Is Skepticism a good thing? Answer: yes and no. Pastor Marc presented grounds for why skepticism is neither sensible nor biblical, while a scholar from Bucknell University (collective gasp; smattering of applause) from the angle that skepticism is not just okay, but is necessary to attain deep faith.

This apparent contradiction reminds me of something I once read by Simon Weil, a French philosopher who died in 1942 and left in her wake a rich legacy of letters and essays.

Weil was in the intellectual habit of pushing herself to explore how apparently contradictory truths could be simultaneously grasped or understood. She found in this an enriching spiritual and philosophical exercise. I was intrigued with paradoxes when I first read Weil and thought her device was ingenious and intellectually daring. That is, until she opened herself up to this contradiction: God exists. God does not exist. For me, she had gone too far; she had crossed some elemental barrier, and I balked. Surely there was some threshold beyond which an authentic believer of Christ would not, in good conscience, question. Wasn’t this the territory of faith? But Weil carried on even in the crucible of this contradiction. She writes, “I am absolutely sure that there is a God, in the sense that I am absolutely certain that my love is not illusory.” She adds immediately, “I am absolutely certain that there is no God, in the sense that I am absolutely certain that there is nothing real which bears a resemblance to what I am able to conceive when I pronounce that name, since I am unable to conceive God.” I was stunned. By allowing herself to ask a very risky and unorthodox question, she had arrived at a pearl of truth. What seemed like a rebellious question was actually forged in a furnace of faith and humility, because who could approach such a question without having faith that God was bigger and deeper than it? The answer which came to her was pure gold.

Psalm 5:16 “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts, you teach me wisdom in the inmost parts.” I believe that salvation is not just of our souls, but of our intellects as well. For truth to penetrate our deepest assumptions and beliefs, we must cultivate, as Bruce described, a willingness to be incredulous, to wonder, even to doubt. Weil is an example of deeply “productive skepticism” which led to firmer faith.

But skepticism turns sour when it becomes an end in itself, and I would add, when it shifts from being an intellectual discipline and becomes our primary emotion and attitude towards the world for an extended period of time. Pastor Marc cautioned that a lifestyle of skepticism doesn’t make logical sense, and does not mesh with biblical teaching. James 1:5-7 describes how doubting causes the doubter to be double-minded, tossed about and unproductive. Skepticism is less like a parking lot and more like a railroad. It must lead to some better destination than itself.

I recently spoke with a seminary-educated friend who explained that the strongest declaration of Christ’s identity in the Gospels, in the language of the day, came from “Doubting Thomas” in John 20:24-31. In English his words are simply translated, “My Lord and my God!” His words would not have carried such conviction had he not first been gut-honest about his questions and then been available to receive a personal response from Christ. This is our model also: to ask with boldness our real questions without guile or rebellion, but with great expectation that Christ will personally respond.

Bruce and Marc had some excellent turns of phrase and I encourage you to listen to their talk again with pen, paper and Bible in hand. Many questions still toss in my mind. Here are a few of them and I invite you to ask them of yourself too:

Bring to mind a truth claim or some critical area of life about which you have had a nudging skepticism. Taking this seriously, can you articulate your core questions, doubts or misgivings about this?

Read Acts 17:11. What did the Bereans do with the truth claims presented by Paul? What seemed to be their emotional response even as they examined the claims?

If skepticism comes easily to you, consider if your skepticism has been the futile or even lazy kind, as opposed to the productive kind which leads to deeper belief. Do you relish being a skeptic in a way that is self-glorifying, or do you steward skepticism with humility and authentic curiosity? What hidden pay-offs are there for you to carry on in skepticism that leads only to more skepticism?

If you are naturally not a skeptic, where could you use more skepticism in your life? (Consider that Satan is sometimes called the “Father of Lies.”) In what areas have you naïvely absorbed truth claims without exploring and owning them for yourself? What hidden pay-offs are there for you to continue in this unexamined way?

What might be the role of the Holy Spirit in productive skepticism?

If Doubting Thomas is the patron saint of skeptics, how might we learn from him in the story of John 20: 24-31. What do you think Christ meant by the words, “Stop doubting and believe”?

What would you like to ask Christ to do for in you in regards to your skepticism, or lack thereof? Can you write this out in the form of a prayer?

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*Note: If you wish, you can look up this and other Bible passages online at biblegateway.com
Copyright © 2009 Tabitha Plueddemann