Doubt is Divine

            Recently I have started reading a book by Peter Rollins. The premise of the book is that to truly be an authentic and relevant Christian doubt must become a part of your belief system. This concept has really struck me, especially in recent years as I have begun to re-examine my faith and my beliefs. Belief is natural. To believe is to be human. It could be argued that belief is simply a human evolution used to cope with existence. We use God as a means to an end. God is simply there to be used to solve a fault in our reasoning; God is there to span the gaps and to give meaning to the emptiness that we feel. Dietrich Bonheoffer referred to this as Deus Ex Machina. Which, simply stated, means something that is interjected into the narrative in order to solve a seemingly hopeless problem.

So you believe, good for you, you are following in the footsteps of billions of humans before you who all strove to add meaning to a seemingly hopeless situation. Your belief could be described as nothing more than an evolutionary response to the absurdity of existence.

            What happens when a person doubts that belief? Suddenly you are thrust into the great unknown, the void in which you previous filled with your comfortable theology and Religious dogma. You are instantly faced with the hopeless emptiness of nothingness. The water begins to poor through the holes you previously stopped up with bits and pieces of your standardized belief system. What happens now? Peter Rollins argues that this is where divinity truly meets humanity. This is where religion becomes alive. No longer is your belief simply an evolutionary response; suddenly you are required to think. Rollin’s describes this in one sentence that should shake the foundations of your mind. “To believe is human, to doubt is divine.”

            No longer is God simply there to solve the gaps in your imagination or the emptiness of existence. God becomes alive. God becomes experienced day by day. Your belief system becomes something you live, not simply something you believe. Doubt drives growth. Doubt has the ability to alter your life, change the way you interact with people, change how you view reality, and how much you respect what we refer to as creation. When tragedy strikes, no longer are you left feeling as though the God of the gaps was not there to interject, you expect it, you question and wrestle, and you come out with the wisdom and clarity that only suffering can possibly bring.

           Doubt drives you to become a part of the process. You become an active participant in the narrative of God's story. No longer are you a bystander watching as the story of your life is written.  Restating Rollin’s sentence I would say, “Believing is programed humanism; doubt requires the thoughts of God.” Are you ready to join in the authorship of faith?