≡ Menu

Is Doubt a Virtue? — Pt. 1

Several weeks ago at our small group, we were discussing the Deity of Christ and the Trinity. Heavyweight subjects, I know. One guy in the group became agitated and finally blurted, “I don’t get it, dude. This is confusing. How can Jesus be God and still pray to Himself in the Garden? Man, it doesn’t make sense.” It was a great opportunity to discuss faith and doubt, and the basis of why we believe what we believe.

And, more importantly, we didn’t run this guy outta town for having questions.

Doubts, questions, and uncertainty are an important part of faith. How can belief ever be genuine if it is never challenged or tested? And how can subjects as big as God and the Nature of All Things ever be definitively understood by us worms? However, as of late, it appears doubt is becoming rather… trendy.

I was recently scanning some upcoming book releases and took interest in a book entitled Oh Me of Little Faith, by Jason Boyett, a Zondervan 2010 release. At the author’s blog, he sampled this intro:

I am a Christian. I have been a Christian for most of my life. But there are times–a growing number of times, to be honest–when I’m not entirely sure I believe in God.

There. I said it.

So now you know, and we can both relax and talk about it. Confessing the presence of spiritual uncertainty in my life is a relief. I can breathe easier now because I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to hide my conflicted feelings when we talk about Jesus and the Bible. I don’t have to feel like a jerk if you, or anyone else, look to me as some kind of spiritual expert or teacher. I don’t have to tiptoe around the word most of us hesitate to use in church or around Christian friends because it freaks us out so much.

Doubt.

Now that it’s out in the open, I can strip off my happy Christian mask, climb down from whatever pedestal I’ve hoisted myself upon, and be who I really am: a committed follower of Jesus who occasionally finds himself wondering if maybe, just maybe, we’ve made this whole thing up… (emphasis mine)

From what I’ve read of him, Jason Boyett seems like a great guy. And the book looks like a fun read. Nevertheless, I can’t help but see it as part of this growing canon of literature taking aim at evangelicalism; more specifically, a trend to doubt religious certainty. Yes, agnosticism is making a comeback. Only this time, it’s in the Church.

It’s important to note what, I think, is the driving force behind this movement. On the surface, it would appear to be a new honesty. In other words, Christians need to get out from under this weight of having all “the answers” and admit they’re as conflicted, insecure, and uncertain about many issues of faith. Now, when this is truly the motivation (as it probably is for Boyett), it can be a great thing. Which of us doesn’t need more intellectual honesty, emotional congruence, and humility? My hunch, however, is that a deeper, more subtle, motivation (agenda?) fuels this trend.  It is anti-absolutism and a rejection of religious certainty. In other words, we can’t be certain about much of anything, much less a God who is infinite and a holy manuscript that is thousands of years old and has suffering gazillions of iterations.

So why don’t we just stop pretending?

By questioning advocates of the New Honesty, some will accuse me of being part of the problem. In other words, by questioning our need to ask questions, I am perpetuating the type of pretense, arrogance, and hypocrisy that grips so many evangelicals. But this assertion carries its own set of problems. For instance, are the only questions we CANNOT tolerate the ones that question other people’s doubts? In other words, I must give you the freedom to express your doubts, but suppress my doubts about your questions. You see, if suppressing doubt is unhealthy, then suppressing my questions about your questioning is equally unhealthy.

Whew!

The big problem here (and there’s more than just one), is that the Bible makes many claims of absolutism and religious certainty. We are challenged to believe and told that we can do so with a relative degree of confidence. Which creates a problem for advocates of the New Honesty.

Continued…

{ 2 comments… add one }
  • Nicole November 25, 2009, 2:50 AM

    I would agree there is a lot of "trendy" going on in pseudo-Christianity. Faith is the key. Of course it's difficult to "accept" all of the certainties. If it were easy, it wouldn't require faith. I think some individuals in growing numbers just like rolling things around in their minds and flirting with secular humanism. Doubts are real, sometimes necessary, but faith is the deal God requires.

  • MIchael Ehret November 25, 2009, 8:41 PM

    I doubt their doubts are really doubts. I doubt that makes me a bad person.

    In my experience, only people who don't really believe are bothered by their doubts. It is FAITH, after all. I have doubts, but I also have faith. I CHOOSE to allow my faith to override my doubts. That's how it works.

Leave a Reply

Next post:

Previous post: