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Laly
about Doubt 3 (sorry for long quote):It is not Struggling to believe, or I would relaly like to believe but I can’t yet, I need some more answers. It is, I won’t believe that, I won’t believe God. I would rather believe *anything* or *anybody* than accept what God is saying in his word. I would rather believe that *anything* could save me than accept that Jesus by his cross could save me. I would rather believe *anything* about myself than believe that God’s verdict is that I am a sinner and I need salvation. I would rather believe *anything* about how to live than believe the word of God that we should live for him and him alone. I won’t believe.Not, I can’t or I am struggling with it, but I won’t. And this is a matter of the will set against God.The reason I depart from that message is that I do not find the biblical record of those things credible and try as I might, searching my heart, I do not see my will set against God. Now from the last line of that quote he does define sinful doubt a bit more narrowly in saying it is, I won’t believe. Certainly I am not at the point where I won’t believe, but I can state definitively that I don’t believe and that I am not struggling with that.The message I get from that, and pretty much all evangelical apologetics about doubt that I have heard or read, is that there is primarily a moral implication if one is not believing the bible is the true and only message from God. Intellectual reasons for doubting are rejected. I am disappointed in that because it fails to provide tools for honest inquiry into the things doubted. It just claims on authority that one must believe, or keep struggling to believe, or repent of unbelief. Maybe he could have added Doubt #4, Intellectual Doubt, where honest inquiry can be made. No, doubting the veracity of the bible is only to be rebuked or ignored.All that said, thanks for posting the link, I enjoy listening to stuff I disagree with and thinking through it. I think it would be a sympathetic and helpful message for a Christian to keep believing what they want to believe, but honestly I would rather see Christians more comfortable with Doubt #3, not just doubts 1 & 2.
Comment | July 21, 2012 0  0