believe Christianity was true, that’s what all the leaders believed; yet at home, amongst sceptical people, it didn’t seem quiet so real!
1. We are surrounded by competing plausibility structures
Society seeks to undermine our faith by saying things like, ‘you only believe in Christianity because you were brought up in a believing home, went to a Christian camp, have Christian friends or are influenced by a Christian church.’ They also may add, ‘if you were brought up in a Muslim home you would have probably become a Muslim or if you had been brought up in a Hindu home you would probably have ended up embracing the Hindu faith’—as if that proves anything about the differing truth claims made by Christians, Muslims and Hindus!
We could reply by pointing out that the reason that they believe that no religion can have a claim to absolute truth is because they have been influenced by a western post-modern pluralist society. They believe such things because of a plausibility structure—i.e. they believe these things because this is what many opinion formers of our society believe. In many other parts of the world you would be laughed at if you claimed that all religions lead to God or that no religion teaches the absolute truth!
2. We must examine the claims which lie behind the plausibility structures
When sociologists talk about plausibility structures they seek to do so without making judgement! They are not saying whether the worldviews espoused are true or not. Of course the truth, or otherwise, of what lie behind plausibility structures matter. People are either being deceived by error or being upheld in belief in the truth.
One opinion that is prevalent in our society is that faith has no relationship to evidence. Of course this is not actually true for Christianity. The gospel of Luke was largely written to deal with the accumulating doubts of Theophilus. Luke writes:
When the teenager arrives home things are different. His parents respond cautiously to his declaration of faith, fearing that he has been caught up in religious fanaticism. His school-mates, who weren’t at the camp, slag him and claim that he has been ‘brain-washed’. Even his teachers seem to be sceptical about Christianity. He does not attend a church and the habit of a quiet-time disappears amongst the business of life. Almost inevitably the boy’s interest in Christianity wanes and within a few months he is embarrassed about that prayed he prayed by the camp-fire.
Sociologists talk about ‘plausibility structures’. Derek Tidball says that plausibility structures “are networks of relationships inhabited by ‘significant others’ who help to give and maintain a person in the belief that his interpretation of the world is plausible.” In the Christian camp it was easy to believe Christianity was true, that’s what all the leaders believed; yet at home, amongst sceptical people, it didn’t seem quiet so real!
1. We are surrounded by competing plausibility structures
Society seeks to undermine our faith by saying things like, ‘you only believe in Christianity because you were brought up in a believing home, went to a Christian camp, have Christian friends or are influenced by a Christian church.’ They also may add, ‘if you were brought up in a Muslim home you would have probably become a Muslim or if you had been brought up in a Hindu home you would probably have ended up embracing the Hindu faith’—as if that proves anything about the differing truth claims made by Christians, Muslims and Hindus!
We could reply by pointing out that the reason that they believe that no religion can have a claim to absolute truth is because they have been influenced by a western post-modern pluralist society. They believe such things because of a plausibility structure—i.e. they believe these things because this is what many opinion formers of our society believe. In many other parts of the world you would be laughed at if you claimed that all religions lead to God or that no religion teaches the absolute truth!
2. We must examine the claims which lie behind the plausibility structures
When sociologists talk about plausibility structures they seek to do so without making judgement! They are not saying whether the worldviews espoused are true or not. Of course the truth, or otherwise, of what lie behind plausibility structures matter. People are either being deceived by error or being upheld in belief in the truth.
One opinion that is prevalent in our society is that faith has no relationship to evidence. Of course this is not actually true for Christianity. The gospel of Luke was largely written to deal with the accumulating doubts of Theophilus. Luke writes:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know for certainty of the things that have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).
Luke wants Theophilus to have confidence of the truth of the gospel, not without reason, but because of his reliable and thorough testimony. We are to realise that we have reason to believe!
3. Those things that make our faith plausible are supernatural
Derek Tidball writes, ‘To say that faith needs a plausibility structure to sustain it is not to cast doubt on its truth, any more than saying that for a person to need food to sustain him casts doubt on whether he is God’s creation.’
We need certain things to keep our faith strong. One of these is relationship with a believing community. If our faith is to be sustained we need to be a part of a Christian fellowship. We need encouragement, and we ought to be listening to Christian teaching, studying the Bible and speaking to God regularly in prayer. We need these things, not to be brainwashed into propping up shaky beliefs, but in order to be kept strong in the truth. These are the food that nourishes faith!
So if you are struggling with doubt at the moment I need to ask you some questions. Are you benefiting from the encouragement of Christian fellowship? Are you being nourished by God’s word as you study it and are taught from it? Do you understand that faith is not just a shot in the dark but that we have reason to believe? Are you seeking to be holy (in the New Testament there is link between right behaviour and right belief)? Are you communicating with God regularly in prayer? Your doubt may be simply caused by the fact that you are tired and run down.
Finally, the items that form a truly Christian plausibility structure are supernatural—for we have the Holy Spirit within us, God’s word is a living word that works within us, and God meets with his people in a special way when we gather in his name.
Conclusion
Back to where we began—a teenager at a Christian camp.
That camp made the Christian faith seem a plausible reality to that teenage boy—while he was there. Yet some of the things encouraging him into the Christian faith were built on shaky ground. This, in part, explains why so many ‘conversions’ at camps seem to amount to nothing. If a youth’s decision is in part based on the fact that they are tired and emotional on the final night their faith may be spurious. If there are persuaded to become Christians on the basis that the leaders seem to be both ‘cool’ and Christian that is not much of a foundation. If doubts are not acknowledged and questions are discouraged we need to be careful we are not coercing people.
However, the presentation of the gospel, the honest testimony of believers and the love of Christian community do form part of a positive, and supernatural, contribution to the plausibility of the faith. Likewise the campers need to be followed up when they go home because faith needs to be nourished if it is to flourish.
Conclusion
Back to where we began—a teenager at a Christian camp.
That camp made the Christian faith seem a plausible reality to that teenage boy—while he was there. Yet some of the things encouraging him into the Christian faith were built on shaky ground. This, in part, explains why so many ‘conversions’ at camps seem to amount to nothing. If a youth’s decision is in part based on the fact that they are tired and emotional on the final night their faith may be spurious. If there are persuaded to become Christians on the basis that the leaders seem to be both ‘cool’ and Christian that is not much of a foundation. If doubts are not acknowledged and questions are discouraged we need to be careful we are not coercing people.
However, the presentation of the gospel, the honest testimony of believers and the love of Christian community do form part of a positive, and supernatural, contribution to the plausibility of the faith. Likewise the campers need to be followed up when they go home because faith needs to be nourished if it is to flourish.
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