POD 023 | Navigating Uncertainty: Exploring Tough Questions on Faith and Christianity
Download MP3Have you ever looked at the Christian faith and wondered, “But What About...?” In this episode, Bill Gorman is joined by special guest Ben Beasley, interim campus pastor at our Leawood Campus, while they explore the "But What About...?" series, which addresses tough questions head-on. Whether you are a firm believer or wrestling with uncertainties, we will all have moments of doubt and wrestling. Bill and Ben discuss their own "but what about" questions, emphasizing the importance of patience, charity, and epistemological humility in working through doubts and questions. They also share their hopes for the series, which includes modeling a healthy approach to addressing tensions and guiding listeners towards humble confidence in their faith. Join us as we dive into this thought-provoking sermon series with an aim to know Jesus more and be his hands and feet in our community and world.
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Patience and charity are essential when grappling with tough questions or doubts in our faith journey. Be patient with ourselves and others, recognizing that these questions are not only intellectual but also have emotional and personal aspects. It's important to extend grace and charity to those who are wrestling with difficult questions.
- Wrestling with doubts and questions is an important part of Christian formation. There is a deep significance in engaging with doubts, questions, and tensions as part of the journey of faith. This engagement, done in a healthy way, can lead individuals toward Jesus instead of away from Him.
- The "But What About" series aims to address tough questions head-on, including topics such as the church, the Bible, the treatment of women, Christian sexual ethics, politics, suffering, and hell. The goal is not only to provide the truth but also to present a vision of human flourishing and beauty, fostering a sense of humble confidence and trust in the Christian faith. The series also encourages the community to engage with the Bible to resolve tensions and provide insights into these challenging topics.
#theFormedlife #ButWhatAbout #ToughQuestions #ChristianFaith #SpiritualJourney #DoubtsAndQuestions #BiblicalTruth #ChurchCommunity #HealthyDoubt #HumanFlourishing
GUEST BIO:
Ben Beasley enjoys communicating God’s Word in speech and writing, and he is interested in the church as a place of transformation for people individually and collectively. He is fond of exploring the many questions of faith and spiritual formation by engaging with the works of authors, poets, and artists. Ben received his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.
QUOTES:
"I think just about doubt being an important part of our Christian formation, even or wrestling with these questions being an important part of our Christian formation. Even the word Israel in Hebrew is ‘to wrestle with God’."
— Ben Beasley
"We can trust that there have been Christians going before who've wrestled thoughtfully with many of these questions. Seek out those thoughtful Christians who have done that work, and look for those resources."
— Ben Beasley
“We want to be patient with ourselves because there are a lot of reasons we can be asking these questions at different points in our lives. These questions will bubble up, and Some of those reasons aren't only intellectual reasons, and we just have to be patient with ourselves and grace-filled with our own selves as we seek to find responses, thoughtful responses, and answers to these questions."
— Ben Beasley
RESOURCES:
Spirituality of the Psalms - Walter Brueggemann
After Doubt: How to Question Faith Without Losing It - AJ Swoboda
The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism - Timothy Keller
Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion - Rebecca McLaughlin
theFormed.life - Sermon Series Resources
theFormed.life - Sermon Series Resources
KEYWORDS:
timepiece, patience, questions, intellectual, grace-filled, thoughtful responses, doubts, Christian faith, uncertainties, deconstruction, hope, sermon series, personal questions, journey, theology, faith, intellectual interest, Hell, suffering, Christian development, prophecy, healing, scripture, spiritual development, gift, community, humble confidence, Bible, church, women, sexual ethics, politics, suffering, disorientation, reorientation, epistemological humility, wrestling with God, truth, human flourishing, truth, Jesus, beauty, resources, Tim Keller, Reason for God, Rebecca McLaughlin, Questioning Christianity, national park service ranger, research librarian, poet, writer
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introducing a new sermon series, exploring "what about" questions.
03:47 Wrestling with the concept of hell and suffering.
07:57 Questions about Bible trust and suffering.
11:24 Patience and charity in seeking answers.
14:17 Community support is essential for our faith journey.
20:06 Upcoming topics in the sermon series.
