"And I hate to say it but the way it seems
Is that no one is fine
Take the time to peel a few layers
And you will find
True sadness"
– The Avett Brothers, "True Sadness" (2016).
"From victory, I tried
To match eternal light with how I live my life
Of course, I was forced to retreat
From victory, I accept defeat."
– The Avett Brothers, "Victory" (2020).
"There ain't nobody here
Who can cause me pain or raise my fear
'Cause I got only love to share
If you're looking for a truth, I'm proof you'll find it there"
– The Avett Brothers, "Ain't No Man" (2016).
"Sometimes I don't see love in anything
And just when I surrender to my shadow
I snap out of it, and step into the light"
– The Avett Brothers, "Back into the Light," (2020).
Many people—perhaps everyone—sometimes has their doubts about the existence of the supernatural. However, many also sense there is something to the concepts of justice, love, compassion, and morality—that these are not just made-up conventions that people pretend matter.
Many people admire people like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Teresa, Lincoln, and Harriet Tubman for their selflessness, love, and courage. Many people align their lives with a moral tradition: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, etc.
Many people feel they should not follow one of these moral examples or try to adhere to one of these religions because they are not sure they believe 100% in the tenets of the religion or ideology. “I still have my doubts. I am not sure about all it claims.”
Alasdair MacIntyre says that there is no agreed-upon common assumptions for analyzing which is right. “There seems to be no rational way of securing moral agreement in our culture.” After Virtue, 6. “There are just too many alternative ways to begin.” Three Rival Versions, 75.
So, Alasdair MacIntyre recommends trying one of the moral systems. Pick the one that seems best to you and try practicing it. Evaluate it and other systems by its principles. (Three Rival Versions, 61, 5).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer makes a similar point in “Discipleship” (1937). “’I can believe no longer.’ … You complain that you cannot believe? … You believe—so take the first step! … You do not believe—take the same step … only the believers obey, and only the obedient believe.”
So my advice to the adherent with doubts is to practice their religion. Does that religion really demand an absence of doubts?
And to the nonaffiliated who is stuck by their doubts, try adhering to a religion and see if the practice makes the pieces come together better.
And⬇️
And if one finds themselves wounded by the practice of a religion, that it is failing based on its own principles, then that is significant and one should move on to something else. If Jesus or Muhammad or Joseph Smith or Money, sour in your eyes as self-contradictory, move on.
Tim Keller quotes J. Gresham Machen—that seeking “obedience to the commands of Christ” is “works-righteousness” and “legalism.” That is outdated Pauline scholarship since E.P. Sanders’s book in 1978. No, faith is allegiance and obedience to Jesus, not absence of effort.
John Barclay says in Galatians "Paul is not attacking a life-hermeneutic that looks to works to secure the favor of God, he is not countering an erroneous soteriology dependent on the good works of the devout. Thus his foil in this letter is not works-righteousness." P&TG, 326.
"throughout this book, we have been suspicious of the modern (Western) ideal of the 'pure' gift … Paul emphasizes the incongruity of grace and the expectation that those who are 'under grace' … will be reoriented in the 'obedience of faith.'" John Barclay, Paul & the Gift, 412.
Matthew Bates argues that faith is best understood as allegiance, which involves obedience. Consistent with this, "The Bible consistently teaches that we will be judged by works" (Gospel Allegiance, 113).
If someone prioritizes loving God and others—saying those are "more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices," they are on the right track, "not far from the kingdom of God,” says Jesus (Mark 12:33-34). They are to be encouraged, not denounced.
If someone is passionate about justice, I think to myself that they "are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:33-34). (The kingdom is Jesus' way).
I don't think "Whoa, this is someone who thinks they are righteous. They need to realize they are SINFUL!"
I am just critiquing that one small paragraph of Keller's essay which emphasizes faith as belief ("I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast" Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass) over against faith as trying to obey Jesus. I think that is wrong-headed.
I generally agree with Tim Keller's long rambling reflection on the American church's plight. I can't help but like people who think historically and practically and creatively about big important contemporary problems.
The problem with faith as believing hard-to-believe ideas is that long-time followers of Jesus find themselves paralyzed by doubt and people interested in Jesus think that they must believe before they obey. People who are trying to follow Jesus for many years will have moments where they ask whether they believe in the resurrection and will be embarrassed and afraid of their doubts but they still admire and love Jesus and realize their sinfulness. They are still dedicated to following Jesus. They have faith in terms of allegiance. Their spiritual or religious life need not come to a halt in crisis. They can continue to try to follow Jesus. They have the faith of a mustard seed. And in a similar way, the seeker, the person interested in Christianity, need not wait until they believe more confidently before they begin following Jesus. If they admire Jesus, they can begin to demonstrate allegiance to his way—to him. They should not be dissuaded from trying out his way because they don’t believe the whole theological scheme yet.
