Does Christianity Require Blind Faith or Certainty? (Hint: Neither)

Jesus vs. America

Many of us have heard that faith in Jesus requires either blind faith or certainty, but it turns out that both are incompatible with the Christian faith. Whether our perception from the outside is that belief in God requires magical thinking, or whether we have seen faith communities who shut down all questions and all doubts in favor of a blind faith, the Bible instead commends a faith that is closely examined and based on the evidence of God’s work in the world and in our lives. True faith requires building our entire life in trust on the claims of Jesus, and we share how there is nothing blind about staking everything we value on that faith. We also explore why there has been a tendency to push for blind faith even from leaders within the church, exposing how this paternalistic tendency has led many to feel guilt and shame over the questions and doubts they have expressed.

We also tackle the idea that the Christian faith requires certainty. We address those outside the faith who won’t come to faith unless every question they ask has been satisfied to a level of certainty, exploring the motivations behind that need. We consider how the angels have certainty because they see God face to face, as well as the clues we have from scripture that the angels instead wish they could have faith. Our contention is that faith and doubt are more closely aligned than faith and certainty. In the end, growth, wisdom and sustenance from God comes from walking in an examined faith without falling to the twin errors of either blind faith or certainty.