Bob Cornwall/ Faith in the Public Square

There's something to be said for clarity. When the times require decisiveness, it's good to know what you believe and why.

In such life and death moments, time is usually of the essence and you can't second-guess yourself. Needing to act quickly, you have to put off the analysis. It would be great to pause a moment to consider all the ramifications, but you don't have time. Some of your decisions may come back to haunt you, but that's life. After all, you're only human.

Clarity is one thing, absolute certainty is another.

If you think you know the truth, and you have no doubts at all, then you're experiencing absolute certainty. Unfortunately, such certainty can keep you from listening to other voices, including voices of experience and wisdom. When you think you - or your group - have all the truth, it's easier to let this certainty lead to untempered zeal and even violent fanaticism.

In a book written by Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence, “Captain America and the Crusade against Evil” (Eerdmans, 2003), this provocative statement appears: “Common to every contemporary movement that promises salvation through the destruction of others is the doubtful warrant of intense certainty.”

This book, written post-9/11, serves as a warning to any who would embrace absolute or intense certainty. When you believe with intense certainty, you may become not only passionate but reckless. You may come to believe that the end justifies any means. If, for instance, you can save some lives, then certainly a little torture is justifiable. Or, is it?

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We live on an increasingly diverse and interconnected planet. There are few unlinked corners of the earth. To be sure, there are remote outposts in the world, but they become fewer by the day. This increased interaction brings us into contact with ideas, practices, and beliefs that may be markedly different from our own. They raise questions, such as: How do you know your way of doing things is the right way? Is there scientific validation for your culture and values, or do you take it all by faith? Sometimes, as we intermingle, we may discover that the ways of the other are preferable, and so we choose to adopt this other mode of life. This process is called conversion.

Our interactions can be compromised, however, by stereotype and ignorance of the whole story. Of course, life is easier and more certain when we can live in isolation, whether it's chosen or not, but in the end it's unfruitful and it can be dangerous.

As I look out at the world and see the confusion and conflict, it appears that the world is experiencing growing pains. We're maturing, but in many ways the world has only reached adolescence. Children tend to see things very concretely. There aren't any abstractions, just black and white, which is why Rousseau said it's pointless to try to reason with a child. But with experience and education, we can see the world in broader colors and categories. Adolescence is a period of conflicting emotions and experiences. They're caught between the concrete world of childhood and the abstractions of adulthood.

In the concrete world of the child, there's no room for interpretation, but as we mature we begin to see that things aren't always the way they appear. You have to reason things out and interpret things. Such reasoning makes certainty less viable. There may be objective truth, but it's unlikely that you're an objective observer. Your interpretations are influenced by traditions, society and culture, as well as your own experiences.

Ultimately, you make choices in faith, hoping that you have all the information you need to choose wisely. Still, in the end it's a matter of faith. The information may come through trial and error or from listening to others; but whatever the source, life has become less black and white.

Jewett and Lawrence caution against embracing intense zeal, but they encourage a modest zeal, or what they call “pilgrim zeal.” Such zeal allows for an acknowledgment of the limits to our understanding. It reminds us we're on a journey that hasn't ended. But, such zeal keeps us from falling into indifference and apathy. It's not enough to simply be nice. A better tomorrow demands more of us than that.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is Pastor of First Christian Church of Lompoc (www.lompocdisciples.org).

He may be contacted at lompocdisciples@impulse.net or First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

Oct. 1, 2006