In a recent acid-tongued response to the Christian world, atheist Philip Kuchar made the following sweeping ridicule:

"Behold, parchments written thousands of years ago tell of the spirit world, some people hear voices in their head, and everything is obviously designed for a purpose.The Christian belief system is evidently motivated by the most colossal conspiracy theory ever to have been imagined and swallowed whole by great masses of gullible humanity." 

Now, I typically don't honor such blather by responding to it.  But the reality is many Christians do secretly and inwardly walk away every Sunday morning thinking "I just don't know if this stuff is all true!" or "Maybe I'm being duped into believing in some grand conspiracy to make the church money." Let's be candid - just about every Christian has thought this at one time or another in some form.  But this isn't the problem.  The problem surfaces when poor responses to it are entertained.

The Problem

In the last 40 years, the face of popular evangelicalism had gradually dispensed with making their faith a thoughtful and reasonable one.  We began replacing study with feeling; biblical analysis with self-esteem; knowledge-seeking with being entertainment-driven; mindfulness with playfulness.  In short, Christians have checked their brains in at the door of the church.  They walk away feeling good or spiritual, but at the end of the day wondering if such a faith is anything more than pixie dust.  In my observations, it is almost always the unthoughtful Christian who inevitably ends up falling away.  Why?  Because sooner or later those nagging questions about your faith left unchecked soon become your faith.  When I delivered a message to Sacred Revolution two years ago, it was titled "College: A time for strengthening your faith, not losing it!"  It's typically the untrained, superficial, and woefully underdeveloped student who hears objections to Christianity almost on a daily basis.  And it's not all their fault.  The church (and those in it) are to equip believers to study, examine, and test all things.  However, the Christian church in general tends to care more about socializing than training.  And parents are letting it happen!  Think about it, if your child's high school simply sang songs, took field trips, and heard an inspiring message or two (usually heavily laden with practical advice, but very little in terms of substance) do you suppose that would be considered an adequate high school to keep your child in?  To ask the question is to answer it.

The Solution

There is no "one size fits all" solution to this problem.  For many, it's purely intellectual.  For others it's purely spirital.  Still for others it's carnal.  Below are four things to keep in mind when confronted with doubt:

(i) The root of the problem is always spiritual.  Thought we don't want to make the mistake of the late comedian Flip Wilson and confess "The devil made me do it," there is no doubt that Satan is constantly behind any attacks that can be launched against believers - whether emotional or intellectual.  Drawing close to God in prayer and worship will continue to embolden the believer.

(ii) The mind is the handmaiden to faith.  Thinking about Christianity and analyzing difficulties are important tasks for the Christian to help deal with nagging questions.  But neither is it the King of the universe either.  After all, if you were on trial for a crime you know you didn't commit, no amount of evidence should change your mind!  Our firsthand witness of the Holy Spirit's communion with our hearts should stand as the pillar of our faith.  You'll have a lifetime to pursue those nagging questions at your leisure . . . but don't ignore them!  Left unchecked they begin to grow and coalesce with other difficulties leading to a sense of disappointment.  The point here is having the proper perspective of faith and reason.

(iii) Pursue those questions - one at a time!  It's been asked before how one eats an elephant.  The answer?  One bite at a time.  For any question that surfaces, study it into the ground.  Seek the solution, talk it over with others, and memorize the answer (or at least three reasons to reject the bad implications of the question).  As 2 Tim. 2:15 reminds us,

One of the major obstacles of early Christianity was the role of Jewish circumcision and other rites in the lives of Christians.  This problem was not avoided but heavily debated (so much so that both Paul in his letters and Luke in Acts give extensive discussions about this matter).  This is why Paul could proclaim to the church:

(iv) Involve yourself in study and interactive diaologue.  The Christian mind cannot sit idly by while it is barraged with objections.  Sooner or later the Christian will be crushed.  You have to take it upon yourself to engage study materials such as commentaries, theological works, philosophical treatises, and tools in critical thinking.  By submerging oneself in these things, you will begin to strengthen the mind (much like lifting weights to strengthen the arms).  And become so familiar with the Bible that when something contrary to it arises, you will spot it immediately.  Also discuss your findings with other Christians.  Even seek online forums and chat rooms held by non-believers.  See how well you interact with them.  Where they defeat you, go an brush up on that area!

Anyway, I hope this serves to encourage the church.

God bless!