Acknowledging our doubts

When someone is raised in a denomination from the earliest remembrances of childhood that denomination becomes Christianity to that person. That was true for me. And doing the various outward, denominational things “right” made me feel secure and comfortable. In contrast, the process of letting go of these denominational moorings at times brought with it doubts and discomfort. George MacDonald described the unsettling and even terrifying moment when Christians start questioning their particular church’s doctrine in this way: “There is another kind of forsaking that may fall to the lot of some, and which they may find very difficult. I speak of forsaking such notions of God and his Christ as they were taught in their youth—which they held, and could not keep from holding, when they first began to believe. And now that deep inside their heart of hearts they have begun to doubt the truth of some of these, it seems that to cast them away is to part with every assurance of safety.” (Discovering the Heart of God, 139; Unspoken Sermons, Second Series, “Self Denial”)