James White recently criticized apologist Mike Licona for saying he was 80% certain that Christianity was true. White went on to suggest that you shouldn’t be an apologist unless you are certain. In this video, I offer a reply. ?
doubt
Should you have a conversation with your inner atheist?
This article provides a brief general introduction to my most recent book. I grew up in a church in which the status of your Christian faith was measured by the strength of your conviction. The serious Christian knew all the answers and had no doubts. And so, when I began to have doubts and to […]
Atheists having conversations with their inner Christian
I believe that Christians should be willing to have a conversation with their ‘inner atheist,’ that inner voice of questioning and doubt. But that goes both ways: atheists, too, should be ready to have a conversation with their inner Christian.
Should we believe William Lane Craig’s advice on doubt?
In this video, I offer a critical response to three points of advice William Lane Craig gives to Christians who face doubts.
Four Levels of Doubt
From the principled recognition of human fallibility to the all-embracing crisis of faith, I survey the four levels of doubt and explore their central role in the life of faith.
Is it Okay for Pastors to Have Doubts? A Footnote
Jesus said of John the Baptist, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist…” And yet, at one point in his life, John seriously doubted Jesus. So maybe it is okay to have doubts.
Can a pastor have doubts?
In this video, I offer a critical response to Alisa Childers and Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity as they discuss Ms. Childers’ former pastor who once described himself as agnostic. The video raises an important question: “Can a pastor have doubts?” The answer, I think, is that at times pastors will likely have doubts. The […]
Should we be certain of our beliefs? Or should we doubt?
Is doubt virtuous? Is certainty arrogant?
I just read a Twitter profile that declares: “I believe doubt is a virtue that can lead to humility and certainty can lead to arrogance.” It’s the profile of Pinecreek Doug who just interviewed me. And I’d say, sure, just so long as we recognize that doubt can also lead to arrogance and certainty to […]
A simple way to rate the skepticism of atheists and agnostics
Ask your atheist or agnostic friend to consider the following scenario and then consider at what point she would conclude that God had answered the prayer and thus that God exists. So here’s the scenario. Your friend calls you up to say that she just received an unexpected bill for $4353.43 which must be paid […]
Should Christian evangelists share their doubts during the altar call?
Today, my friend Steve (tireless critic of Ravi Zacharias) tweeted the following question to me: “When a Christian is evangelizing, is it OK for them to say to their audience right before the invitation, “Full disclosure, I’m having some bothersome doubts about my religion today. But, organ player, let’s do it anyway, One-two-three-four ‘Just as […]
On Pastors Who Doubt
Some pastors doubt. For a surprisingly raw and candid exploration of this reality, see the film First Reformed. Pastors sometimes doubt their own salvation, or the goodness of God, or perhaps even God’s very existence. These doubts may be mild and fleeting or existentially gripping and persistent. And the longer they linger and the deeper they go, the […]
Can you be a Christian if you doubt?
I grew up in a Christian tradition that greatly valued the certainty of one’s convictions: the “man of faith” was the one who fully trusted God, not the one who doubted. As a result, I came to believe that doubt is the enemy of faith. But is that really true?
Should we be (most) certain that God exists?
Today this tweet from Douglas Axe (director of Biologic Institute who tweets here) caught my attention: Since we humans always have to settle for something short of absolute proof, I'm not sure we have to qualify our certainty of God's existence in this way. We can be as confident of his existence as we can […]
