Faith vs. Faith

"I have faith. I just need proof to back it up." — Joe, "Simon Birch"

At the close of his book, "He Is There And He Is Not Silent," Francis Schaeffer offers thoughts on the word faith. He talks about two kinds of faith — a blind leap, and a studied, conscious choice. That presents an interesting thought for believers, especially as it comes to the area of evangelism.

One of the most heart-breaking things I saw in recent years was the one woman play "Letting Go of God," given by Julia Sweeney. Sweeney is a talented and gifted comedian, and it was easy to be pulled into this live performance, which was essentially a narrative of her life and her journey of faith.

I was also moved by her breadth of knowledge and desire to understand. She freely quoted Scriptures, talked about her upbringing, and transitioned to her personal search. It was during that portion that I felt the most sad. She talked about reading, but not fully understanding. She talked about approaching religious leaders at church with questions and being rebuked. She talked about trying to reconcile facts and beliefs and being told that was wrong. All of this, inevitably, led to her giving up her faith.

My first thought was sadness at what I heard. My second thought was that we all need to see the piece, hear the questions, and consider how we would respond to someone who asked those questions. My third thought was that the second thought is not something you get a lot of from the modern church, which made me sadder.

This was something Schaeffer lamented as well. His brief essay on faith makes that clear. Too often the church calls upon people to take a blind leap, and when they take that blind leap they stay in the dark. That, he contends, is not what Christianity is all about. And I agree.

We can't be afraid to ask questions. We can't be afraid to have doubts or not understand things. That is a natural response, that is how learning and growing happens. How many of us, as students, blindly accept all that is taught in school? How many of us blindly accept what we're told by politicians and celebrities? Probably too many, but most of us question, search for answers, and seek out the truth. That same process applies to the informed Christian life. That's why God gave us the Scriptures.

We can't be afraid to ask the tough questions, and if we really hope to win hearts and minds for the Kingdom of God, we have to find answers for those questions that we can share with others. That's why Christianity is, in so many ways, a lifelong journey.