Room for Doubt

"Without somehow destroying me in the process, how could God reveal himself in a way that would leave no room for doubt? If there were no room for doubt, there would be no room for me." — Frederick Buechner

Doubt is something that is underappreciated in today's society. Doubt is not welcome on Wall Street, in classrooms (on either side of the evolution debate) and even in the pulpit. In a world where security is supposedly constantly threatened, few want leaders, political or religious, to express doubt.

Buechner does not believe, and I do not believe, that this fear of doubt is in the nature of Christianity. In fact, this room for doubt is one of the most appealing aspects of the faith for some. Saying that doubt is OK allows believers to be human. Space for fear and uncertainty is created by the examples of the first followers of Christ, not only his disciples but also others he met in his ministry. The man who cried, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) illustrates the give-and-take of belief and doubt with which many Christians are intimately familiar.

Of course, there is a flipside to the question of doubt. A friend of mine attended a secular summer program in high school, and their motto became "Question Everything." Sponsored by but separate from the public school system, this program was supposed to encourage the state's brightest thinkers to take a step outside the box and to challenge presuppositions; and in this, it succeeded. However, I wonder if "Question Everything" is really applicable in the church. Certainly members should never be discouraged from asking questions, but what I have come to learn over the years both as a believer and as a student of religion is that theology and faith involve a different method of formulating questions than other fields. I wonder if part of this is because the implication of "Question Everything" is that these questions expect answers, but Christians must learn that questions often lead only to more questions, that the wondering and the wandering must be lived into and is not always brought to a neat conclusion. There seems to be a creative tension throughout Scripture and Christian experience between doubt and belief.

Peter doubted and was given the keys to the kingdom of heaven; but it is clear that when he nearly drowned walking to Jesus on the water, it was because he doubted. When Thomas puts his hands into the risen Christ's wounds, Jesus said, "Do not doubt, but believe" (John 20:27). Jesus would prefer for us not to doubt, to believe wholeheartedly, genuinely and without question, but it is also important to note that Jesus rescues Peter from the waves and from his doubt; Jesus does not chide Thomas but willingly gives him the tangible evidence he needs. Christ has the power to help our unbelief, to reveal himself to us, if not always as obviously as to Thomas.

However, throughout Scripture we see that even revelation does not preclude doubt. Many saw Jesus and the prophets before him and heard them speak, but did not believe. Perhaps this is what Buechner meant: doubt is intrinsic to the disconnected state of humanity, and for God to devise a revelation that would leave no room for doubt would be to destroy what it means to be human. As long as we understand ourselves as God's imperfect but well-loved creation, there will always be room for doubt.