As I mentioned in the last post - over the next few days or weeks I want to interact with Chris Folmsbee over at A New Kind of Youth Ministry on the topic of Five Dangerous Things. Here is how Chris introduced it,

So, here are five dangerous things I suggest we should let our students do (feel free to comment and add to the list!) Like Gever, I really have 6 but I think that 4 and 4.5 go hand in hand…

1. Dance with doubt
2. Discover truth for themselves
3. Disengage from reality every now and then
4. Dispatch their story, not someone elses
4.5 Determine their own future
5. Deconstruct what they are told, see and come to “know”

So today I would like to explore why I think, dancing with doubt - is a necessary and important risky behavior for adolescents and adults alike to engage in.

It seems to me to be self-evident that to “live by faith” is to also “live by doubt.”

No?

In my limited experience as I look at the topic of faith - the shadow side of faith is doubt. Doubt comes with a healthy dose of faith. For to live by faith is not a life of certainty - but a life where we step into the dark (see Paul - “we live by faith not by sight”). To live by faith is to live a life of hope; a life of trusting that despite where I see things now - I choose to trust in a positive future. A life where we bank on what is to come; not what is. To live in such a way that we trust in what we “see” and believe if only in part; not completely known or clearly perceived.

To live such a life is one where questions, riddles and doubt are surely to arise. For faith is not fact. Facts are hard, provable, testable true-isms. Faith is not necessary in light of such evidence. God, on the other hand, demands faith - for without it we hear, it is impossible to please the Almighty. So it seems that with the life of faith we are destined to encounter moments, seasons or even years of doubt. I would assert though that doubt doesn’t need to be an enemy or foe to our faith.

Those who live a faith-full and authentic life seem to learn how to “befriend” their doubts. They seem to “dance with their doubts” in a sense. They see doubt as a necessary part of growing in their faith. For doubts can:

1. Test us and help us ask questions that lead us to see our own faults or misconceptions, and limitations.
2. Lead us up new pathways to new vistas from where we can see reality a bit more clearly.
3. Show us that our once dearly held values were actually wrong - that some questions are just not that important in the grand scheme of things.
4. Reveal that God’s ways are often hidden to us; but ultimately God’s Character reveals He is worth following.

As we explore our doubts our faith matures. Moving us from a childish faith to an adolescent faith to a young adult faith to a middle-aged faith and so on. It is often our doubts and “faith crises” that serves as the impetus to open our ears, hearts and hands to receive a greater and more vital trust in the Mystery.

Dancing with Doubt calls young people to risk befriending their doubts, to cooperate and even “follow” their quandaries rather than running from an imagined foe. Dancing with Doubt helps adolescents become familiar with the process of interacting with their questions and conundrums; not seeing them as fatal but as opportunities to face doubts faith-fully. For doubt is something that honest and maturing Christ-followers must engage in not just once; but often as they walk after the Master. If you have ever watched “dancing with stars” you can also appreciate that for the “non-dancer” - it ain’t easy; it is a lot of hard work. We need to help folks as soon as they are able to get used to the process and the disorienting feeling of living with and struggling with doubt, as people of faith. It demands that parents, youth workers, and caring adults are honest, reassuring, patient and not too quick to provide 3 steps to overcoming doubts kind of messages. I have found often with kids - listening and “being there” is often a wonderful remedy to helping young people be able to begin to befriend their doubt and realize that the issue isn’t as scary or as paralyzing as it first appeared (the dance begins!).

Let us consider how we can make such a dangerous activity a part of our ministry with adolescents. Let us model how we as adults have faced times of doubting. Let’s take the stigma away from doubting in our communities and let’s celebrate the value of the shadow side of our faith. Crank up the tunes and let’s dance with our doubts (I am doing the “how’d I get here hustle” as I write this!).