Theological Truth: Faith is more than knowledge or beliefs. Faith is action that leads us into knowing—not only about God but knowing God and being known.
In a recent article, New York Times writer Jessica Grose boils down the 7,000 answers she received to her question about why people had left their faith. From her data, she observes three general categories:
- Seekers: those who are endlessly seeking various religious experiences
- Faders: those whose faith gradually recedes later in life (less than two percent)
- Skeptics: those who had an abrupt break from the church in their youth
(Why Do People Lose Their Religion?, Jessica Grose, June 7, 2023)
The category of skeptics intrigues me the most. She cites a 2016 study from the Public Religion Research Institute that found “62 percent of religiously unaffiliated Americans who were raised religious ‘abandoned their childhood religion before they turned 18.’ An additional 28 percent left…between the ages of 18 and 29.” (Ibid., emphasis mine)
Why would such a large percentage of people raised in the church leave by their 30th birthday? What is going on to hinder what should be the natural progression from our childhood faith to an adult faith?
I’m sure there are numerous factors, many beyond our control. But it’s partially because we’re confused about what faith is. We’ve mistaken faith for certainty and belief for understanding. We have been duped into the fundamentalist mindset that having questions or entertaining doubt is evidence of a lack of faith.
But the exact opposite is true. Voicing our doubts and raising our questions fosters our faith. For most “skeptics” (definitely for me…possibly for you), the faith of childhood—helpful, essential, and truthful as it is—needs room to grow and breathe.
When some of James Dungan’s and Betsy Pinkston’s kids came to a crossroads in their faith, they honored their questions and admitted their parental limits. They sent the kids to John Lane, who happily met with the skeptical teenagers and encouraged them to ask their questions (probably about the Virgin birth or the Holy Trinity). He surprised them with this response, “Yes, that is a difficult one. Many of us struggle with that,” before casually pivoting to inquiring about their plans for the summer. He wasn’t brushing off their questions, nor was he chastising them for raising them. He was merely acknowledging and normalizing that faith is about acting when we don’t fully know or understand.
Even the most devout, faithful, and holiest people throughout the ages have had insufficient understanding and troubling moments of doubt. Faith isn’t having all the answers, it’s sticking around to ask the big questions. Faith isn’t a set of beliefs we understand, so much as a bridge we walk that leads to an ongoing, deepening relationship with the Mystery of God: above us, with us and for us, in us and among us.
All of our readings this morning point to the truth that faith is more about relationship than understanding. From Adam and Eve to Abraham. From the liberated Hebrews to the fledgling Christian church in Rome. The pattern is the same. We are all called by God into relationship. God offers unconditionally and universally the promise of life abundant with Him and through Him. Sometimes we accept the invitation, but more often we reject it. And not only by walking away from the church, but sometimes by staying in it, but without being open to a deepening life with God.
Hosea and Jesus both recognize the danger for the rituals of religion to replace the relationship of faith. They see the perils of offering religious observances rather than our true selves. But that’s not what God wants. God desires mercy, not sacrifice. The knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. God wants relationship with us, not lip service. Knowing, not merely knowledge. And that desire applies to those in church, out of church, and coming back to church.
Being faithful means neither walking away nor hiding in place, but instead seeking depth of relationship and transformation of life. Religion based solely on intellectual assent or perfunctory rituals will not stand the test of time and the vagaries of life. We do ourselves and our children no favors by insisting that we keep our heads bowed and our questions repressed.
So what do we do in the face of our uncertainty? The people in Hosea’s time said, “We press on to know the Lord.” (Hosea 6:3) That’s exactly what Abraham and Matthew did. They both left their comfortable lives without full knowledge or perfect understanding. They pressed on to know the Lord.
Martha Hickman says, “There is a classic line of thought in Christian spirituality that says the way to test the validity of the faith is to act as though it is true and see what happens.” (Healing After Loss, page for June 7) Abraham and Matthew certainly validated their faith by following as if it were true. And they saw what happened! They lived more fully into righteousness—right relationship with God and one another. They were blessed and became a blessing.
By understanding faith as an ever-deepening relationship with the Divine, rather than mere religious rituals and doctrinal understanding, we provide time and space to press on to know the Lord and realize we are fully known. Instead of walking away from the church or hiding behind mere ritual, we walk this way of Love and see what happens. Like Matthew, we will see the sick healed, the dead raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.
So if you are worried about your faith, relax. Seek and you will find. Knock and that door will be opened to you. Because like in any relationship, the first requirement is a willing and committed partner. God is steadfast, merciful, available, and kind. Ready, willing, and able to joyfully receive us as the father welcomed his returning son and like a mother never forgets the child of her womb.
The next part is up to us, but it is already initiated by the Holy Spirit and will continue to be supported by that same Spirit. Press on to know the Lord. Make it a matter of daily prayer. Ask for the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to flow into your life. Pray for your heart to be opened so that you not only know about God, but also that you know God…and know that you are fully known.
Press on to know the Lord. See what happens. This is the life of faith.
— Fr. AJ Heine, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church of Staunton
Second Sunday After Pentecost, June 11, 2023
Readings: Hosea 5:15 – 16:6; Psalm 50:7-15; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
