by E.Y. Coley III

Created on: May 27, 2007

Doubt is a concept that should be welcomed in Christian circles, since it can open a dialogue with those who have not yet come to a saving faith in Christ. What becomes evident is that most of the perceived contradictions in the Christian message stem from a general lack of understanding about the content of the gospel message and its old testament underpinnings. The majority of doubters are not really concerned with the teachings of Christ so much as they are determined to hold on to unhealthy habits and lifestyles while trying to secure some kind of inner peace and eternal security from the person and message of Jesus. As an example, the homosexual will cry foul at the notion that Jesus gives an open invitation to all who believe, while at the same time asserting that the law and prophets, where homosexuality is expressly condemned, are not destroyed, but fulfilled by His teaching. Similarly, the post-modern feminist cannot get past the clearly defined roles of the sexes in the new testament, and so rejects the message. The real concern is not resident in the text of the gospel, however. Those who doubt the Christian message represent a public that has been saturated with skilfully marketed and highly overproduced versions of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Considering only these two examples, of the feminist and the homosexual, it is possible to assign the problem of doubt not to paradoxes within the Christian faith, but to the myopic view of the individual. The gay person wants desperately to be loved and accepted, as do we all, but fails to see the destructive and self-interested nature of his or her lifestyle choice. Similarly, the feminist will rail against the home-centred family roles described in the scriptures, while the divorce rate sky-rockets and she spends millions of dollars annually on therapies, medications, and self-helps that promise to restore peace in the fractured home. The popular Christian message of today has tried to manoeuvre itself into the position of encompassing all lifestyles and in the process has opened itself up to a wide range of uncertainties. What is needed is to focus on the message of Christ Himself, which does not promise to accept everyone without exception. The gospel requires a high price from the prospective believer, and it is natural and right that anyone seriously considering acceptance of faith in Christ should question whether the price of abandoning the self is worth an eternal relationship with Jesus.

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