Do you ever question your Christian faith? Do struggle with doubts? Are there certain issues or aspects of Christianity that you don’t quite understand?
Abraham Piper recently posted about an issue that has been giving him some trouble lately:
It seems far-fetched that God invented a system in which a reasonable/rational/sane person can deny “ultimate reality.”
A great deal of discussion has followed this post as over 100 comments have been posted to date. Abraham drew attention to one comment in particular today via Twitter, however:
Apparently, one 22 Words reader (“john”) wasn’t impressed that “son of one of the greatest preachers of our day” has doubts and struggles.
An unfortunate comment, no?
It seems that, in some Christian circles, there is pressure to be completely free of doubt, question, or confusion. At times, we even put this pressure on ourselves, causing these same doubts and questions to become an internal source of guilt and shame.
Why am I doubting this aspect of my faith? No one else struggles with these questions. Christians shouldn’t have these doubts. Am I really a Christian?
Don’t Be a Closet Doubter
It takes a great deal of humility to acknowledge your doubts, to pose your questions, to openly struggle with your faith. I appreciate Abraham Piper’s willingness to so in the public forum of his blog. One commenter stated:
I commend Abraham for being bold enough to air his questions. He is not concerned with looking like he has it all together, but rather being honest. I’ll take that any day.
Doubts, struggles, and questions are only dangerous if we ignore them, suppress them, or pretend they are not there. Ultimately, doubt can serve to drive us to prayer, the study of God’s word, and wise and godly counsel. Most importantly, doubt drives us humbly to the foot of the cross.
What doubts or questions do you struggle with? In your opinion, is it acceptable and healthy for Christians to struggle with doubt and questions about their faith?
