• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Bible Reflection Skepticism – Means or an end?

Skepticism – Means or an end?

Posted on December 18, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment


SkepticismI seem to recall that in the introduction to at least one of his books, C. S. Lewis offered the caveat that he was not a theologian. In a similar vein, prior to the material below, I must offer the caveat that I am not a philosopher nor the son of a philosopher.

In a post reflecting on the death of Christopher Hitchens, one commentator drew a contrast between skepticism as a pathway to truth and skepticism as a destination. In the former, skepticism is a methodology for seeking truth. In the latter, skepticism makes the statement that there is no truth to find.

It is one thing to be suspicious of truth claims and seek to verify them before believing. It is another thing entirely to reject all truth claims. A piece of lyric from a Rush song comes to mind, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” To maintain skepticism as an end or destination is an attempt to remain as a spectator on the sideline, but ultimately it fails. Skepticism is a choice in itself.

It seems obvious to me that man is born to believe in something. As evidence of this I would point to the various religions that can be found around the world. Pantheistic, polytheistic, or monotheistic, there is quite a variety of beliefs. While the various religions are in fundamental disagreement on the particulars, they all are a function of belief.

But there is evidence that the irreligious also have a need to believe. Politicians, actors and musicians are followed with a devotion that borders on worship. Sports teams also function as a focus of belief. I live near the city of Philadelphia where a loss by the beloved Eagles (a frequent occurrence this year) is mourned like the death of state leader. Whether it is politics, music, sports or hobbies, many are caught up in these things with a religious fervor.

It seems to me that skepticism as a goal is a dead end. But is all skepticism wrong?

If you want to point to some of the foibles of the church throughout history as a reason to distrust religion, you are welcome to do so. The church, like her individual members, is not perfect and we get it wrong some of the time. But as Thomas Gilson points out in his thoughtful post on the death of Christopher Hitchens, it is important to make a distinction between God and religion. In my mind, some level of skepticism about the ability of the church to live out her relationship with God is healthy. We do not have a perfect track record.

I would ask those who are skeptical about the church to judge by the standard and not our inability to live up to it. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) I encourage the skeptic to do the same.


Filed Under: Bible Reflection, Christianity and Culture Tagged With: atheism, Jesus

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Don’t quit your day job

The point of this ramble is that God redeems all of life, even the aspects of life that seem to have no eternal value. To be faithful in a difficult or boring job is as much an act of grace as teaching a Bible study.

Ears to Hear

On having ears to hear

In western culture we are subjected to a constant barrage of noise and information. We have talking heads on the radio in the car. Music streams into stores as we shop. The television provides incessant babble if we allow it. The stream of information is unrelenting and we cannot possibly take it all in. We have to be selective in our listening.

In several places in the Gospels, Jesus make the statement, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” My paraphrase of this would be, “you’ve got the equipment required to hear, now use it and listen up.”

Heart

The Goal of Christian Teaching – Love From a Pure Heart

Confused About the Goal In Matthew 22:37-39 and Mark 12:29-31, Jesus tells us that the two great commands are to love God with our entire being and love our neighbors. The concept is simple but the execution is difficult. Only two commands and if we’re honest, we admit that we cannot keep either one of […]

5 Distinguishing Marks of a Fruitful Church (link)

Recently I Tweeted a link to an article that I found helpful: Worth reading: 5 Distinguishing Marks of a Fruitful Church https://t.co/JRgCBhmZ8d via @TGC — Mark McIntyre (@mhmcintyre) March 6, 2016 I thought I would take a few moments and capture some thoughts in response to this article by Jarod Wilson. First, I would agree with […]

Life on the wheel – 5 reasons why your church calendar is out of control and what to do about it

A pastor friend recently referred to the sum of all the activities at his church as “the wheel.” Hearing him say this, a vision of a large hamster wheel came to mind. There often is a sense in a church body that things need to happen and that everyone needs to pitch in to keep […]

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
May 2023
SMTWTFS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Apr    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2023 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in