Is Doubt a Virtue?

Recently I have had some very interesting discussions on facebook about doubt. The following is a correspondence between myself and a good friend of mine about the nature of doubt as a Christian.

Friend:        "I have personally seen that doubt can be essential to one's faith. Not all doubt is bad. Healthy doubting forces us to continuously examine God and ourselves to make sure that our faith doesn't become stale and stagnant. What at first may appear to be a betrayal can, when examined more closely, be revealed as a deeper fidelity."

Me:        You are walking a fine line in reference to doubt. On the one hand you are listing as a virtue something that the Bible nowhere refers to as such. On the other hand it is hard to imagine a definition of faith that does not require some element of doubt. Some suggest that Hebrews 11:1-2 offers a definition of faith that requires absolute certainty, but I would suggest something more complicated. I tend to think that faith is strongest when epistemological certainty is unavailable, but extreme action is taken regardless. In other words, if there is a degree of doubt in your mind, but no doubt demonstrated by your actions then you have great faith.

A Different Friend:     "Who is the author of doubt?"

Friend:     "Jesus is. Look at what happened on the Crucifixion. It is the place where God doubts God. God rids himself of God. He says, "My God, my God, why did you abandon me?" He said this in Aramaic, not in Hebrew. If he had been quoting from the Old Testament he would have said it in Hebrew. Since he was a Jew and whenever they speak from Scripture they speak it in its original language out of reverence. It shows it wasn't just some divine play. Jesus was being human. Experiencing loss and abandonment. I understand I may be reading between the lines, but I don't think there is anything wrong with doing so. The Jews do this and think this. The spaces are just as sacred as the words themselves. They encourage multiple interpretations. The Bible is like a many sided jewel that when turned in the hands yields different views. The jewel itself never actually changes, but the way the light plays through it shows us infinite perspectives. 

I know full well that I am walking a fine line. That's why I have others … to keep me from straying away from our faith. I understand that the Bible nowhere explicitly states doubt as a virtue. But like I said above it doesn't mean it isn't there (reading between the lines)."

Me:     Peter would never have known the comfort and security to be found in Christ if he had not doubted Him among the wind and the waves. Certainly the doubt Peter experienced that day on the water incited one of the most life-altering experiences of Peter's life. To this extent one could argue that Peter's doubt was valuable. However, it was not inherently so, which was made clear when Christ scolded him for his doubt. The doubt opened up an opportunity for Christ to prove Himself to Peter in a special way. But the virtue of Peter's doubt is found solely in the experienced salvation, not in the doubt itself. Thus there are two issues of concern when elevating doubt itself to the level of virtue. First, Jesus scolded Peter for his doubt. Second, to intentionally doubt (the same way one might intentionally apply other virtues) would be to test God, since the virtue of doubt is found only in the experienced salvation from doubt that God may provide. Testing God in this fashion is also frowned upon in Scripture.

God is faithful and has promised to present believers before Him pure and holy - adorned in His righteousness. Until then doubt will creep up. However, God has several methods of addressing doubts, including His Word and faithful teachers of His Word. This being the case, there must be certain things about which God does not want us to doubt. There are certain things which God has stated and taught clearly, about which doubt can never be a virtue. So the question is this: which elements of theology, which propositions, ideas, or facts may a Christian appropriately doubt without undermining the underpinnings of the faith?

Finally, I have a very hard time equating Christ's ultimate suffering on the cross when He endured the full penalty of the sin of all humankind and the Trinity itself was voluntarily severed - finally uttering eloi eloi lama sabachthani as He experienced the ultimate spiritual agony - I have a hard time equating all that with the petty doubt that we sometimes experience when confronted by differing ideologies. Even if one could correctly describe Christ's experience as "doubt", surely you would recognize that this experience by Christ was meant to reconcile our relationship with God, not to vindicate our voluntary evisceration of the relationship He died to save.

Friend:      "You are missing my point. I apologize for not being capable of explaining my thoughts better. Hopefully someday I will be able to better articulate what I am discovering. I'm not as far off from a close read of the Scriptures as it may appear. I'm trying to clear the grime and dust that has collected on the spectacles of my worldview, keeping in mind that I can't and shouldn't entirely abolish it since it is a part of what makes me who I am. I have grown up being told all these things you are arguing for. I've heard it all before. I have gotten tired of being told what to think, I want to learn how to think. For myself. I am at a point in my life where I must do the hard work of searching for myself. I believe I have found a better way, for myself at least. If I come to a point later in my life were it all comes full circle, great. I can't wait to get there. Until that time comes, though, I am not going to force my journey on others, because it probably won't work for them. I am just eager to share with others what I am learning because it is exciting and I will never stop being hungry or thirsty for God and what He wants to show me. What I have come to understand makes sense because my past and present life has brought me here. And I think that were I am right now is where God wants me. Of that I have no doubt."

Me:      I think I might have a grasp on what you are trying to say. Perhaps there is a better way to communicate the intellectual/spiritual struggling than the word "doubt". Doubt often implies intentional skepticism and a narrowing epistemology - usually to the extent that human experience is elevated above Scripture. I don't think this is quite what you are suggesting. If I am understanding you correctly then I think the turmoil and turbulence that you have compared to Christ's agony on the cross could also be compared to Solomon's "Vanity of vanities" in Ecclesiastes or Job's desperate spiritual searching in lieu of his extreme suffering. Maybe the best way to describe this category of Christian experience, while "doubt" could work, is "wrestling with God". Jacob wrestled with God and God changed his name to "Israel" - wrestles with God. Right now, by your admission, you are an Israelite - not by genealogy, but by etymology. You are one who wrestles with God. This is not necessarily bad, and is sometimes spiritually healthy, but can also leave you with a limp!

I think there is another element to the "doubt" that you are describing - that is a reaction against the sort of intellectual arrogance frequently perceptible among both prominent theologians and Pharisaical Christians. Dogmatic humility is a lost virtue in many churches, and yes, this certainly is a virtue. However, even the theologically meek must be prepared to react against the wolves in sheep's clothing of whom we are warned.

My above comment is not so much a critique of Solomon, Job, or Jacob/Israel. And certainly not against dogmatic humility or theological meekness. On the other hand, mine is a criticism of the intentional skepticism that can drive an intellectual stake between the Lover and us, the beloved.