This is what defines our doctrine, which gets conveyed in our teaching and preaching.īut the problem with doctrine is that it leaves very little room for wonder on our part, or mystery on God's part. Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.'Įvery religious tradition builds a framework for how we understand God and God's relationship to us. He went on to say, 'Certainty is missing the point entirely. His response was this: 'Anne, the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.' We, as Christians, have a very helpful textbook definition of faith, carefully explained in Hebrews 11:1: 'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.' I love this because it's both clear, and also open to wonder.Īnne Lamott, a writer of disarming honesty about her faith, tells a story of talking with an Episcopalian priest and confessing her doubt in God. I have been thinking a lot about the nature of faith and what we believe. It troubles me because the church has done such a poor job of inviting mystery and un-knowing into the equation of what it means to be faithful people.Īfter all, our God is beyond all knowing, so why must we seek to define the un-definable? This troubled me for many reasons, but none of them were due to his disillusionment with God. I feel disillusioned with God and the church.' I recently got a text from a dear friend, a lifelong Christian, who confessed: 'I'm in a deep rut. ― Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faithīut, when we start to ask questions about what we believe, the foundation of certainty crumbles quickly. 'The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.' We believe Jesus was born after God 'overshadowed' Mary.

We believe that Jesus is fully human and fully God.

Christians believe a lot of strange things.

Anne lamott plan b