blog 2 blog: what does a christian mean by "faith?"

One of the blogs I frequent is the Atheist Revolution.  And while I always hope to find rational arguments and presentations from the other side, sadly, I am left empty.   This blogger is relentlessly dogmatic in his commitment to Atheism, unyieldingly harsh toward Christianity, and yet perpetually vague in presenting any rational arguments for his own position.  Most recently, he took up the subject of faith.

The question under review was the following: “Could [any]one arrive at Christianity through rational means?”  This blogger was doubtless, which didn’t surprise me.  However, what caught my attention was the reason he was doubtless.  In his mind, Christianity could not be ascertained on the basis of any rational grounds because Christianity requires faith, and faith (in his understanding) is “belief in the absence of evidence,” which is not rational.

So many skeptics believe this is what is meant by the word “faith”, but is this what the christian means?  Is this what the Bible itself speaks of when it uses the word “faith?”

I have long grown tired of vain attacks from atheists.  Having studied philosophy in college, I am no stranger to the belittling attacks of professing atheists.  Nevertheless, I have yet to be graced with a rational response, which I, of course, find ironic.  For it is the atheist who always claims to have the market cornered on rationalism.  All I hear, however, is crickets, and the chirping from this blogger was no different.

When discussing the issue of faith, is it not appropriate to let the christian speak for him/herself?  More than that, should we not let the Bible speak for itself?  Defining faith as “belief in the absence of evidence” is completely foreign to the Bible.  Nowhere will you find such a definition.  Rather, the Bible positively defines faith as “the assurance [or substance/evidence] of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Even still, Merriam-Webster’s 2010 online dictionary has no finding of the phrase “absence of evidence” in its definition of faith.  In the end, I must say that my fellow blogger has done nothing but given a caricature and flimsy straw-man of our position.

Instead, when the christian and/or the Bible uses the word “faith,” it means something very real indeed.  In fact, it is the evidences that lead one to faith in Christianity.  When one surveys the wonders of Christianity – its coherent worldview, answered prophecies, evidence of the resurrected Jesus (i.e. empty tomb), and the testimony of its existential fulfillment in a person’s life – one is led to believe (or have faith) in the fact that these evidences bear witness to the veracity of Christianity.  In the end, for the christian, faith is not “belief in the absence of evidence,” but rather the firm confidence in the truth of Christianity based upon the evidences.

Now, I know some of you will ask, “If Christianity is true and based on evidences, what need is there for faith?  If this is the case, it is no longer faith but knowledge.”  There is, however, no contradiction between truth and faith.  You can very well have faith in something that is absolutely true, because faith is not about whether or not something is or is not true, but faith deals with our personal response to the truth.  Consider, if you will, the following scenario:

A jogging enthusiast has just been released from the hospital.  She had severely injured her leg while running.  However, after surgery and much physical therapy, her doctor informed her that it was perfectly okay for her to start jogging again.  All the tests and evidences of her healing were clear.  The jogger, however, was reticent to continue jogging again.  She deeply feared that her leg had not fully healed…despite the evidence seen in her physical therapy.

End scenario.  Do you see it now?  Faith had nothing to do with the truthfulness of the jogger’s restored leg, but about her response to that truth and the evidences that demonstrated it.  Though her leg was healed, and all the evidence testified to that healing, she did not believe (i.e. have faith) that it was all better.  

In Christianity, evidences are things upon which faith is built in order to believe the truth.  And the faith of the christian will be effective in bringing them to the final revelation of that truth when, at the end of this age, God will vindicate his cause in the world, Christ will return, and his Kingdom will have no end. 

Grace to you 🙂