Proper Confidence: Faith, Doubt, and Certainty in Christian Discipleship

I recently was in a book discussion of Proper Confidence with a group of graduate students in the sciences and in the humanities. We enjoyed it very much and found it helpful. Newbigin nicely reminded us that we are encultured persons whose thinking is shaped by our culture. The book's opening chapters unfold how we in the West came to think as we do. So, when we in the West say things such as "it is self-evident" that all persons are of equal value and concern, we must realize that it is self-evident only to those whose mindset have been shaped by the biblical story, even if we have jettison belief in that story. Newbigin, former bishop and missionary in India, notes that it is not at all self-evident to Hindus that all persons are created equally. An aside that illustrates Newbigin's comment on what is or isn't self-evident-- I have a medical doctor friend trained at my university who is from India. He said that in India the hospitals were started by Christians because they sought to medically treat all persons irrespective of their "lot in life," where as hospitals were resisted by India's non-Christian communities for assisting the lower castes whose conditions were their assigned lot in life. What "makes sense" to us is of course shaped by our culture. Western culture has moved from ultimate reality being Personal (biblical story), to impersonal (Greek mindset). Both mindsets interact in early Church history. The Fourth Gospel is different from the so-called Synoptic Gospels in that it sought to engage the Greek mindset from the Jesus story: the impersonal "Word" (logos) is personal in the Incarnation. Newbigin ably and concisely shows how we came to see the world as we do then shows that the Jesus story (the Incarnation) is the new starting point and cannot be absorbed into any rival reigning thought structures. But, and here is where some "conservative" Christians got a bit squeamish. Newbigin said that it is a fact that the Christian faith is embedded in a tradition, a story, that can be doubted. He nicely goes on to show that all knowledge is encultured as was the Incarnation. And further, that there is no such thing as an objective, neutral standpoint from which to judge any of the world's stories. Even science itself is not acultural, ahistorical access to nature as it is. Scientists too as scientists walk by faith and not by sight. The book goes on to show that it does not follow from the fact that all knowledge is encultured that none is a true story. On the contrary, we can seek to demonstrate the truth of the Christian faith, not by seeking to show that is reasonable according to the standards of the shifting plausibility structures (here Newbigin takes sides against the "modern" apologetic attempts to do so), but how well the Christian faith accounts or explains the common data we share with others in the world. Newbigin showed how our Western culture moved from reliable knowledge being in the biblical story to being found only in timeless, acultural, ahistorical principles or laws that science, not "faith" discerns and demonstrates. Newbigin nicely argued that the Cartesian drive for certainty ended with nihilism since nothing but mathematical truths cannot be doubted, but not doubted because they have no contact with reality. All knowledge of the real world, including science, can be doubted. That's not a bad thing, but the position of being a creature with bodies in space and time. The question is whether we should believe the Christian story, which helped give rise to science and made it possible, by the way, or some other rival story. I hope to re-read this book again and again. Five stars.

This is a short paperback, but a good piece of lucid writing. Newbigin spent thirty years in India as a missionary, and learned there how to talk about his faith to people who grew up with a different view of how the world is. Then he retired and returned to his native Great Britain, only to discover that his homeland had become a place in which had a different view of how the world is. Newbigin spent another couple of decades learning about the changes that had occurred in society, as well as how the Gospel message fits in with this, and wrote this book at the end of his life. The book describes with great clarity the impact of Cartesian ideas on our society ("Doubt as the path to certainty"), the correction provided by Michael Polanyi and others, and the Biblical picture of how we should think about knowing and believing. The book ends with a marvelous address in three directions: Newbigin defends his conclusions against Catholic natural theology, liberal theology, and fundamentalist theology. It is a really good book, and I recommend it highly. It is already changing the way that I think about apologetics. But it also affects the way I think about my Christian discipleship across the board. Newbigin centers on the person of Christ. This quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer opens the book, and--now that I understand it better--sums up Newbigin's ideas well: Faith alone is certainty. Everything but faith is subject to doubt. Jesus Christ alone is the certainty of faith.

This book is much more profound than one would think. Newbigin unpacks the flawed quest for certainty of the Enlightenment - which also is evident in Fundamentalism (naturally so, as Fundamentalism is a product of the Enlightenment or modernism. It's the Enlightenment in application to religion - particularly with respect to Christian Fundamentalism). The belief one can find certainty ultimately results in nihilism - a loss of reason. And, that morphs into Power (per Nietzsche). This is also quite evident in Fundamentalism. Yet, Newbigin does not morph into postmodern nihilism. He demonstrates that confidence is not found in thinking one can or should arrive at certainty for no one does. He does point to faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus but seems to take more of a "leap" of faith in this event - rather than seeking to investigate it. Obviously, faith is still required; but I find Newbigin to be just a bit lacking in this area as he does not seem to believe any investigation into the "evidence" is necessary (or even point to this). I think this book combined with John Polkinghorne's excellent perspectives on the Resurrection (he approaches the evidence surrounding the resurrection the same way he, as a scientist, approaches evidence for scientific theories). Interestingly, both Polkinghorne and Newbigin point to the seminal and vitally important work of Michael Polanyi (scientist turned philosopher) on Personal Knowledge. Overall, a highly recommended read. I just think there's a bit more to it surrounding one's faith in Jesus. But, beyond that, I think this book would serve many quite well if they would read it (especially those from a conservative-traditional, Fundamentalist or Evangelical background).

One of my favorite books now. It is incisive, historical, but also amazingly brief. If you are not familiar with philosophy, Newbigin does an admirable job of introducing an important thinker's impact before discussing them, rather than just referencing their name (e.g., if you haven't read all of Kant's work, you won't be completely lost when Newbigin references Kant). Personally, I have been coming out of a period of depression, due to a lot of anxiety, and this book was immensely helpful (although not sufficient) to help me find peace again. If you do not profess faith in Christ, as a Christian I would still recommend this book to you, but for obvious reasons you may not enjoy it. It is a book about Christianity written by a Christian. But, if you read it, you may be surprised. Give it a shot :)

This is Newbigin at his best. Helpful for responding to the new atheists, reductionist modern theological liberals, fundamentalists, and post-modern nihilists. He explains well that we cannot know anything with the kind of certainty that modernity tried to promise, but we can know with confidence the God who calls us into his story. He demonstrates well that the concept of objectivity is naive, but that does not mean we are only left only with subjective leaps of faith and arbitrary meta narratives. For people who can’t buy the false confidence fundamentalism but can’t accept scripture as merely an account of people’s experience of God, this is a God send.

Exhilarating essay on christianity, modernism and postmodernism, certainty and confidence. I highly recommend it. Its not light reading, but it is well worth reading.

This book won't be for everyone (thus 4 stars). It requires effort and struggle to follow him in various places (but it is a short book, thankfully!), but it really helped me understand the reason so many in our day are in an endless maze of doubt, quite confident that we can never find truth or meaning in life ... or be certain the only truth is found through our own reasoning.... and so, today all we have is your truth and my truth. Or we can commit ourselves to the Biblical explanation of reality and to our condition as lost people who can't find the way on our own, and therefore trust in Christ to lead us out. There are gems in every chapter, if you have determination to keep going. The last chapter really brings it together, so if you can't finish the book, at least go there before you put it down. Very refreshing! Will return you to make the Bible... thus Christ Himself... as the source and finisher of your faith, not your abilities to figure it all out beyond the shadow of any doubt. Doubts can be helpful to a degree... but faith is the victory.

While not a new book, Newbigin's experience and insight into the nature of knowledge and learning by faith--more in line with Augustine's "I believe therefore I know" that Descartes' "I know therefore I believe"--is an essential read for those who wish to speak the truth in love to those who have been deceived about both the identity of Love and belonging to the Truth.

One of the best books on Christian faith I have read. Rich, deep and thoughtful. Philosophically deep and theologically grounded.

Easy enough to read. Short and concise. There are many thought provoking aspects of this book and the arguments presented in it take in consideration the historical influence that have impacted our current settings. The author also attempts to give a balanced argument considering pros and cons from either school of thought that is under consideration. I can imagine this will be a 5 star book for some and a 1 star for others. I wouldn’t jump to recommend it but I‘m sure that much of what I have read will add clarity and a wider view to my studies of God and the Christian faith.