Clergy Forum Does faith still have a place? By John Riley

The beloved Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier once penned the words, “Through the dark and stormy night, faith beholds a feeble light.” And yet, one of the questions that exists in our culture today is, “Does a faith in God still provide a light in the darkness?”

The city of Whittier, named after the famous poet, has its origins dating back to a group of Quakers who traveled from the East Coast around 1887. These Friends came with the desire to create a peaceable colony built around farming and their common faith.

Their shared faith was so central to these early settlers that it was suggested they name the area Quaker Town, but because that was the name of a town in Indiana, they named the colony Whittier after the revered Quaker poet from Massachusetts.

Faith was a part of the DNA of Whittier from the time these settlers first arrived. It framed who they were, their values, their hopes and their dreams. And yet, there are many today who wonder if such faith still has a place in our culture.

It was the German philosopher Karl Marx who suggested, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” 

Marx concluded that the oppression and hypocrisy of the Christian faith necessitated one response- reject religious faith.

In our culture today, Karl Marx’s perspective on religion is shared by many. In 2007, the Barna Group did an extensive research project in which they asked non-Christian people why they rejected the Christian faith. Many leaders from the Christian movement were surprised to learn that none of the top six answers were evidential. The top six reasons that people rejected the Christian faith were behavioral.

The top three problems in particular were that Christianity was (1) Damaging to the LGBTQ community (91 percent of responders), (2) Judgmental (87 percent), and (3) Hypocritical (85 percent). In short, the most common reason that people said that they rejected the Christian faith was the behavior of some people of faith. 

As a Christian minister, this reality deeply troubles me. It has led me to ponder - how does a person of faith, especially a person who follows the teachings of Jesus, respond to this cultural sentiment? There is no denying that the way that faith has been institutionalized, politicized, and militarized in our world is a terrible problem that people of faith cannot deny.

As I have wrestled with this reality, I’ve found that the Christian Scriptures provide a clear guide on how to respond. It is not to give up on faith, but to pursue a truer faith.

The first century Christian leader James wrote, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:17-18). And what do the actions of true faith look like? James wrote, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.”

In his life and ministry, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. faced dead faith at its worst. He confronted appalling, systemic racism in the South that was supported by many people of faith in white churches.

How did Dr. King respond to the hypocrisy and oppression of such faith? Dr. King did not suggest that faith and Christian beliefs be rejected in favor of secularism. He did not suggest that Christianity is the opium of the people.

Instead, Dr. King preached words such as from the Jewish prophet Amos, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24)

In other words, Dr. King did not suggest that the world needed less faith. He suggested that the world needed truer faith. The world needed a living faith that demonstrated true, sacrificial love for one’s neighbor.

At the center of the Christian faith is a cross where Jesus voluntarily died, as a victim of injustice, so that redemption and forgiveness might be available to all, especially he victimized and the hurting. This means that solution to the injustice of all people is not less faith. It’s authentic faith.

For this reason, I believe that faith still has a place in our culture today. As John Greenleaf suggested, faith can still behold a light, but only if it is true faith that loves one’s neighbors and flows from the humble, sacrificial spirit found in the Savior on the cross.