Curious Christian

Reflections on culture, nature, and spirituality from a Christian perspective

Is Faith Belief Without Evidence? A Response to Atheist Definitions

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Matt Stone

2014-04-13

Have you ever heard atheists define faith like this: “I regard faith as religious belief held without evidence. If someone thinks a bus will arrive on time according to its schedule, that person has trust or confidence, not faith.”

This is a false dichotomy, one that many thoughtful Christians would find unscriptural, misleading, and even disingenuous. However, it is so entrenched within the atheist community that attempts to broaden their linguistic understanding often feel futile.

Perhaps a better approach would be to affirm, “If that is your definition of faith, then the good news is that faith is not necessary for living the Christian life—only trust and confidence are.” The essential issue is not whether Reality is real, but whether it is blind, pitiless, and indifferent. I have confidence, based on my life experiences and the accounts of trustworthy witnesses, that Reality truly cares.

Tags Atheist, Faith

2 responses to “Is Faith Belief Without Evidence? A Response to Atheist Definitions”

Tim

2014-04-14

This is lovely. But I’m a wannabe-believer, yet the historical evidence is so … sketchy that I just go round in circles over which side of the argument that I’m on. I find it impossible to commit to Christianity for that reason…

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Matt Stone

2014-04-14

Tim, thanks. Let me affirm that questioning is essential for spiritual growth. But also, having gone through this myself, let me suggest it is important to differentiate between issues of peripheral importance, moderate importance and central importance when grappling with the historical questions, or indeed any questions. Think of a bullseye with multiple rings around it. I find it most helpful to focus on the most central questions.
Consider, for example, the virgin birth. It is mentioned in only 2 out of the 4 gospels and no where else in scripture. I am of the view that this is not beyond God’s power, however, I am also of the view it is a secondary issue given the relative lack of attention it is given in the New Testament. So, of moderate importance, but not central.
Six days of creation, well that gets mentioned even less. So, of peripheral importance in my view.
On the importance of trusting God and loving others, however, this gets mentioned in just about every book of the New Testament, often multiple times. It is obviously central. Now, is it historically trustworthy that this is what Jesus and the apostles taught? That is where I would say focus your questions first.

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