Faith, according to the letter to the Hebrews, “is the essence of things that are hoped for, the inner conviction about things which are not seen.” It’s about having the courage to stick with what you believe when everyone else is trying to point you in a different direction. In a recent Leadership Journal article, Brian McLaren has said that the heroes of church history began as reflective Christians who doubted what everyone else took for granted.
Martin Luther doubted that the “indulgences” being sold by the church were effective. John Wesley doubted that preaching could only occur in churches. Phineas Bresee (founder of the Nazarenes) doubted that respectable Christians should avoid poor people. Martin Luther King doubted that people should be segregated on the basis of ethnicity.
So what sorts of accepted wisdom do I doubt? I doubt that the continued decline of the church in Australia is inevitable. I doubt that Australians are any more unresponsive to the Good News than any other group of people. I doubt that we should be putting our national interests ahead of people who are living in poverty. I doubt that it is morally justifiable to imprison refugees. I doubt that conservatism is compatible with following Jesus. There are so many things to doubt.