“What can we really know?”
This is a fair question. If the biblical narrative is not as simple as we have perhaps been led to believe, how can we really know what is happening in the Bible at all?
This is one of the reasons we have put together Crosswalk Classroom for deeper study and understanding. The truth is that there is a great deal of information that we can incorporate into our understanding of scripture, but it means that we have to become curious about history, religion, ancient languages, ancient culture, and even geography.
But isn’t this exactly what a “disciple” is?
Yes, a disciple is a lifelong learner. Someone who is desperately interested in learning more about God and all the history, interpretation, and cultural understanding that it takes to understand scripture and, ultimately, God.
How is this part of the deconstruction of one’s faith? That is actually quite simple. When we take a look at scripture, which is arguably one of the most foundational ways that we know about God and understand our faith, we are forced to take a look at what we believe, where it came from, and how it came to be different than we have before. This is not only exciting, but it is deeply faithful.
Belief and doubt.
How can questioning everything we know be faithful? Mark 9:24 talks about a man who tells Jesus that he believes, but he needs help in his unbelief. That means he needs help with his doubt. And that means that both of these things exist in our hearts at the same time. And that is not only okay, but it might be the normal and natural state of things.
Belief and doubt live in us at the same time.
And that is okay.
But it is confusing at times. We believe, but even as we sing those songs of worship we wonder if we really understand that belief, or we wonder if God is really the God of those songs. We see the people singing next to us with such reckless abandon and wonder if we are the only ones that feel this way.
I can tell you with certainty, you are not the only one to feel that way. I feel that way sometimes. I live in the tension between doubt and faith. I sometimes touch both of those poles in my life and I sometimes wonder if they are actually opposites or perhaps they are traveling companions on this road of faith we are on. Could that even be possible? Could I believe and not believe all at the same time, with varying degrees of each all the time, shifting, changing, and pushing me to comfortable and uncomfortable places all at the same time?
This is one of the reasons we have put together Crosswalk Classroom for deeper study and understanding. The truth is that there is a great deal of information that we can incorporate into our understanding of scripture, but it means that we have to become curious about history, religion, ancient languages, ancient culture, and even geography.
But isn’t this exactly what a “disciple” is?
Yes, a disciple is a lifelong learner. Someone who is desperately interested in learning more about God and all the history, interpretation, and cultural understanding that it takes to understand scripture and, ultimately, God.
How is this part of the deconstruction of one’s faith? That is actually quite simple. When we take a look at scripture, which is arguably one of the most foundational ways that we know about God and understand our faith, we are forced to take a look at what we believe, where it came from, and how it came to be different than we have before. This is not only exciting, but it is deeply faithful.
Belief and doubt.
How can questioning everything we know be faithful? Mark 9:24 talks about a man who tells Jesus that he believes, but he needs help in his unbelief. That means he needs help with his doubt. And that means that both of these things exist in our hearts at the same time. And that is not only okay, but it might be the normal and natural state of things.
Belief and doubt live in us at the same time.
And that is okay.
But it is confusing at times. We believe, but even as we sing those songs of worship we wonder if we really understand that belief, or we wonder if God is really the God of those songs. We see the people singing next to us with such reckless abandon and wonder if we are the only ones that feel this way.
I can tell you with certainty, you are not the only one to feel that way. I feel that way sometimes. I live in the tension between doubt and faith. I sometimes touch both of those poles in my life and I sometimes wonder if they are actually opposites or perhaps they are traveling companions on this road of faith we are on. Could that even be possible? Could I believe and not believe all at the same time, with varying degrees of each all the time, shifting, changing, and pushing me to comfortable and uncomfortable places all at the same time?
- Are you struggling with belief and unbelief at the same time?
- How can a community make a difference in the paradox that is the life of a Christian?
- What is the best way to understand how we live with both of these competing ideas?
Recent
Archive
2023
January
Lovewell: A Theology - Day 1Lovewell: A Theology - Day 2Lovewell: A Theology - Day 3Lovewell: A Theology - Day 4Lovewell: A Theology - Day 5Lovewell: A Theology - Day 6Lovewell: A Theology - Day 7Lovewell: A Theology - Day 8Lovewell: A Theology - Day 9Lovewell: A Theology - Day 10Lovewell: A Theology - Day 11Lovewell: A Theology - Day 12Lovewell: A Theology - Day 13Lovewell: A Theology - Day 14Lovewell: A Theology - Day 15Lovewell: A Theology - Day 16Lovewell: A Theology - Day 17Lovewell: A Theology - Day 18Lovewell: A Theology - Day 19Lovewell: A Theology - Day 20Lovewell: A Theology - Day 21Lovewell: A Theology - Day 22Lovewell: A Theology - Day 24Lovewell: A Theology - Day 23Lovewell: A Theology - Day 25Lovewell: A Theology - Day 26Lovewell: A Theology - Day 27Lovewell: A Theology - Day 28Lovewell: A Theology - Day 29Lovewell: A Theology - Day 30Lovewell: A Theology - Day 31
February
Lovewell: A Theology - Day 32Lovewell: A Theology - Day 33Lovewell: A Theology - Day 34Lovewell: A Theology - Day 35Season 1 - IntroductionUncomfortable (S1) - Day 1Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 2Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 3Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 4Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 5Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 6Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 7Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 8Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 9Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 10Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 11Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 12Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 13Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 14Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 15Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 16Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 17
March
Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 18Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 19Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 20Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 21Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 22Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 23Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 24Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 25Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 26Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 27Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 28Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 29Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 30Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 31Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 32Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 33Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 34Uncomfortable (S1) - Day 35Campus WeekAfter - Day 1After - Day 2After - Day 3After - Day 4After - Day 5After - Day 6
April
After - Day 7After - Day 8After - Day 9After - Day 10After - Day 11After - Day 12After - Day 13After - Day 14After - Day 15After - Day 16After - Day 17After - Day 18After - Day 19After - Day 20After - Day 21After - Day 22After - Day 23After - Day 24After - Day 25After - Day 26After - Day 27After - Day 28
Categories
Tags
1 Corinthians 1
1 Corinthians
1 John
1 Peter
1 Samuel
Acts
After Series
After Serie
After
Belonging
Blog
Campus Week
Church
Colossians
Community
Compassion
Connect Group
Crosswalk Church
Crosswalk
Daily Study
Deconstruction
Easter Week
Easter
Elemental
End of Series
End of the Week
Galatians
Gathering
Genesis 3
Genesis
Group Study
Hebrews
Holy Wednesday
Hosea
Introduction
Isaiah 53
James
John 12:12-19:37
John 19-20
John 19
John 20
John 21
John
Jonah
Lovewell: A Theology
Love
Luke 19:28-23:56
Luke 23-24
Luke 23:34
Luke 23
Luke
Mark 11-15
Mark 15
Mark 16
Mark
Matthew 20:1-16
Matthew 21-27
Matthew 27
Matthew 28
Matthew 5
Matthew
Mike Rhynus
Paddy McCoy
Philippians
Proverbs
Psalm 31
Revelation 22
Revelation
Romans
Season 1
Series
Service
Small Group Guide
Small Group Study
Small Group
Timothy Gillespie
Triggered
Uncomfortable
Week 2
Week Four
Week One
William Johnsson
Witness
No Comments