My generation talks a lot about doubt.
It’s not surprising. This so-called Christian “culture of doubt” has emerged at a time when it’s becoming clear just how much young adults crave a faith that’s not just handed down from their parents, but authentic and aligned with their lived experience.
Instead of fiery evangelists, we are embracing Christian figures who are telling us they don’t have all the answers.
We’re seeing a proliferation of writing, podcasts and videos with Christians giving honest confessions of uncertainty and choosing to push the boundaries of what Christians can politely discuss.
We’ve become interested in analysing white evangelical hypocrisy or wrestling with sexism in the church, hearing theology from a former porn star or questioning how transgenderism fits in the Bible. Writers like Rachel Held Evans and podcasts like Bad Christian are igniting imaginations not despite their unconventional stance, but because of it.
But is this trend healthy? Critics say that this “glorification of doubt” is a postmodern hipster Christianity, a way of dissecting and downgrading the authority of God and the Bible.
As one person tweeted:
In the Bible, doubt is always rebuked. In the post-evangelical culture, it is given a publishing platform.
So, is doubt okay in our Christian lives? Is doubt always something to rebuke? And is doubt culture, as a wider phenomenon, a healthy thing or not?
Doubt: the two extremes
As CS Lewis would say, we tend to fall into two opposite and equal errors when it comes to doubt.
Many of us will have grown up in conservative circles where being part of a faith tradition was an “all in” proposition. Struggling with one part meant you doubted all of it. If you questioned too much, then it would be assumed you weren’t trusting God with child-like faith.
But this approach has had destructive effects. We’ve seen Christians willing themselves to squash their doubts down and “just have more faith”, and many have fallen away because of it. When important and legitimate questions are not taken seriously or even understood, it drives a wedge between faith and the rest of your life. Doubts end up festering into unbelief.
The opposite approach is also slippery. Some progressive Christians embrace ambiguity so much that they become uncomfortable with any absolutes at all. What Jesus really said and did is watered down, turning black white truths into grey areas. Eventually, it can slide into meaning not much at all.
One helpful distinction is the difference between doubting God and doubting things about God.
For some critics, they’re the same thing, but I don’t think so.
One is about doubting God’s identity and can lead very quickly to unbelief, while the other is about doubting aspects of God’s character or his people while still believing he’s God. Doubts grown out of church culture, or questioning how to apply the Bible, is not the same as doubting God is a sovereign being.
Rachel Held Evans argued that these are categories of “good doubt” and “bad doubt”. Sure, there is overlap between both categories of doubt, but the two aren’t just interchangeable. Doubt can be, in fact, a thing that builds instead of tearing down. As one writer commented:
A bold Christian affirmation is that because faith in Christ is true and fears no question or challenge, doubt can be a stepping stone to a tougher, deeper faith.
Obviously, doubt is a precarious place to be. Falling into sin like cynicism or disobedience is easy when you doubt. But coming to God with our questions – exploring our questions with all our mind – can make doubt an opportunity, not a death knell for our faith.
As Rachel Held Evans once said,
Doubt is the fire that enlivens faith. Doubt taught me to hold my faith and beliefs in an open hand.
Addressing our doubts, processing and thinking about why we doubt makes our faith stronger. It can be an important chance to wrestle and grow intimacy with God.
Making friends with doubt
Whether you agree with me about doubt culture or not, though, there’s more at stake. Doubt culture is important because it indicates the state of the church – and what could happen in the future.
Reports show that more and more young people are falling away from the church. But they’re not all rejecting their faith outright. Instead, trends indicate many of them are simply unable to find churches that understand their reality and accept their questions.
As one expert wrote:
As I have listened to, accompanied and researched the spiritual lives of young people, it is my growing contention that many of our young people who dissociate from church are… exhibiting what I call an ‘exilic’ form of faith.
It is the faith borne of disorientation in a world that has become rather more complex than a simple, inherited or socialised faith could handle.
It is a faith that can still believe in a God who is borne of mystery, who can handle our laments and remain present to our wandering soul, in contrast to a church that may appear to be borne of politics, unable to tolerate our questions and too caught up in attractional forms of ministry to be present wherever they are.
We’re likely to see many more “doubters” out there. Often, what they’re seeking is somewhere to process their doubts. Somewhere that they can be authentic and feel like they’re not alone.
These are young people just like me.
Will we tell them to “just have more faith”? Or will the popularity of doubt culture be the wake-up call we need?
