Recently, I listened to an episode of the Unbelievable podcast hosted by Justin Brierley where he mediated a conversation between Christian apologist Sean McDowell and Jon Steingard, who was the lead singer/guitarist for a Christian rock band named Hawk Nelson and who had recently renounced his faith due to doubts that arose over the last decade. What I want to focus on is a byproduct of his Christian rock star lifestyle: Once he started touring with the band, he wasn’t committed to a church for years. It wasn’t very conducive to his spiritual growth and the addressing of his doubts, and he even admitted that he felt scared to talk publicly about his doubts because his livelihood depended on his status as a Christian musician. There’s a lot of teaching about how church community is important, but there may need to be more emphasis on this too: Community can serve as a place where doubts and questions are addressed and people’s faiths are ultimately strengthened.
Doubt in the Bible is a frequent topic, and it’s not typically portrayed as a good thing. Doubting comes from some sort of limitation, either of understanding or trust. However, Scripture also portrays doubting as a very real part of the human condition, which Jesus treats with gentleness and mercy. For example, he has mercy on people like the father of a demon-possessed boy who famously said, “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). Even believers will struggle with doubt because we’re sinful human beings with limited knowledge and fickle trust in the Lord. Jesus thankfully engages people who doubt with grace and mercy.
Jesus’ brother Jude in his letter commands Christians to follow suit. After commanding Christians to keep themselves in the love of God by building on their faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and waiting anxiously for Christ (Jude 20-21), he commands his audience to also have mercy on some people who are doubting (22). He gives an additional command to save others by snatching them from the fire (23), and while grammatically the sentences are independent, it’s plausible that he’s talking about the same group of people. In other words, having mercy on those who are doubting results in saving them from judgment.
Doubt can be intellectual but also very personal. It is eminently understandable that when tragedy occurs, Christians begin to doubt that God providentially cares for his people. While not every question will have a clear answer, church needs to be a place where doubts are allowed to be expressed. If churches aren’t places and resources for doubt, then people will turn elsewhere to look for answers, which will not point them back to Christ. A faith that is perfectly trustful in the Lord may be ideal, but the reality is that most Christians will struggle with doubt in their lives, and some will have very serious crises of faith. It is within church community that those things should be expressed and dealt with. It can be messy, but ministering to doubting people with patience, prayer, and understanding is the merciful thing to do and follows the example of our Lord. –Isak Lee
One Light Church 