I’m back. I haven’t quite met that “once-a-week” goal this January. Life and, frankly, structured procrastination got in my way. Anyway, I wanted to give you a little more explanation to what I’m doing in this blog and why I gave it what some might see as an oxymoronic title. If you look up the modern definitions of the word, skeptical, you’ll see that it is most commonly associated with doubt. A doubting believer sounds like a married bachelor or a square triangle. Those are logical fallacies. “Married” and “bachelor” cannot, by definition, co-exist in the same person. (BTW, the question, “If God is all-powerful, can he make a rock so heavy he can’t lift it,” is also a logical fallacy. Sorry, Buddy A.). A skeptical believer is more of a paradox. It seems self-contradictory, but may reveal a truth. And, unlike square triangles, the world is full of paradoxes. Also, I am focusing on the connotation that “skeptical” had a few centuries ago — to inquire, to consider, to examine.
I confess that I have moments where I fit the modern definition (see “My Worst and Best Christmas”). Sometimes, I just don’t get it intellectually. More often, my doubt arises out of struggle. Thankfully, I’ve learned that I am in good biblical company. About a third of all the Psalms are psalms of lament–basically “Where-are-you-God!?” psalms–and David wrote many of them. And then there’s Job. He had it rough and he let God know it! Even Jesus — “Are you going to leave me too?…How long do I have to put up with you!?…God, why have you forsaken me?” Yes, all those words came from His mouth.
If you find yourself struggling with a twinge of doubt, or a boatload for that matter, don’t think that all is lost. God is bigger than your doubt and he can handle it. Skepticism (inquiry, consideration, and examination) is part of faith. Even doubt, at least in the way I am using it, is a part of faith rather than the antithesis of faith. Don’t worry about your doubt. Simply tell God about it.
P. S. Here are some upcoming blog titles: “Life according to Forrest”, “Cyndi Lauper Revisited,” “The Little Village of El Doradito,” and “Doubt Your Doubts.” Stay Tuned!