Friday, February 06, 2015

Blind faith

An upsetting observation I've made in Christianity today has to do with the concept of blind faith.  Specifically, I take issue with the value placed in blind faith--the idea that true faith must be blind.  This is touted both by fundamentalist Christians and by members of the new-atheism movement.

The opposite seems more likely.  Faith that results from curiosity and questions and dissatisfaction has been tested and proven.  It has dimension and reason and conflict.  Faith borne of struggle has been places and is dynamic.  Faith with a history is compelling--it has a narrative and a song that it sings.  In many cases, it has almost died.

Is trust more profound if it proceeds from a refusal to engage or approach?  That's never the case.

Does it mean that we don't believe God, or that we're suspicious?  It can.  But maybe it means that we honestly just don't understand all that God is, and that through questions and doubt, we can wrap a little bit of our brains around her/his attributes.

I don't want the church to be satisfied with letting others do our thinking for us.  The pastors I know welcome questions.  They love conversations about tough doctrine.  Pastors are probably ok if you don't take their word for it.  Because they study the Bible, they probably want you to as well.

The FaithFacts article is superb, and I like what they have to say:
God has not told us everything there is to know, but He has told us enough with which to navigate existence.
I'll leave off with an interesting metaphor from Stand to Reason:
The good news about faith is that God honors even the smallest amount. When I fly around the country, I see both seasoned travelers and first-time fliers. The businessmen are relaxed, almost bored, at the thought of flying 500 mph at nearly 40,000 feet above the earth. The grandma on her first flight, however, grips her armrest like her life depends on it. Although the seasoned traveler has more trust (faith) in the airplane, both passengers safely arrive at the destination and at the same time. Their outcome is the same, regardless of how large or little their faith in flying.

Got Questions?         |         Summit         |         FaithFacts         |         Stand to Reason

No comments:

Post a Comment