We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
Quotes to Chew On: Doubt
Marcus Goodyear wrote an article back in 2011 reflecting on Mother Teresa’s experience of doubt. Many now know that although Mother Teresa worked tirelessly in the slums of Calcutta, she struggled with doubt and spiritual isolation most of her life. Marcus finds this comforting in some way, and he relates to her commitment to act in the midst of her struggles.
From the article
And this is the biggest encouragement of all. Even Mother Theresa had doubts. Her doubts give me more hope than any argument about the power of doubt to help us question ourselves—even as helpful as those arguments may be. Her doubt gives me hope, not that my own doubt will go away, but that feelings of doubt are not as powerful as a faithful decision to act.
I may doubt, but I still pray. I still go to church. I still worship. I may doubt, but I still come to work. I still write these articles. I still lead my team with the most confidence I can muster, shielding them from as much clutter and nonsense as I can, but hiding nothing out of fear or shame.
Doubt is a feeling, but faith chooses to act no matter our feelings.
Category: General
Tags: Doubt, Mother Teresa, Quotes
Related Reading
Reflecting on the Conference and Cynicism
We had such a great time this weekend at the Faith, Doubt & the Idol of Certainty conference. People came from all over the United States and it was good to get a chance to connect. We’re more convinced than ever that God is up to something beautiful and real. You’ll be hearing more about…
Quotes to Chew On: Religious Violence
“The myth of religious violence promotes a dichotomy between us in the secular West who are rational and peacemaking, and them, the hordes of violent religious fanatics in the Muslim world. Their violence is religious, and therefore irrational and divisive. Our violence, on the other hand, is rational, peacemaking, and necessary. Regrettably, we find ourselves forced to bomb them into the higher rationality.” ~William Cavanaugh,…
Secret Doubt
J L via Compfight We don’t usually do this, but Jessica Kelley (Henry’s mom) over at Jess in Process wrote a piece about her struggles with doubt, and we got her permission to reprint it in its entirety. She perfectly represents the basic premise of Greg’s upcoming book Benefit of the Doubt. Thanks Jess! Secret…
Quotes to Chew On: Desires
Marcos de Madariaga via Compfight Here’s a quote that comes to us via Andrew Sullivan’s blog: “We are rarely presented with an authentically fulfilling trajectory for our desires… If we are created for infinite satisfaction, we really only have three choices about what to do with our desire in this life: We will become either…
Greg’s Interview on The Christian Transhumanist Podcast
Here is an interview I did for The Christian Transhumanist Podcast that I wanted to share with all of you. Micah Redding and I discuss everything from Relativity Theory to Politics. I think you’ll find it interesting, but I want to offer a word of clarification before you listen. At one point in this interview…
How To Seek Theological Truth
If we are really interested in embracing true beliefs, then the last thing we would ever do is to try and convince ourselves that we already embrace true beliefs. A genuine concern for the truth is simply incompatible with a concern to feel certain that one already believes the truth. If a person is really…