J.R. Briggs

doubt :: night: “When you are lost you are not alone.”

May 29, 2009

On Tuesday night we hosted another doubt :: night at Third & Walnut Bar. About 30 to 40 people came out to air out their doubts about God, life, Jesus, the Bible, Church and/or faith. We pretty much run the spectrum of people: agnostics, Christians, atheists, “spiritual seekers”, those into the New Age movement and those who say they “like Jesus but not the baggage that comes with him.” 50-somethings and college students. Those who are vocal and those that come just to listen.

I love it.

The structure is easy: We pay for appetizers. People are on their own with drinks. And we facilitate a conversation for about 2 hours. I love these nights because they are saturated with incredible honesty, as well as uncertainty and deep longing. There was also pain, and tears and lots of why? I started by drawing the distinction between doubt and unbelief (we often get those mixed up) and mentioned that expressing our doubts takes a lot of courage, but that it can be incredibly helpful to be honest about our doubts as we’re traveling on this spiritual journey. I read a quote from the recently released film Doubt, where Father Flynn (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is preaching his sermon during Mass. He ends the sermon by stating: “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.”

My friend Kyle, who was in an accident 18 months ago that left him paralyzed from the chest down, asked the most poignant and courageous question of the evening: Where was God the day of my accident? Kyle told me that this week is the first time that he’s really been able to ask those tough questions of God.

We changed the format just a bit and shaped the evening around five questions:

[1] Describe a time when you were the most riddled with doubt. Why then?

[2] Describe a time when you had little to no doubts. Why then?

[3] If God (if you believe in his existence) never answered your doubts would that change the way you feel about him?

[4] What you do you long to believe in?

[5] What doubts do you have?

How would you answer these questions?

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