What We Mean By Faith

To have faith means to know, without a doubt, that the Bible is the Word of God, that Christ is the Son of God, that you are a child of God, and that all things come about by the will of God.  To the extent that you doubt these things, you lack faith.

Or

Faith is something you have in the midst of uncertainty.  If God were visible to us, we would have no need for faith.  But because God values faith, he does not give us certainty.  God wants us to choose faith, not doubt.  All of us doubt sometimes, but God will give us the strength to overcome our doubts.

Or

To have faith means to trust implicitly in God's provision, in the knowledge that he rules the universe absolutely, that he knows each of us intimately, and that he loves us more than we can know.  God will do what we ask of him, if it is in accordance with his will.  We must have confidence that he will answer our prayers, lest through unbelief we lose the good gifts he desires to give us.

Or

Through faith we accept the essential teachings of Christianity - the narrative that grounds and directs our action.  The danger is in overemphasizing these doctrines and making faith the goal, rather than the inspiration to do good works.  Faith without works is dead.

Or

Faith is the precondition of God's miraculous intervention in our lives.  We are told that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains; the fact that we do not see God powerfully and visibly at work in our lives is evidence that we are a generation and a people that lacks faith.

Or

Faith is the word that ignorant and deluded people give to the beliefs they cling to in spite of all evidence to the contrary.  Faith is irrational and dangerous.  Anything that must be accepted on faith should not be accepted at all.

Or

Faith is a choice.  It's not about what seems likely to us - although it's important for us to be honest about the world as we see it.  When we are faithful to the teachings of Christ and the practices of Christianity and the hope of redemption in the midst of our doubts, we demonstrate great faith.  The opposite of faith is not doubt but unfaithfulness.

Faith and Doubt

I Believe

My worldview has been formed largely by the Christian faith.

I believe that the universe was created by a personal, benevolent God who has a plan for his creation and the power to accomplish it.

My values and ethics are strongly influenced by the teaching and example of Jesus, especially his sacrificial love as demonstrated in by his death.

I believe that Christ rose from the dead, and that this was a pivotal event in the history of the universe, which in some way both demonstrated and advanced the sovereignty of God over his creation.

I believe that the kingdom of God is advancing, and that I, along with all people, have a role to play in bringing it about.

I look forward to the second coming of Christ, at which all injustices will be set right and there will be an end to pain, discord and death.

I believe that God is personally active in my own life and in the lives of others, prompting, guiding and convicting us in times of struggle and uncertainty.

I participate intentionally in the life of the church - attending weekly services and Bible studies, taking communion, praying before meals, and engaging in discussions about Christian faith and life.

I believe that the forgiveness of God is offered to me for all of my sins, and that I must also offer that forgiveness to others.  I deeply believe in the vital, transformative power of grace to heal both the forgiven and the forgiver.

I believe that death is not the end.

I Do Not Believe

My worldview has also been shaped by deep and enduring doubts.

When I look at the world around me, so marked by suffering and death, I find it very difficult to believe that the universe was created by a personal, benevolent God who has a plan for his creation and the power to accomplish it.

I struggle with many of the teachings of Jesus - to understand them; or if I understand them, to trust them; or if I trust them, to live them.

While I am not troubled by the miraculous nature of the resurrection, I have difficulty squaring the implications of this miracle with subsequent world and church history.

I see at least as much evidence in the world around me of the kingdom of God retreating as of its advancing.

I've found no good reason for believing that the God who made the world as it is has the power to remake it without suffering or death.

I don't have a sense that God is personally prompting, guiding or convicting me, beyond what is attributable to my own reason and conscience, and I doubt whether the interior lives of most Christians are qualitatively different from those of non-Christians.

I do not participate in many aspects of the life of the faith.  I do not read the Bible or pray regularly, and I often cannot relate to the perspectives of other Christians.

Although I hope fervently for the redemption and reconciliation of all things, I see much evil and hurt that I cannot imagine ever being set right.

I dare not dwell on my hope in the resurrection, because the more I consider it, the more implausible it seems.


I have chosen to believe.  Help thou mine unbelief.