reading

Endorsements

“Religious doubt exists at epidemic levels today, and it is usually not primarily factual or intellectual in nature. As a result, we need books on this topic like this one by Bobby Conway. Many of us require a ‘Doubt GPS’ to lead us stealthily through the twists, turns, and even the drop-offs. And just as doubt comes from many different angles, so it was wonderful to see the multitude of insights, suggestions, and even remedies that are found in this text, all at different levels, as well. On top of everything else, this volume is well-written—a quick read. If you know Bobby, you’re probably not surprised. I suggest that you take a look and see the suggestions for yourself, a loved one, or a friend who may be going through a painful process.”—Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair, philosophy department, Liberty University and Theological Seminary

“Bobby Conway has written an immensely practical, well-informed, and much-needed book on doubt. It deserves a wide readership, as it addresses a significant—though often neglected—concern in many Christian circles.”—Paul Copan, professor of philosophy and ethics and the Pledger Family Chair, Palm Beach Atlantic University

“If you’re agonizing from the deleterious effects of doubting your faith, let me offer up a remedy. Read Bobby Conway’s Doubting Toward Faith.”—William Lane Craig, research professor of philosophy, Talbot School of Theology

“In an era in which Internet distortions travel halfway around the world before truth has had a chance to put its boots on, doubt is as common as rust and, left unresolved, equally corrosive. Bobby Conway exhorts us to be skeptical of our doubts and to relentlessly pursue God in the midst of them. Application of the principles in this timely book moves us past the specter of debilitating doubt to definitive devotedness to the mind of Christ.”—Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and author of numerous books, including AfterLife: What You Need to Know about Heaven, the Hereafter, and Near-Death Experiences

“Bobby Conway shows how God can use our spiritual questions to lead us to a more confident faith in Christ. Drawing on a wealth of biblical insight, expert opinion, and hard-earned experience, Conway will help you address your own doubts—while learning how to help friends work through theirs.”—Mark Mittelberg, bestselling author of Confident Faith and The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (With Answers)

“Bobby Conway has been responding to doubt and skepticism for years as the host of the One Minute Apologist. In Doubting Toward Faith, he has given us a valuable tool to help those who have been injured by doubt and those who seek to use their doubt to energize their own spiritual journey. Bobby defines the various forms of doubt, examines specific doubts particular to Christianity, and then provides a roadmap toward clarity, peace, and confidence. If you’re struggling with doubt, or know someone who is, this book is a godsend.”—J. Warner Wallace, cold-case detective and author of Cold-Case Christianity and God’s Crime Scene

“Bobby Conway shows you the causes of doubt, the solutions to doubt, the benefits of doubt, and why you should start doubting your doubts. This encouraging book will have you realizing that it takes too much faith to believe anything other than Christianity.”—Frank Turek, author of Stealing from God and coauthor of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

“Choosing our worldview is perhaps the most important decision an individual will ever make, since one’s destiny in life and eternity may be determined in the process. It is only normal, therefore, to second-guess or have doubts pertaining to the wisdom of our choice. For those of us who are often tortured with doubt, Bobby Conway brings hope and guidance!”—Michael Licona, PhD, associate professor of theology, Houston Baptist University

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover by Dual Identity, Inc, Whites Creek, Tennessee

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

DOUBTING TOWARD FAITH

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Conway, Bobby, 1973-

Doubting toward faith / Bobby Conway.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7369-6354-1 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-6355-8 (eBook)

1. Faith. I. Title.

BT771.3.C67 2015

234'.23—dc23

2015004704

All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s and publisher’s rights is strictly prohibited.

Dedication

To my dear friend and fellow elder, Matt Hatfield.

I can’t imagine life without your friendship.

You’ve stood by my side through a hundred trials and more.

And when doubts brought me despair,

you quietly and wisely helped carry me through.

I’ll forever be grateful.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to…

My beloved wife and children: Heather, Haley, and Dawson. Thank you for your support and encouragement through writing this book. You guys are the best.

My fellow elders and staff. Oh, how I love serving the Lord with you. I could never do all this alone. Together is definitely better.

Harvest House Publishers for your passion to publish a book designed to provide hope for hopeless doubters.

Jeff Kinley, Rod Morris, Bennett Harris, Gary Habermas, and Christian Research Institute for your editorial help and creative insights. You guys helped bring this all together. I so appreciate you.

Bill Jensen, my literary agent, for believing in this book. You’ve opened so many doors for me. For that, I’ll always be indebted.

Sean McDowell for championing Doubting Toward Faith by writing a gracious foreword.

William Lane Craig for your overwhelming influence on my life. Your books, podcasts, debates, and ministry have shaped the way I think about many subjects, including doubt. Your scholarship is so appreciated.

The Lord Jesus Christ for never leaving us or forsaking us—even through our darkest doubts, You’re always there.

CONTENTS

Endorsements

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Foreword by Sean McDowell

1. A Crisis of Doubt

2. A Splinter in the Mind

3. Jesus Can Handle Your Doubts

4. Doubt Triggers: Part 1

5. Doubt Triggers: Part 2

6. Four Facets of Doubt

7. The Root of Doubt

8. Navigating Doubt

9. Faith Defined

10. Toward Faith

Appendix—Two Extra Tips for Navigating Doubt

Notes

About the Author

About the Publisher

FOREWORD

By Sean McDowell

Doubting Toward Faith is a refreshing book. It made me laugh. It made me cry. And yet it also made me upset. Why? Because I wish this book had existed years ago when I went through my own period of substantial doubt. Even though I have been blessed with amazing friends and family during my entire journey of faith, this book would have been life-giving when I first began to seriously doubt my own beliefs. The insights Bobby shares would have saved me a lot of heartache and given me a helpful roadmap for navigating the world of doubt and faith.

My doubts first hit as a college student. Before this period in my life, my faith was simply something I took for granted. I have fond memories of attending Christian conferences, going on mission trips, and listening to my father as he taught the Bible. My parents raised me in the Christian faith. As a child growing up, I can never remember not believing in the Christian story of the world.

Yet as a college student, I felt the gravity of my beliefs for the first time. What if I were raised in a different family? Is Jesus really the only way to God? How do I know Christianity is true? Sometimes these doubts were so intense they felt paralyzing. I decided to share these doubts with my dad, who has (now) been an evangelist and apologist for over five decades.

His response completely took me by surprise. “I think it’s great that you want to find truth,” he said. “It’s wise not to simply accept things just because you were told them. You need to find out if Christianity is true. You know that your mom and I love you regardless of what you conclude. Seek after truth and take to heart the things your mom and I have taught you. Reject what you have learned growing up only if you believe it is not true.”

As I look back on this experience, now that I am a speaker and apologist myself, I have learned a few key things about doubt. First, doubts don’t have to be the end of faith. In fact, doubts can often be the impetus for the development of a deeper, more genuine faith. This has certainly been true in my life. But this doesn’t happen by accident. It is important to take the kinds of steps that you will find in Doubting Toward Faith.

Second, don’t doubt alone. As Bobby points out multiple times, be sure to share your doubts with others. When you are in the middle of doubting, it is critical to experience the love, grace, and guidance of the body of Christ. Doubting alone is a recipe for disaster. I thank God for the people who loved me and guided me through my season of doubt.

Third, use your doubts as a motivator for learning. Sometimes I envy those who have the faith of a child and never seem to doubt. I used to be hard on myself until I realized that my questions and doubts often drive me to understand. If I had a simple faith, then I wouldn’t be as motivated to study intelligent design, the historical Jesus, or tough ethical issues. I wouldn’t have the same hunger for knowledge. And yet I have learned to thank God for the people with simple faith, for they use their gift to encourage the body of Christ.

The reality of doubt has been ignored for too long in the church. With our age of unlimited information and endless truth-claims, people will inevitably experience doubt. Rather than seeing this as a bad thing, I pray the church will see this as an opportunity to help people go deeper in their faith.

And that is why I am thankful for Doubting Toward Faith. Bobby Conway honestly and insightfully probes the reality of doubt, but also provides hopeful and practical ways forward. I think you will enjoy the journey.

Sean McDowell, PhD, assistant professor

Biola University

Chapter 1

A CRISIS OF DOUBT

“For those with faith, no explanation is necessary. For those without, no explanation is possible.”

THOMAS AQUINAS

“It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt.”

FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY

This is a book about doubt. Beyond surpassing wonder about God or mere inquiry about Him and His truth, doubt digs much deeper. Doubt doesn’t just ask, “What is real?” It poses the challenge, “Is my faith real?” Is what I believe really valid? Or is it simply a modified myth, an uber-marketed religious fairy tale supported by millions of gullible minds throughout history?

Doubt trumps wondering, and it body-slams mere curiosity. In its worst form, it goes beyond simply searching for answers to questions, inevitably denying the legitimacy of the questions themselves.

For Christians, doubt can either serve us or sink us. It can drive us to seek truth or it can drown us in despair, hopelessness, and confusion. If ignored or left unchecked, it can bore into our brain, releasing a virus of unbelief, infecting and eventually destroying every healthy thought about God. It can take us to the place where nothing else matters. Where we find ourselves loathing even life itself.

If left unchecked, intellectual doubt metastasizes, seeping its way into our emotions and collecting a wide array of fears, worries, anxieties, anger, confusion, depression, and ultimately despair at the thought of being played or duped or envisioning a life without our once “cherished belief” in God.

A World in Transition

That’s why I wrote this book—to keep you from ever getting to that breaking point or to help you if you’re already there. I’m going to show you how to look your doubts squarely in the eyes and stare them down. Together, we’ll examine the sources, causes, and kinds of doubts. You may ask, “Do we really need a whole book on doubt? Is this really a huge issue in the church today?” In a word, yes, it really is. It’s a bigger issue than most Christians realize.

Capturing the zeitgeist of our changing times is quite the project. We live in a multitextured culture that is replete with innumerable beliefs, opinions, ideas, and life philosophies. Ours is a culture of doubt and longing, faith and questioning, searching and probing. And much of the doubt has been accelerated by fast-paced change. Our culture is living between the tension of what we once were and what we are now becoming. And for many, waiting in the blank space between the definition of what we were and the search to define what we are becoming feels for the moment confusing, and even a bit uncomfortable.

Echoing this angst, Os Guinness writes, “We live in an age of doubt, disillusion and disaffiliation, which naturally prizes what has been described as ‘the faith that you go to when you don’t know where to go.’ ”¹ Both our pluralistic and secularized culture has produced a fragilized-self as it pertains to doubt.² We’ve shifted from Christianity to Anyanity (pluralism) or Noanity (atheism).

Belief isn’t nearly as comfortable and cozy as it once seemed. There’s an irritant to it; like a pebble in a shoe, these competing beliefs have made the faith walk a little less comfortable. Today, record numbers of those who once professed faith in Christ are walking away from the church, even limping, in the name of doubt. I believe the church is more threatened by doubt today than at any time in her two thousand years of existence.

External Threats

Our faith faces threats from the outside. Many New Atheists have sought to supplant belief in transcendence altogether. Number one on the agenda is an attempt to jettison God once and for all. Age-old questions are being repackaged, setting off alarms in the hearts of many believers. Publications from these fundamentalist atheist writers work in unison, raining a downpour of doubt on believers and unbelievers alike. Books such as Richard Dawkins’s highly acclaimed The God Delusion, or Sam Harris’s The End of Faith, or Daniel Dennett’s Breaking the Spell, or the late Christopher Hitchens’s God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything have created for many an insurmountable mountain of doubt, causing some believers to secretly ask, “Could this universe be all there is?”

These New Atheists are determined to create unbelief in believers, even employing the use of billboards that read, “Millions of people are happy without God, are you?” To many atheists, perhaps God was a useful fiction to serve those on the evolutionary trajectory toward a more modern age of scientific enlightenment. But now that we are enlightened, the time has come, once and for all, to bury heaven’s so-called architect—God. We are the architects.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s famed “God is dead” mantra is still widely circulated, but so is this inescapable, inner-inkling whereby much of mankind still wonders if there is something or Someone beyond the universe—something even transcendent. Something like… God. So, the tables can be turned. Even the honest atheist has his moments where he asks himself, “Could I be wrong? Does… He exist?”

It turns out that neither belief nor unbelief comes easy in a world as eclectic as this place we call home. Nevertheless, many atheists, and especially the New Atheists, seek to bury their “what if” questions, holding fast to their predetermined commitment to materialism.

Now to be fair, atheists aren’t alone in their attempt to bury God. Others outside of atheism have joined the campaign to end Christian belief. Those like New York Times bestselling author Bart Ehrman have contributed to this onslaught of doubt through the release of books such as How Jesus Became God; Misquoting Jesus; and Jesus, Interrupted. Further, the Muslim Reza Aslan and his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth heighten this mountain of doubt among some believers. Adding to this confusion are bloggers who pollute the blogosphere with just enough information to be dangerous. Their empty rhetoric somehow manages to mislead ill-equipped Christians, casting them over the cliff and into the sea of doubt.

Joining this doubt parade is a high-speed moral devolution. Once held values have slipped down the slope into degradation. Here’s how this works. Ours was once a culture that rejected same-sex marriage. It then tolerated the idea. Then accepted it. Now it not only celebrates same-sex marriage, it rejects those who see marriage any other way. This creates great cultural confusion.

Some Christians privately wonder, “Is morality relative after all?” But as Flannery O’Connor would remind us, “Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” Cultures morally devolve as they slide down the moral slope in fivefold fashion from rejection, to tolerance, to acceptance, to celebration, and to rejecting the opposite of the very thing they once rejected. Many regard this as cultural progression rather than regression. This creates confusion and doubt.

This moral devolution is traveling at high speed. To prove my point above, state by state, same-sex marriage is being condoned and legalized. By the release date of this book, the Supreme Court will have met again to discuss the national legalization of same-sex marriage, and it’s quite possible the verdict as you read this book has already been declared—Same-sex marriage is now legal in all fifty states.

The culture is changing with such rapidity that some of my statements in this chapter are probably in need of a little freshening up. Books designed for school-age children with titles like Jacob’s New Dress or When Kayla Was Kyle or Heather Has Two Mommies have joined the fight to cast doubt on biblical truths, values, and morals.

The gender issue is in such a confused state that some are posing the question, “What’s your PGP?” (Your preferred gender pronoun.) Some even advocate caution when using the pronouns he and she because that may not be someone’s PGP. California became the first state to allow transgender kids K-12 to pick the bathroom of their preferred gender. In the same state, these students are also allowed to pick which sports teams to play on—the boys’ or the girls’.

Adding to the sweeping change, marijuana’s legalization is quickly gaining ground. Normalizing what was once forbidden is now old news. And if you don’t join the party quickly, you just might taste a little condemnation yourself. The speed at which the culture is changing morally is almost too fast for the church to even process. And as a result, some Christians sadly ask, “Is our God out of touch? Outdated? Does our faith work in today’s world?”

Some are ready to repackage God, claiming, “It’s time to renovate God or remove Him altogether.” Even some pastors and writers have sought to give God a facelift, making Him more hip, accessible, and viable for a new generation. New times require a new God. And by freshening Him up a bit, doubting Christians hope to quiet their doubts. Or at least ease them.

Add to all these external voices the part that multiculturalism plays. Concerning belief, globalization offers a lot of live options. The world is getting smaller, and any number of beliefs are moving in next door, casting a shadow of doubt on the long-cherished view that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Today, pluralism along with secularism reigns supreme, even in many professing believers’ hearts. It is becoming harder and harder for Christians to stand united against a chorus of voices crying out against Jesus and His claims. There are even more external threats out there, but I trust you’ve caught my vibe.

Internal Threats

The church is also threatened from within. Many in the church are twisting Scripture to placate the prevailing culture on topics such as hell, homosexuality, gender, abortion, and the exclusivity of Jesus as Savior. To make matters worse, many church leaders are ill-equipped to handle their flock’s doubts. Many are so consumed with meetings, programs, buildings, and budgets that “equipping the saints” often becomes an unfortunate afterthought.

Others are so obsessed with being relevant, hip, and marketable that they’ve failed to help their flocks navigate the truth war before us. And could it be that this fashionable-gospel movement has now created a great harvest field for apostasy to take place by replacing style over substance? And if there’s one thing Satan knows about apostasy it’s this—doubt precedes apostasy. It always does. Is the church ready to lead this culture of doubt?

Sure, the church has given its fair share of how-to messages, but has it equipped the flock how to defend their faith and how to deal with their doubts? My observation and experience tell me that the church has never been as racked with doubt as she is today. I’ve never seen such an identity crisis within the body of Christ. Never before has Jesus’s bride been so confused. And behind much of that confusion lies an irritant called doubt. No longer can pastors, teachers, apologists, and Christian leaders take the easy road and avoid answering the tough questions that plague the average Christian.

Rather, we must engage them.

Wrestle with them.

And defend against them.

Sincere believers, like you, have honest questions that deserve authentic, heartfelt answers. We cannot overlook this fact, especially with our youth, where this crisis of doubt is systemic. Lillian Kwon, in an article about doubt and college kids, writes, “The more college students felt that they had the opportunity to express their doubt while they were in high school, the higher [their] levels of faith maturity and spiritual maturity.”³ Isn’t that interesting? David Kinnaman, in his book You Lost Me, reinforces this cultural narrative, writing, “I believe unexpressed doubt is one of the most powerful destroyers of faith.” This tells us we need to talk about our doubts.

And that conversation must begin in the church. The church’s role cannot be underestimated as it relates to helping our youth face today’s doubt crisis. Church leadership teams everywhere must ask, “How are we going to effectively help not only our youth, but our entire church family navigate their way through today’s doubt crisis?” Unfortunately, many churches are passive in this arena. We are often far too detached, too afraid, or too unwilling to deal with people’s doubts. And that’s a tragedy, because talking about our doubts can prevent us from getting to the place where we are suffocated by our doubts.

This conversation also needs to take place in the home. Let’s face it—children need permission to doubt with Mom and Dad. Not only that, they need their parents to be vulnerable enough to share their own doubts, while also teaching their kids how they have sought to handle doubt. This relational capital in the home is paramount for kids. Parents can’t force their children to maintain a sanitized faith and stiff-arm their kids for asking thought-provoking questions. If they do, there may be a serious price to pay.

Parents must realize that their kids are going to have their doubts, so why not let them air them out on the home front? Isn’t this how it should be? This means parents need to create a safe environment for vulnerable conversations to emerge at the dinner table or wherever. It also means that Mom and Dad need to anticipate today’s biggest questions and start learning their stuff. Now is not the time to plug our ears and cover our eyes. Ignoring the battle doesn’t change the battle. It just positions us to lose the battle. So gear up. We’re at war.

Good Doubt and Bad Doubt

To be clear, not all doubt is bad. Some is good. We should doubt lots of things that aren’t true, and having a healthy skeptical attitude can save us from falling prey to a lot of dead-end philosophies. As a Christian, I’ve examined other beliefs and competing faith systems. Many of these contradict each other and, therefore, they can’t all be true. They can all be wrong, but since they contradict one another, they can’t all be true.

So I think it’s good to be skeptical and doubt Mormonism. It’s good to doubt Islam, to doubt relativism, to doubt atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on. It’s even good to doubt certain things within Christianity. We are not exempt from holding false beliefs. How many Christians (or denominations) do you know who contradict each other? We once believed, along with the rest of the world, that the sun revolved around the earth. It was good to depart from that misguided belief. Doubting other false systems of belief doesn’t mean they contain zero truth.⁴ It just means that the system as a whole isn’t the truth. So doubt has its place.

Thinking About Our Faith Versus Doubting Our Faith

There is also a difference between thinking about our faith and doubting our faith. Thinking about our faith is good, whereas there is a type of doubting our faith that isn’t. Doubt is a dark place, and no seeking Christian wants to live in darkness. Doubting shifts from healthy to unhealthy the moment we start doubting the truth. Famed Christian apologist William Lane Craig writes:

When I was an undergraduate at Wheaton College, an attitude was prevalent among the students that doubt was actually a virtue and that a Christian who did not doubt his faith was somehow intellectually deficient or naïve. But such an attitude is unbiblical and confused. It is unbiblical to think of doubt as a virtue; to the contrary, doubt is always portrayed in the Scriptures as something detrimental to spiritual life… how could the students I knew at Wheaton College have got things so totally reversed? It is probably because they had confused thinking about their faith with doubting their faith. We need to keep the distinction clear.⁵

Craig is right on target here. The Bible doesn’t paint doubt in a positive light.⁶ While we may need to converse about our doubts, we don’t need to celebrate them. There is a difference.

So as I talk about doubt, I’m saying you can’t ignore it. It’s there. And it must be dealt with lest it devastate your faith. And it starts by understanding how to recognize exactly what doubt is.

Defining Doubt

Resurrection scholar Gary Habermas sheds some helpful light on the meaning of the word doubt. The quote is lengthy but well worth the read and even necessary to grasp as we seek our way through this malaise we call doubt.

In the New Testament there are at least a half dozen Greek words that describe the general condition that we have called doubt. They can also have other meanings as well, such as puzzlement or wondering. When used in the sense that is relevant for us, key meanings include uncertainty or hesitation between two positions, but there are differences. Interestingly, they are applied to believers and unbelievers alike.

For example, using the most common word for doubt (diakrino), James describes the man who asks God for faith but who wavers concerning whether he thinks God will grant the request. This individual is described as being unsettled (James 1:5-8). Using the same term, Jude instructs believers to have mercy on doubters (Jude 22), who, in the context, were apparently affected by false teachers (vv. 17-23). Matthew mentions that Jesus’ followers doubted (distazo) him on occasion (14:31; 28:17). In the first instance, Jesus identified Peter as having little faith, and asked him why he doubted. Unbelieving Jews are also described as doubting (psuchen airo) Jesus (John 10:24).

Other terms with similar meanings are also used. Paul describes his own condition during times of persecution as being perplexed (aporeo), although he said he did not despair (2 Cor. 4:8). Jesus uses still another word (meteorizo) when warning his listeners about anxious worry (Luke 12:29). Such words regularly indicate a state of vacillation or questioning, even of anxiety, despair, or unbelief. There is also much variety in the use of these terms, depending on the context. So doubt covers a fairly wide range of possible states of mind, with some diversity regarding the particular situation. It can tend in the direction of unbelief, but it is most commonly used of true believers who lack assurance.⁷

Os Guinness insightfully adds,

The Latin word for doubt, dubitare, comes from an Aryan root meaning “two.” To believe or have faith is to be “in one mind” with regard to accepting something as true; to disbelieve is to be “in one mind” about rejecting it. To doubt is to waver between the two, to believe and doubt at once, and so to be “in two minds.”⁸