What Do You Believe?

A decade ago I received a call from a local pastor I knew about his 25 year old daughter. “Clare, Jane (not her real name) just told us she’s not sure she believes everything we believe the Bible teaches. Which of course makes us sad and afraid for her salvation. Any ideas?

So, a week later we’re all sitting together at a coffee shop. I’d never met Jane so I began as I usually do with asking her to take 15-20 minutes to share a bit about her life and dreams and of course her faith journey. She was bright, articulate and still considered herself a Christian. But she had doubts about the creation story, what she discribed as the genocide of the people in Canaan, what she perceived as inconsistencies in the Bible and the idea that there is only one way to God. And why has Jesus not returned yet? Jane wasn’t hostile to Christianity but honestly trying to figure this out. It appeared that her doubts were undermining her faith in Jesus as well.

So now it was my turn so I asked her, “What do you believe?” Then I was silent. “What do you mean, what do I believe? Believe about what?” she asked. “All things Christian. You say you’re not sure you believe what your parents, or the church believes and you just told me some of the things you have doubts about. So here’s what I’m asking you to do. Take a few weeks, or months and write down what you believe about God, creation, sin and where it came from, Jesus and why you think he came to earth, was he actually God, the Kingdom of God and how Christians are to live it out in their lives today. Will there be a judgement some day? Is there a Heaven and a Hell and what kind of people end up there? Do you believe God was the inspiration for Bible?”

“Jane, I know it sounds like a lot of work. But what you believe, or don’t believe about all these things will define the direction of your entire life and in the life to come. It will also affect who you marry and how you will raise your children if you chose to have them. It should affect how to spend you money, use your time. In other words, what you believe, right or wrong about spiritual things is the most important task for any human. If you chose not to, as most people do you are likely to simply wander through life with an ill-defined worldview, ‘whistling through the graveyard,’ hoping you got most of it right.”

Jane was overwhelmed with the task and did not commit to doing it at that meeting. So I left it this way. “Jane, if you ever decide to do it don’t feel like to have to complete everything like term paper. I’d be happy to meet with you again and discuss what you’ve written so far. I’d recommend you come with a friend and not your parents so you don’t hold back anything you believe will hurt them.” And the meeting ended.

Four months later Jane called and emailed what she’d written. We met again for coffee with a close Christian girlfriend. My first question to her was,”Well, what surprised you the most about this exercise?” “I’m surprised that I’m more of a Christian than I thought I was.” Jane still had her doubts but none that I believe would disqualify her from salvation. We never met again.

But then two months ago I walked into a local store and this now mid 30s woman came up to me. “Mr De Graaf, do you remember me,?” She asked. “Not at gun-point,” I replied honestly. And of course it was Jane, now married with two kids. After a few minutes I asked her about where she was spiritually and she named a good local church she attended and that her husband was a good godly guy. We parted and I may never see her again.

I still have no idea what part the little exercise I asked her to do played in her spiritual formation. But since then I’ve encouraged many of the men I work with who are having doubts to do the same. Perhaps you have a child, or grandchild who is done hearing from you. It may be the Holy Spirit’s time to speak to them by writing what they believe.

“As a man thinks, so he is in his heart.” Proverbs 27:3b