Faith & Doubt
How do you know what you know? It is the question that has plagued philosophers (and bored 101 classes) since the enlightenment. It is that horribly dethroning thought that challenges the very foundations of man’s obsession with himself. It is the song the scientist won’t sing and that the existentialist chants into meaninglessness. Are you sure? Really Sure?
This is theme of the latest John Patrick Shanley film, ‘Doubt.’ You know, the guy who directed the Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan film. Not that one, or that one. And just like in Joe vs. the Volcano, Shanley pulls together some giants in Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep, and uses them just as well. The film is set in the excessively chaotic ‘60s not long after the assassination of JFK, and smack-dab in the middle of Vatican II. And this backdrop is perfect for the film’s exploration of certainty in the midst of uncertain circumstances.
In the story we meet a ‘new-school’ priest (Hoffman), teaching on things like the humanity of doubt and the havoc of gossip, clashing head-on with the ‘old-school’ nun (Streep)who forbids the slightest form of disrespect and the use of ball-point pens. It’s a classic tale. But what makes this film unique is that it constantly refuses to allow either character to be overly sentimental, or fall into lifeless stereotypes. The acting throughout the film is what drives the viewer to engage the pathos and complexity of the characters.
The film brilliantly frames what should be a black and white story in perpetual shades of grey, all because of that pesky remainder of doubt. The crux of the film is when certainty itself is said to be more rooted in the affections than in actual logical foundations. The difficult thing is that this is more true than many church-folk would like to believe.
When we consider the nature of faith, we have to see it against the backdrop of combative uncertainty. That is to say, that on this side of eternity no one will experience truth in such a way that we are fundamentally persuaded beyond all doubt. The assumption then is that faith does not exist without its accompanying doubt. The theologian put it this way:
When we stress that faith ought to be certain and secure we do not have in mind a certainty without doubt, or a security without anxiety. Rather, we affirm that believers have a perpetual struggle with their own lack of faith, and are far from possessing a peaceful conscience, never interrupted by any disturbance.
To doubt is human. Faith, until it is perfected, is to hope beyond your own ability to know with certainty. It is in this hope, tirelessly wracked with doubt, that we are rescued from our undying self-love, from that pretentious thought that we might just define what is true in the universe. Do you have doubts?
‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…’
[...] For our first podcast, we interview Jared Wilson, a thinkling, a pastor of Element in Nashville, TN and author of the just released book “Your Jesus is Too Safe“. We also discuss Jared’s post ‘Faith & Doubt‘. [...]