Doubt is becoming a franchise for some Christians. Books like O Me of Little Faith, Know Doubt, The Myth of Certainty, and Faith at the Edge: A Book for Doubters all capitalize on postmodern believers’ perpetual “crises of faith.”
As if uncertainty is the only thing one can be certain of.
Joining that movement is Frank Schaeffer, son of the iconic Christian theologian / philosopher / apologist Francis Schaeffer. Apparently Frank has been “victimized” by those narrow-minded, intolerant Fundies. Speaking at the recent Wild Goose Festival, a sort of Woodstock for Religious Leftists, Schaeffer celebrated his agnosticism with others of like (open) mind.
In The Wild Goose Revival for Doubters and Jesus Victims (Like Me), Schaeffer describes the wonderfully “tolerant” vibe at the festival:
We understood each other, understood why it was a big deal that some of us were gay, open and happy in spite of everything, understood why some of us still wanted to follow Jesus, even though the world we came from — far right, hate-and-fear-driven wacko religion — had done its best to turn Jesus into Attila the Hun and/or Michele Bachmann.
Hate and fear? Wacko religion? Jesus the Hun? Can’t you just feel the love pouring out of the Goose? Schaeffer concludes with this prediction and an appeal:
Wild Goose Festival is going to grow into the largest, best run, most dynamic religious happening in the U.S. There are lots of smart spiritually hungry people with their eyes open…
Next year, be there. And if you’re an atheist, agnostic, whatever, you’ll like it too because you’ll be amongst those rare sort of religious people who will admit that we’re all in the same boat and that certainty is a killer and humility is all that works, if, that is, you want to live and let live instead of using ideas as weapons.
I’m particularly struck by Schaeffer’s conviction that “certainty is a killer.” I mean, that’s a dangerous idea. If he is too certain about his position —
“I am certain that certainty kills!”
— wouldn’t that make him what he despises — an absolutist? And if he doubts it, why in the world should I believe him?
So do all “Jesus victims” think like this?
It makes me wonder whether or not the folks at Doubt, Inc. have thought this through. Maybe it is not so much doubt they espouse, but doubt in traditional organized religion. Maybe it is not so much certainty they eschew, but certainty in specific beliefs. Maybe it is not so much intolerance they renounce, but intolerance of their ecumenism.
Don’t be mistaken. Schaeffer is not asking you to believe nothing. He wants you to believe something like this:
1.) It is not possible to express religious certainty without alienating someone.
2.) Traditional orthodox Christianity demands and requires a degree of religious certainty
3.) Therefore, one cannot embrace traditional orthodox Christianity without a.) expressing religious certainty and b.) alienating someone
Which is why Doubt, Inc. frowns upon the “far right, hate-and-fear-driven wacko religion” of… mainstream America.
Hey, I’m all for embracing atheists and agnostics, civil debate, and diversity culture. Problem is, the minute you say, “The Bible is God’s Word” or “There is one God” or “Jesus is the only way to God” or “Jesus is God” — you know, the stuff associated with the “far right, hate-and-fear-driven wacko religion” of mainstream America — you will potentially offend and alienate someone.
The moment you are certain about any religious convictions, someone, somewhere, will get miffed.
Unless, of course, you are only certain that “certainty kills.” In which case, may I introduce you to Doubt, Inc.
Illustration yet again of how seriously judgmental the anti-judgmental among us. The one thing they hold an absolutist view toward is that anyone who does not doubt as much as they do must certainly be a bigot or worse. Pretty said considering the life long work Franky’s mother and father carried out engaging the disaffected of their day in a loving and honest way.
Tim, what’s happened with Frank Schaeffer really breaks my heart. Not saying he’s not a Christian or anything like that. But he has drifted so far from his “roots” and, I fear, will do much long-term damage with this ecumenical mumbo-jumbo.
ARGHHHH This stuff drive me nuts. I’m not saying he’s not a Christian, either, but he is saying it. He says, basically, that agnostics will feel welcome because they will be among other agnostics. “And if you’re an atheist, agnostic, whatever, you’ll like it too because you’ll be amongst those rare sort of religious people who will admit that we’re all in the same boat…. ” He’s in the uncertainty boat along with the atheists and agnostics, apparently.
It is very sad. Jesus victim, indeed. He’s some kind of emergent shock jock. He seems to enjoy using offensive phrases and trying to get a rise out of people.
By his own confession, the Son of Schaeffer is proclaiming his Absolute Uncertainty. Before a huge crowd, no less. I have no problem with questioning pre-packaged evangelical dogma, but his statements are a far cry from ‘confessing Jesus before men’. Sounds like the exact opposite, in fact.
I hope he comes to himself and returns home.
I find it interesting that the one’s who supposedly despise pride, judgment and absolutes are so proud of their “openness”, judge those who actually have strong convictions and beliefs, and are absolutely sure that living life without answers….is well….the answer.
Wow, you said it! Thank you for saying what I feel.
I’ve learned long ago that people that make these kinds of comments aren’t looking to discuss things because their capacity to reason has shut down. I don’t mean it in the pejorative sense, but in the sense that they’ve already made up their minds.
I’d pass.
John 18:34-38 might have gone like this, if Schaeffer is right:?
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that what you’d like to think,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a literalist?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you think you may have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom doesn’t have to be of this world unless you would like for it to be. If it were, my servants would possibly fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders or they might have a party. But now my kingdom may be from another place whichever place makes you most comfortable.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “Okay, so you say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to your truth. Everyone on the side of your truth listens to whoever they want.”
“Truth? We both know there is no absolute truth with a great deal of certainty.” retorted Pilate.
Jesus said. “Absolutely.”
But I think it really went like this:
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
And, then Pilate took truth and nailed to a tree. With certainty!
You know, back in the former Soviet Union a person had to be deeply committed to hold definite religious convictions in the face of hostile, government-enforced atheism. Nowadays in America, a believer has to have an equal measure of resolve in the face of militant animosity labeled “Tolerance” that holds any unambiguous worldview in contempt.
Same spirit – different packaging.
It is a crying shame about Frank Schaeffer. I don’t know his whole story, but I do know Jesus, and He’s no bigoted hypocrite.
He’s the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Very insightful. The enemy can wrap up the same “gift” in a different paper and a new bow, but it’s the same inside.
Just had a long, long discussion with one of the Permanently Baffled at church the other day. She was completely convinced that she would never be certain of anything, and that it was arrogant to think otherwise.
I said, “Are you sure about that?”
Needless to say, she was. It was both sad and amusing. She had embraced a contradiction in order to become a paradox: a certain doubter!
Tortured semantics are fundamental tools required to escape from the authority of the Word.
Pretzel logic in exchange for the Bread of Life, and all that.
There is an answer to the question to “What parent would give his son stones when he asks for bread?” The Father of Lies.
It is tragic to watch Frank break his teeth on stones. He’s been doing it for decades.
Years ago, his Sham Pearls Before Real Swine was helpful in understanding a certain viewpoint on the Christian duty of the artist that, back then, was otherwise overlooked. His theology was shaky and mockery too strong, but virtually no one else was addressing the issue in 1990, and Frank at least did that, even if the most illuminating parts were hamhanded retreads of things that his father had written in other contexts.
I don’t recommend the book, but at least Frank Schaeffer provides the Christian artist a living guideline on how failure is not to be handled!
You should’ve asked Permanent if she’s sure her cognitive faculties are functioning correctly.
I noticed something, when I went to a liberal univeristy: when the “tolerant” folks didn’t like something I said, they were offended; when I didn’t like say something they said, I was intolerant.
Semantics, really.
Jesus Himself said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me”, which is an absolute statement. So it’s either true or false.
If true, it’s something we can believe with certainty.
If false, Jesus was a madman at best, in calling Himself God and dying a martyr—and all His disciples were also insane for dying in the faith, as were all those many people named in Acts who saw Jesus resurrected.
Per II Peter 1:10, we’re “to make [our] calling and election sure”. We may sometimes echo the epileptic boy’s father and cry “Lord, I believe—help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24), but we can certainly believe God will help us.
And He does.
I would laugh if this weren’t so sad. Offense separates, and yet Jesus was not afraid of offending the religious of His day. My focus cannot be on fear of offense, but must be on being His child and doing what the King designed me to do, loving others along the way and asking them if they want to come too.
Good stuff today. May I play around with Dylan’s words (Bob, not Thomas)? “There is no certainly like uncertainty and uncertainty is no certainty at all.” How pathetic they’ve become.
Frank Schaeffer is now an apostate. Sad, really, but they’ve always been around, and the Bible makes it plain we’re going to see more of them as things wrap up here.
I think it’s telling they now have an antimatter Woodstock, a “rainbow gathering” of hate and intolerance. Any day now I expect these agents of love and and acceptance to start pinning yellow crosses on us, and loading us into boxcars.
“Kristallnacht,” anyone?
Godwin’s Law.
Amen, preach it, brotha!
I saw Franky Schaeffer speak at a pro-life rally in my hometown.
I was 12, so that’s 29 years ago.
I will NEVER forget the vile, venemous things he had to say. It made quite an impact on me because it seemed less Christ-like than rabblerousing. He was at that time espousing farther-than-far-right ideology. He showed much anger and no compassion.
It was so jarring to all of us in my little group. Conservative Republicans and Conservative Mennonites. And we all sat openmouthed at the Scottish Rite Auditorium, blanching at the hate coming from Franky V (as he then called himself…a hipster version of Francis Schaeffer the fifth)
I am incredulous now as I watch him in the clothing of these different sheep. Why he has chosen this new pool I am not quite certain. I only surmise that he floats from set to set like a bee, going where he can find the most adulating pollen.
I will never question another’s faith. But I will freely admit that the actions of some alternately befuddle and amuse me.