A review by theologiaviatorum
Benefit of the Doubt: Breaking the Idol of Certainty by Gregory A. Boyd

informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

I thoroughly enjoyed the book but it is much more about faith than it is about the benefits of doubt. In this book he redefines the way we think about faith. First, faith is not an emotional or psychological sense of certainty. Second, it is instead a conviction based upon evidence which leads one to act. It doesn't have to be certain for us to act. "In every area of our lives we find we must commit to a course of action without absolute proof" (47). For example, we go through traffic lights without being certain others will stop at their red lights. We take medicine without absolute certainty that those creating it did so properly. We eat food at restaurants without knowing with certainty that it was prepared properly. We get married without absolute certainty that our partners have been honest with us. "The truth is we could do very little if we weren't willing to act on faith" (47). So Boyd places faith in a covenental context focused on Jesus, not a psychological one. So long as we have faith enough that Jesus is God in the flesh who died and was resurrected then we can commit to a life with him. No matter what other questions or doubts we have, if those remain true then we can continue the life of faith. If the Bible has errors, we may need to rethink what we believe about inspiration but Jesus is still Lord. If evolution is true then we may change how we read Genesis 1-11, but Jesus is still resurrected. If this or that moral question seems ambiguous, the tomb is still empty. So long as we are convinced of the cross-resurrection event then we can live with all other doubts. In Calvary "we are seeing *all* of God's *true* character" 193) and that is where our faith lies. So "faith isn't about striving for certainty. It's about striving to remain faithful in the midst of uncertainty" (213). I love his Christocentric faith and I recommend it to any Christian struggling with questions concerning Christianity.