As it approaches the end of the year, I was reviewing some of the books I’ve read this year and topics I’ve blogged about. Here is a post I wrote in May 2012 entitled: The amusing spectacle of seeking absolute proof for Christian faith – in which I discuss the aspect of historical vs scientific proof standards. Some critics are guilty of applying scientific standards to biblical history – yet they don’t apply the same standard to other history. But there are valid concerns…
Recently I saw this video by Greg Boyd on similar issues. He talks in a casual and down-to-earth way and answers a question he received. The question was from a history student with this concern: He understands the need to place our faith in Jesus, but we have to trust the disciple’s writings about Jesus to do that. As a student of history, he realizes we have to depend on testimony for almost anything about history – But it is one thing to trust testimony about historical facts not so relevant to life, and another thing when eternal life is in the balance! How can he overcome his nagging doubts?
Hope you’ll appreciate Greg Boyd’s reply:
“It shouldn’t surprise us we can’t have certainty about the Gospels, because we can’t have certainty about anything….The question is not can you be certain, the question is do you have reason enough to act. That’s the nature of faith.”
From the video: “Faith is a willingness to act in the face of uncertainty.” I’m really hoping I get to use that line some day.
From your linked post: the title alone is worth the price of admission. Seeking historical certainty about Christianity but nothing else is rather amusing. Again, I hope to work that into a conversation some day! I also really like the pic of the apple in one hand and the orange in the other; we use the phrase as metaphor often, but seeing the literal representation drives it home even more strongly.
Doubt and faith is one of my favorite topics, Laura. I even taught a series on it to the youth group a decade and a half back. What a great God we have who allows us to think these things through.
Tim
Hi Tim! Thanks for your comments. Yes, that sentence is another good statement Boyd made. I soon plan to blog through a worthwhile book on faith and doubt. Looking forward to it. It is a book I read last year, but I’ve been wanting to go back through it to process and interact with it more.
LLM, I too found this a helpful post and video. I din’t know anything about Greg Boyd before this, I don’t think I’ve ever come across him, but I found much of what he says parallels the way I think about things – so it’s no wonder i appreciated him! :L ) Thanks.
From what I know about you unkleE, I think you’d appreciate many things about Greg Boyd! He’s the senior Pastor of a big church here in the USA and has authored a number of books. The first I knew of him was this book: The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church. I highly recommend it, but it might be a bit more with an American audience in mind – where we have real issues will Evangelicals obsessed with political power. Might not be such an issue in Australia?
Boyd has a series of sermons on faith and doubt. I have not listened to them all, but the ones I have I was impressed with. Here is a post where I share a few thoughts from one of the faith and doubt sermons: Do you have the faith to doubt?
Yes, not an issue in Australia, we have an atheist Prime Minister and no-one cares all that much. But I am aware of the issue in the US and agree with it being a big problem for the church.