Saturday, January 23, 2021

The Rev. Rob Stevens

Faith

I often wonder about the words and phrases of our life. Often we become so accustomed to hearing the words that we forget what they mean or perhaps just become bored with hearing them. I seek to write this article and to live my life “in good faith,” yet even as I do I wonder what faith means to you and to me today.

Faith is thought of as a holy belief by some and an unholy delusion by others. I think faith occurs at the intersection of these two worldviews. Much of the conversation about faith has transpired in a way that makes it sound like a possession, which is not surprising given the capitalistic society that we support. However, faith is not a possession. Frederick Buechner writes, “Faith is better understood as a verb than a noun, as a process than a possession.” So much of the dialogue, or rather simultaneous monologue, that occurs today is about the “proof” of this or that. These debates tend to lead away from much that can be called life-giving, but instead draw more lines and divides us further.

This type of certainty seems to me to be the opposite of faith. Faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things yet unseen.” Or if you prefer St. Webster instead of St. Paul faith is “belief not based on logical proof or material evidence.” So in that certainty does not have much room. I appreciate much more the wisdom of novelist Doris Betts’s assertion that faith is not synonymous with certainty [but] is the decision to keep your eyes open.” This definition of faith encourages dialogue with those who are different and views diversity of opinion as opportunity rather than threat. Many of us seek to live a “life of faith.” This means many things to many people, yet I offer that a life of faith is primarily a realigning of true relationship, not a list of “things I believe,” but the continual process of learning (and relearning) what it means to love God, my neighbor and myself.

Onward friends, with Faith.