Opposite of faith

My friend James C. Alexander, author of Stories of a Repentant Fundamentalist, declares on his website that "the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty." He has a point. There is, I believe, an assurance that faith affords, surely a profound sense of conviction. Yet absolute certainty, which might be derived, say, from empirical investigation and proof, is not faith.

The story of "doubting Thomas" in the Bible is a case in point. He was not present the first time the Risen Lord appeared to the other disciples after the crucifixion. Naturally, when told of this event by his friends, he suspected they were overwrought with grief, or had experienced a hallucination. 'Unless I see the nail prints for myself,' he said, 'I will not believe.' When Jesus appeared a second time, Thomas was there. When he saw the Lord, he knelt before him and said, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus then pointed out that if Thomas believed only because he had seen with his own eyes, that was one thing. But those who do not have that opportunity (folks like us, for instance) and yet believe, would be blessed.

For me, the opposite of faith is not doubt, but indifference. I believe there is a level of moral and spiritual certainty that a genuine discipleship nurtures in us, though it is not a certitude that takes a stance of superiority or condescension toward others who may differ. But even more critical, in my view, is that the Jesus follower does not yield to the temptation of uncaring.