by Ian Mckerracher

Some say “Rational Christianity” is an oxymoron. To others, it’s just moronic. But to the person with a biblical worldview, Christianity is unquestionably a time-tested framework of ideas that provide a solid foundation for rational living. When building a skyscraper, specific building materials like glass, steel, and concrete are necessary. In the construction of a Christian worldview, basic materials include honesty, courage, and biblically-based rationalistic skepticism.

The first two items on this list are no-brainers. The world would be a much better place if everyone acted and spoke with honesty and courage. We need the honesty of ethics and the courage of morality. (To mark the distinction, here’s a quote from TV character Dr. Donald Mallard (NCIS), “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? Rationalism? Or even rational skepticism? Isn’t that also called “doubt,” and for Christians is doubt not a great evil? To answer these questions, we should employ honesty and courage. If we doubt some aspect of our faith we should have the honesty and courage to say so. But we should also trust in the basic principle that if Christianity is true, we will find good answers to our most skeptical questions.

Before I go further, please be assured that the nuts and bolts of my Faith are well-represented by good evidence. I completely believe what might be called Christianity 101. 

• God exists in a metaphysical place. (metaphysics: what is beyond the physical)

• Jesus is God’s only begotten Son.

• He lived, taught, died, and was resurrected in a historical setting.

• God the Holy Spirit is real, and by His work I was compelled to accept redemption through Christ. 

• I am privileged to communicate with God on a spiritual level by God, the Holy Spirit.

• The Church is the vehicle through which God is changing the world. 

All this, and more, is supported by real-world evidence, but this blog isn’t about evidence.  You can find it for yourself, readily enough, if you care to apply the honesty and courage to look. Some aspects of the Christian faith may not be proven beyond all possibility of doubt, but the accumulation of evidence leads me to see that the fundamentals of my worldview are reasonable conclusions, even best findings, given what I have seen, heard, and studied.

There are two kinds of doubt, one ok, the other not ok: (1) doubt that acknowledges some things lack evidence to prove them either true or false, and (2) doubt about things we refuse to believe regardless of the evidence. The first is a skepticism that can significantly benefit the authentic faith of a rational Christian, pushing the doubter to uncover additional evidence in pursuit of the Truth. The second is a heart-attitude of willful unbelief, a faith-killing doubt that is roundly dismissed in scripture. This kind of doubt is incompatible with an honest quest for truth, and Christians are rightly skeptical of people with untested a priori commitments.

Recently, Neil Thomas published a book called Taking Leave of Darwin, demonstrating what I mean. He was a long-time agnostic and a supporter of Darwinian evolution. To his chagrin, he finally realized that his position on these ideas was an a priori commitment. This realization forced him to shift his thinking from the second type of skepticism to the first type. It propelled him to look again at the evidence for Christian faith with courage and honesty, and it changed his point of view, as it should.

So, what AM I skeptical about regarding Christianity as practiced today? You may be 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.

In modern times, prophecy has come to mean predicting future events. Biblically, it means just the telling of something revealed to you by the Holy Spirit in the formal setting of a church fellowship—forth-telling instead of foretelling. Any future orientation is usually presented in an if/then sense. I am prepared to accept that this kind of prophecy may be something I need to hear. But my skepticism kicks in hard when I am told I should listen to a “prophet” (i.e. someone who holds the “office” of a prophet) who is saying something on the internet. Quite frankly, the internet makes validation impossible (1 Corinthians 14:29), and that means I cannot take it personally, or seriously. Teaching over the net is fair game because it is either rooted in Scripture, or it is not, but either way it can be tested. 

“God told me…” statements are similar to prophetic messages but usually shared in a personal context. Some continually say things in conversations like, “God told me to buy this car.” Or, “God told me to leave my wife.” In fact, God has given us instructions in His word and He gives us wisdom to apply to our decisions. Don’t get me wrong, if we are faced with big decisions or moral dilemmas, it is a great privilege as a Christian to be able to ask God to help us think. We can trust in the leading of His Spirit, but we are also to use our God-given minds as we apply biblical principles to daily life. 

Moreover, we need to rest in the thought that no prompting of the Holy Spirit will ever contradict a straightforward reading of Scripture. Whenever someone tells me what God told them, I hold back criticism until I know enough to test their words by Scripture. I never merely dismiss a “God told me” testimony. But I am skeptical.

I am also prepared to believe. My wife once awakened me in the middle of the night to tell me that God had told her to get up, take $50, and go to a particular corner in Edmonton. Then wait. I was skeptical, but we did as we were told and were soon talking to a young teenage prostitute at that very location. My wife invited her into the car, (“Sorry. I don’t do women,” she responded.) But with loving words my wife encouraged her to have a conversation. It turned out that the teen was a runaway from a father and mother who are pastors. She was ready to repent and was only trying to raise $50 for the ticket home. My wife  and I can both attest that God can speak to us when He needs something done! Many Christians can tell of similar circumstances.

Moreover, we need to rest in the thought that no prompting of the Holy Spirit will ever contradict a straightforward reading of Scripture. Whenever someone tells me what God told them, I hold back criticism until I know enough to test their words by Scripture. I never merely dismiss a “God told me” testimony. But I am skeptical.

I am also prepared to believe. My wife once awakened me in the middle of the night to tell me that God had told her to get up, take $50, and go to a particular corner in Edmonton. Then wait. I was skeptical, but we did as we were told and were soon talking to a young teenage prostitute at that very location. My wife invited her into the car, (“Sorry. I don’t do women,” she responded.) But with loving words my wife encouraged her to have a conversation. It turned out that the teen was a runaway from a father and mother who are pastors. She was ready to repent and was only trying to raise $50 for the ticket home. My wife  and I can both attest that God can speak to us when He needs something done! Many Christians can tell of similar circumstances.

One more area of skepticism and I am done (but by no means finished). Have you ever heard someone say that they are spiritual but not religious? A statement like that leaves both words unsatisfactorily defined. So when I hear someone say something like that I always ask what they mean. “Spiritual” once meant a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ, a strictly Christian idea. Unfortunately, it has come to mean something much more subjective. It has come to mean something that looks and sounds like an emotional response. That’s too bad, because Christians need to be led by the Spirit of God as He illuminates the Word of God—not by their feelings. Feelings are very real, but the skeptic in me warns that I should not let my feelings guide me through life.

In the end, I am a rational Christian and believe very strongly that God is a rational Being. I believe He is okay with my rational, but faithful, skepticism. He doesn’t see it as the anti-faith doubt we are warned about.  His plan for my life includes loving Him with my mind as well as my emotions. I am thankful that He allows 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.

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