Some thoughts about faith:

Because this rotating newspaper column explicitly formulates itself around the general topic of faith, perhaps a brief, direct look at faith itself could be interesting.

In the Christian Bible, Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Following that statement, the chapter refers back in time to persons of note in the Hebrew Bible. Their faith carried them through times of uncertainty and made them courageous. Individuals, families, and communities were sustained because of faith in God.

Throughout the centuries of those listed faithful ones, there were surely times of doubt … after all, modern readers of the Scriptures can see the past so much clearer than those who lived it could see the future. The reality of their doubt is important to note because so many people today experience doubts when it comes to matters of faith, and many of them berate themselves because of it. While such self-critique might be predictable, it is not necessary.

A modern expression regarding faith by Anne Lamott in her book “Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith” becomes helpful: “The opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is certainty.” Doubt is part of the faith experience because it introduces the strugglesome worth of self-examination. Doubt invites our faith to be more honest, and therefore all the sweeter when rewarded by God’s attention. If considered more directly, it could be said that our faith is a holy trust held both in anticipation of AND in witness to God’s faithfulness to us.

It is further helpful to recognize that when Jesus encountered people during his earthly sojourn, he invited them into faith, not into a belief system, and it is the theological task of the God-seeker to understand the difference. Faith is not a rigid adherence to a strict set of required beliefs — such is more akin to what is sometimes called superstition. Faith is the rule of following. However, a belief system is the tool of control, and it comes into play when one wishes to determine an outcome, either of oneself or of others. The result can be positive if the intent is to instigate healthy discipline into one’s own life, but the result can also be negative if the intent is to manipulate or bend the will of another for selfish advantage.

Faith is the surrender to God that sets people free … free to grow, to learn, to repent, to change, to hope, to heal, to forgive, and to invite others into an authentic experience of faith in God.

Another compelling aspect of faith is that when Jesus was inviting people to faith, he was also inviting them away from fear. Sometimes he mentioned faith, and sometimes he mentioned fear, but both invitations are part of the freeing welcome to true life that was being offered. Fear is what separates people who should be part of the same community. It is what rips apart families and churches and denominations and countries. Members of each of these institutions do well to remember that Jesus invited people away from fear, not away from conversation. Yet where fear forces the conclusion that what is different is damaging, faith has already been abandoned.

Thankfully, the invitation remains for those who want another try at it, and God’s faithful-ness toward people prevails.

Steve Patterson is the lead pastor of Saint Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist Church, 20 Pope Ave., Hilton Head Island.