Overview

The unexamined life is not worth living. SocratesIt is both senseless and impossible to expect modern minds to accept mythical, pre-scientific views of the world as part and parcel of Christian teaching. Rudolph BultmannMartin Luther, the robust founder of reformed Christianity, encouraged believers to sin boldly but also to believe more boldly in Christ. Boldness would seem to be an essential condition of religious traditions.In our own times, the growing decline of church membership as well as the increasing number of Christians who express reservations about church structures, creeds, devotions and formal worship call for serious - and bold - reflection.Doubt Boldly takes seriously these concerns and realities. It records the stories of many who have abandoned traditional ways of being and believing, and encourages an active and thoughtful approach to the reality of doubt. It acknowledges that many 'doubters' continue to belong to church communities - often working in ministries - yet aware of their growing misgivings about how to reconcile their doubts with a genuine commitment to church membership. For others, the processing of their doubt has resulted in abandoning both Christianity and church affiliation.The book invites readers to consider the origins of their doubt and the circumstances and history that led them to this situation. It records the stories of many who have been on this journey in the church's history and discovered a healthy-minded, life-enriching Christianity. How they liberated Jesus of Palestine from dubious identities and activities and why that was important for them is a central theme of this book.