Skeptics Are Invited To The Party
By: Ian McKerracher
The term “Rational Christianity” can be seen by some as an oxymoron. To others, it may be just moronic. But to the person with a biblical worldview, there is no question that Christianity is a time-tested framework of ideas which provide a solid foundation for rational living. Just as in the creation of a skyscraper, there needs to be a few specific building materials like glass, steel, and concrete which are found throughout, in the Lego pieces of the construction of a Christian Worldview, those kinds of elements must include honesty, courage, and skepticism.
The first two items on my list in the above paragraph are no-brainers. The world would be so much better if all of us pursued those ideals. We all certainly need the honesty of ethics and the courage of morality. (To make the difference between these two I will give you a quote from an actor on TV, the character of Ducky or Dr. Mallard of NCIS who said, “The ethical man knows it is wrong to cheat on his wife, whereas the moral man actually wouldn't.”) So far, so good…but the third item? Skepticism? Isn’t that also called “doubt” and isn’t it considered a grand evil to Christians? Is it not the acid to our faith? To answer these questions, we should apply the two no-brainers. A dictionary can tell us that “skeptical” means “not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.” So, if we are not convinced about something, we should be able, to be honest about it. We should be able to courageously state that we are unconvinced, without derision.
“Christianity is a time-tested framework of ideas which provide a solid foundation for rational living.”
I want you to know that, though I may consider myself a skeptic, there are ideas, being well-represented in the evidence, which are firmly built-in solidly into the nuts-and-bolts of my Faith worldview. The ideas that I acknowledge are the curriculum of Christianity 101. God really exists in a metaphysical place. Jesus is God’s only begotten Son and lived, died, and resurrected in a historical setting. In the course of my life, I was confronted by the Spirit of God and was compelled to accept His redemption through Christ. Now, we communicate together on a spiritual level. Lastly, the Church is the vehicle through which God is going to change the world, using us to accomplish that task until He is done, either with us or with the world. This list is certainly not exhaustive, and we all can add to the list of Christian notions that follow the evidence. That evidence supporting Christianity is rather overwhelming, in my opinion but this blog isn’t about the evidence. If you care to apply the honesty and the courage to look, you can find it readily. It may not be proven beyond all doubt, but the accumulation of the evidence leads me to see that these parts of my worldview are reasonable conclusions, even the best conclusions, given what I have seen, heard, and studied.
There are other ideas in this world about which I have some doubts. There are things, both inside and outside the Church with which I have a difficult time accepting on their face value. Personally, I believe that there are two kinds of doubt; the one where we acknowledge that there is not enough evidence to decide what is true and the other where we refuse to believe regardless of the evidence. The first one is skeptical and can be a great benefit to the real faith of a rational Christian, pushing them into research to uncover additional evidence in pursuit of the Truth. The second is the faith-killing type that is roundly dismissed in scripture and held like an odious item at a safe distance from a discerning Christian. It is more of a heart-attitude of willful unbelief than a quest for truth. These would include people who claim that there is no metaphysical reality regardless of the evidence. I am skeptical of people with untested a priori commitments, whatever they are.
Recently, a fellow named Neil Thomas published a book called Taking Leave of Darwin. He was a long-time agnostic and a supporter of Darwinian evolution. Ultimately, to his chagrin, he realized that his position on these ideas was of this second variety of doubt. He came to a conclusion about the topical information which forced his doubt from the doubtful second type to the skeptical first type, propelling him to look again at the evidence and apply the other two, courage and honesty. It changed his point of view, as it is supposed to.
So, what AM I skeptical about when it comes to Christianity as it presently is practiced in my world? There are going to be some who are put off by some of the items on my list but, if I am going to be a rational Christian, I need to look at these things honestly and courageously. Some of them I will hold, in my skepticism, at a safe distance until I can get more information. These would be things like “prophesy” or “God told me…” types of statements. I have to be careful here. You see, I have exercised the biblical practice of giving a prophecy. I have also heard God speak to me. These can be normal Christian things when we see them as defined by the Bible.
Prophecy has come to mean the description of some future event. Biblically, it means just the telling of something revealed to you by the Holy Spirit in a formal setting of a church meeting; forth-telling instead of foretelling. It may or may not have an element in it of future events, especially in an if/then sense. The practice of this spiritual exercise that I am skeptical about is when I am told that there is a “prophet”, ie. one who holds the office of a prophet, saying something on the internet and that I should listen. The internet is much too impersonal to validate something like a prophecy, a practice that we are encouraged to do (1 Corinthians 14:29) Teaching over the internet is fair game but things like pastoring or prophesying, the socially reciprocating ministries, are beyond my comfort. I wonder if this will change in the post-Covid church. We must wait and see about that.
The “God told me…” statements are of a similar pattern to prophecy statements, shared in more of a personal context. There are those who continually say in conversations, “God told me this.” or “God told me that.” “God told me to buy this car.” or, “God told me to leave my wife.” I don’t believe that God is big on being involved in the minutiae of our lives. He has given us instructions and expects us to apply them to our decisions. He certainly will “perfect that which concerns me” (Psalm 138:8) if called upon to get involved but there is so much more to it than that. Asking God, “Should I go grocery shopping now or later?” is a little beyond the pale. Don’t get me wrong…if we are faced with big decisions or moral dilemmas, it is a great idea to appeal to the thoughts of God to help us. We can trust in the leading of His Spirit as we continue to live in the substantial atmosphere of the presence of a living God. We also are to use our God-given brain to apply His principles. Also, we need to know that whatever God says, will not be countermanded by a clear rendition of scriptural concerns. It is just that when I listen to someone tell me what God told them, since that is their experience with God and not mine, I hold their words in abeyance. I am skeptical. I will wait and see how that turns out. Since my experience does include specific times when I have heard God speak to me, I cannot dismiss it out of hand. It could very well be.
My wife tells the story of being awakened in the night with God talking to her. He was saying that she should get up, go to the bank machine and take out $50. Then go to a particular corner in Edmonton and wait there for someone. She did as she was told and found a young teen lady-of-the-night at the location she was directed to. She invited her into the car, (“Sorry. I don’t do women.” The young lady responded.) With some caring words, my wife encouraged her to have a conversation. It turned out that the teen was a run-away from a pastor father and mother and was just considering a life of repentance. She was looking to get $50 for the ticket home and had few options and, in her confusion, she was doing what she knew. God certainly can speak to us when He has something He needs doing! Many Christians can tell of similar circumstances.
“If we are not convinced about something, we should be able to be honest about it.”
One more type of statement about which I am skeptical and I am done (but by no means finished). Have you ever heard someone say that they are spiritual but not religious? It seems to me that a statement like that leaves the definitions of both these words in tatters. The one making the statement does not understand either one. I have to be skeptical of those who use these terms until I have asked them what they mean. “Spiritual” once meant being under the power of the Holy Spirit, a strictly Christian term. There are characteristics that are the evidence of such power that we can look for. Unfortunately, it has come to mean something much more subjective. It has come to mean something that looks and sounds a lot like feelings or like an emotional response. That’s too bad because Christians really need to be led by the Spirit of God and not by their feelings. Feelings are very much something to be skeptical about.
“Religion” also means something now that it didn’t mean in the past. It used to mean “a particular system of faith and worship.” (from the Internet Dictionary). Now, in many Christian’s minds, there is added to that definition, the phrase, “that we do in order to become saved”. They put under that list things like Bible reading or church-going or praying. The list of the Dos and the Don’ts of religion in that sense, can become a stumbling block to many and I think that is why it is considered with some suspicion.
The people making the statement that they are not religious but are spiritual should be regarded with skepticism. Many times they are just trying to dodge their responsibilities to the collective of a local church somewhere. Other times the people who say this are members of a local church who want to distance themselves from the idea of religion covered in the paragraph before. They do not understand that their church may be as religious as those they dismiss. There may be three songs during worship but not two or four. There may be the appeal for the offering at this time but not that. They may end every service with a song or a prayer or an altar call but that is how they end their service. All these are religious in nature. Sorry but “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…” (1 Cor 14:33)
“I am a Rational Christian and believe very strongly that God is a rational Being.”
So, in the end, I am a rational Christian and believe very strongly that God is a rational being. I believe that He is okay with my rational skepticism about the things that I am uncomfortable about. His plan for my life includes all of this and more. I am thankful that He allows for my Christianity, with all its skepticism, to remain intact through the process. It is one of those things about which there is no need for skepticism.