Skip to main content

Faith After Doubt: - Doubting Brian-A Review

 


Doubting Brian

Faith After Doubt:

Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do About It

By

  Brian D. McLaren

Reviewed by

  Geoffrey W. Sutton

Faith After Doubt reads like a spiritual memoir and, no doubt, many will find Brain’s ideas helpful. He writes well, and judging by various reviews online, he has met the needs of a lot of followers.

For young thoughtful Christians doubt can be an unwelcome guest who stays too long and keeps returning as if doubt were oblivious to the not so subtle rejection of a hostile host. McLaren embraces doubt as a catalyst to spiritual growth. His welcoming attitude toward doubt may help those struggling to close the door.

Some readers appear to have appreciated his four-stages of faith, which are frequently referred to in the book. Here’s a quick look.

1. Simplicity- Christians accept the simple faith they have been taught and many remain in that stage their entire life.

2. Complexity- Christians are learning about their faith. They are thinking and asking questions.

3. Perplexity- Christians develop scepticism regarding official teachings and churches.

4. Harmony- Christians find peace. They no longer worry about unanswered questions. Spirituality is experienced as a deep love for others and a deep connectedness with people and nature.

If the message about doubt helps, by all means read the book. If the stages of spirituality help frame your spiritual journey, then this book may be helpful. I have found some of his other books to be more interesting.

My primary difficulties with Faith After Doubt are twofold. First, His stage theory is not convincing. The stages are not supported by evidence or an in-depth analysis of the struggles of dozens or hundreds of people sharing a set of distinctive features. The flow from one stage to another is too imprecise and the role of doubt needs more clarity.

Second, he does not plumb the depths of the pain people experience during their bouts with doubt that rock their childlike faith. Brian’s discussion is too cognitive. I’m looking for that depth of emotion that plagues so many intelligent Christians. And I want to know the different ways they come to grips with spirituality.

I come to this book from a different perspective than those who have not studied religiosity from a scientific perspective or treated people whose mental health has been affected by their faith. So, I do not wish to overly critical of Brian’s work, which I hope helps a lot of people. For those looking for a more academic approach, see the writings of Julie Exline on spiritual struggles.

 

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE - A book review

  JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE How White Evangelicals        Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation By    Kristin Kobes Du Mez Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton   Kristin Kobes Du Mez begins and ends her assault on militaristic white American evangelical men with their contemporary sociopolitical leader, former president, Donald Trump. In the Introduction we learn the short doctrinal list of what it means to be a Bible-believing evangelical, but the author posits that American evangelicals are more than a set of theological statements. Instead, since the early 1900s they have embraced a John Wayne view of what it means to be a Christian man—a powerful warrior for country and God—a man who leads his troops into battle to uphold the values of God’s chosen people, the Americans. It was the title, Jesus and John Wayne , that was off-putting. I didn’t grow up with John Wayne films or a love of American westerns. I was after...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why I am not a Christian - Bertrand Russell - A book Review

 Why I Am Not A         Christian By   Bertrand Russell Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   I am still surprised by the memory of a professor at a highly conservative college who included Russell’s book, Why I am not a Christian as assigned reading in a Philosophy of Christianity class. I don’t recall what the professor said about the collection of essays so many years ago. However, it is a classic work and deserves at least a look by those like me interested in the psychology of religion and related fields like philosophy. The lead essay answers the author’s question in the title. It was presented as a lecture at the Battersea Town Hall (London, England) in 1927. His logical thinking is evident early on as he attempts to define the concept, Christian . He considers a few options and concludes first, that a Christian must believe in God and immortality, and second, a Christian must at least think of Christ as the “best and wis...
Post a Comment
Read more

Progressive Christianity - Book List Reviews or Summaries

  The Way Understanding Progressive Christianity Book Reviews One way to understand a movement is to read what the leaders have written. The progressive Christian movement, like any Christian movement, can be difficult to describe in detail because there is no one authoritative body or voice. Instead, there are many voices. I hesitate to offer too many descriptive statements because there are surely some who will disagree. Nevertheless, I will list a few trends then list some of the books by writers with progressive perspectives. See the book reviews by clicking the highlighted titles below. Progressive Christians emphasize: A focus on the life and teachings of Jesus when interpreting scripture and thinking morally about current social issues. An appreciation of what it means to truly love God and one’s neighbour as oneself when it comes to compassionate behaviour and promoting justice for all. A commitment to following Jesus' example of meeting the immediate needs of peo...
Post a Comment
Read more