~ Capturing an idea with a word ~
Faith
The world would have us believe the word faith is devoid of the fundamental elements of reason: logic and evidence.
From Dictionary.com
Faith – 2. belief that is not based on proof
But is that the idea the word faith is meant to convey? Especially biblical faith? In its most clear and concise wording, the Bible defines faith as:
Confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1
Upon reflection, the reader must wonder: from under what magical rock does assurance creep?
Hint: The answer begins with the letter “e”.
If it is to be suggested that faith is not in conflict with proof, then what idea is to be captured with the word faith when used in the Christian context?
The authors of the below linked articles and videos offer great insight to the idea of faith:
Legend
(s) short
(l) long
(r) repeated information from above article/video but told through a different voice.
(*) a favorite article/video of the Stuart
Articles:
- Reason and Faith Are Not Opposites by Lenny Esposito, ComeReason.org – (s)
- Faith & Wishing by Greg Koukl, STR.org – (l)
- Faith, Trust, and Evidence by Tom Price, RZIM.org – (s)
- Clearing the Fog: “Christianity Doesn’t Need Evidence Because Faith is Blind” by Sean McDowell, SeanMcDowell.org – (s, r)
- Is Ignorance Necessary to Preserve Faith by Greg Koukl, STR.org – (l)
- You gotta have faith! by Steve Wilcox, BeThinking.org – (s)
- What is Faith? A Look at 1 Corinthians 15 by Eric Chabot, ThinkingApologetics.com – (s)
- Faith and Facts by Greg Koukl, STR.org – (l)
Videos:
- How Should We Define Faith William Lane Craig, ReasonableFaith.org – (s, *)
- Challenge Response: Faith Is Gullibility Alan Shlemon, STR.org – (l)
Irony, never one to sit silent when a skeptic wanders too close to the Bazaar for Gullibles, sells hard the argument that the above verse, Hebrews 11:1, promotes blind faith. The authors of the below linked articles highlight the absurdity of that ironic bauble.
Articles:
- Doesn’t the Bible Say True Faith is Blind? by J. Warner Wallace, ColdCaseChristianity.com – (s)
- Why Do People Completely Misunderstand the Word “Faith?” by Eric Chabot, ThinkApologetics.com – (l)
In parsing the words of Hebrews 11:1, it becomes clear irony relies mightily on the skeptic’s ignorance of the term hope, specifically, hope as used in the biblical narrative. The below linked articles shed light on this critical word.
Articles:
- What is the Christian’s hope? from GotQuestions.org – (s)
- Hope by J. Hampton Keathley, III, Bible.org – (l)
And finally, some words swimming in the brain goo:
Faith ~ Trust forged in the fires of evidence and experience.
An important note about the linked articles/videos on this page:
All the articles/videos linked within The Armory were written by authors who produced the material for other websites. None of the websites or authors of the linked material are associated with the Christian Faith Armory website.
The purpose for The Armory is to lead the seeker to those trained authors and resource websites that can provide informed opinion and analysis on the subject topics.
i.e. this is an aggregating website for Christian Apologetics. When you discover an article/video that you feel speaks directly to you, please spend time on that website for you may find an author who can speak in a voice heard by your heart.