Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 31
May 12, 2021
Help My Unbelief: Questions About Faith and Doubt with Mark Sayers
“I believe; help my unbelief” is my favorite phrase in scripture. It captures so much of what it means and takes to be a follower of Christ, encapsulating struggle, faith, doubt, obedience, wandering, and repentance. It is deeply theological and personal. For these reasons and more I wrote a book called Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not The Enemy of Faith which explores what real belief is and its relationship with doubt in the life of a believer. The challenges of that tension are not unique to me; They’re nearly universal among Christians no matter position, maturity, or church tradition. In the weeks leading up to the release I will share the the thoughts and experiences of several friends of mine – authors, church leaders, writers, thinkers – who honestly answered five questions about faith and doubt.
Mark Sayers is the Senior Leader of Red Church, and the co-founder of Über Ministries. He is particularly interested in the intersection between Christianity and the culture of the West. Mark is the author of several books including Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm, Disappearing Church: From Cultural Relevance to Gospel Resilience, and Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture. Mark lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife Trudi, daughter Grace, and twin boys Hudson and Billy.
1) What does “I believe; help my unbelief” mean to you?I find this verse a wonderfully human utterance. It is not a philosophical statement written in a dusty academic book, but rather a live statement that emerges from the heart of a father who wishes to see his son’s torment end. It is a desire for faith that emerges from a flesh and blood man, just like me, who is filled with reason, emotion and desire. A man who wishes for faith, but who acknowledges the desert of unbelief within him. The beauty of this verse is that it is spoken in the presence of the Christ who has come to conquer such unbelief.
2) Do you have a favorite Bible passage about belief and doubt? What is it and how has it impacted you?Probably the woman who was healed by Jesus in Matthew 9, after touching the hem of his garment. Here is this woman who must have been overcome by doubts, yet at the same time filled with faith. As someone who had been bleeding for twelve years she was religiously unclean, and naturally would have worried that by touching Jesus she could have made Him unclean, what would his response be? Anger? Disgust? How would the crowd react? Would she experience even more marginalization? And yet amongst what have been so many doubts, this bold faith. A faith which is rewarded. Jesus feels power go from him. This woman who must have been caught in a mix of doubt, shame, faith and hope experiences both healing and the power of God. Such an incredible moment.
3) What is belief in God?For me my belief in God is multilayered. Today we reduced belief to a correlation of facts, coldly noted and adhered to. I believe that belief in God is so much more. Reason and facts are in there, but so is revelation, knowing, relationship, love. Belief in God is as Leslie Newbigin described it as being in the middle of a story, there is so much we know and can attest to, and at the same time we have to have faith in the goodness of the writer and main actor in the story, that he has covered the parts of the story that we cannot see from our vantage point.
4) What do you see as the relationship between belief and doubt?Doubt is the blank parts of the canvas which is being filled with the color of belief.
5) How can a person strengthen their belief in God?Pray that dangerous prayer that God will reveal himself to you no matter the cost. Remember that Christianity is a walking faith, to be put into action and practiced. Read God’s word, actually try doing the stuff that Jesus spoke of. Immerse yourself in the lives of the heroes of the faith, learn from their faith and their doubts. Don’t forget that Christianity is a community faith, to be lived with others, others who can sustain and encourage you when doubt comes.
May 7, 2021
New Happy Rant Sports: NFL Draft Recap
In this episode of The Happy Rant Sports podcast Ted and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through a variety of sports topics:
Drafts we lovedDumb teams doing smart things (Jets, Lions, Bears, etc.)The Raiders are still dumbThe Packers and Aaron Rodgers situationGet Your Coffee
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #52
New Happy Rant: Anoraks, Dominion Dating, and Luncheons
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through a variety of topics:
The Erwin McManus high end clothing lineDominion DatingErwiniansThe Oscars LuncheonSponsor
Be sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #345
May 5, 2021
Help My Unbelief: Questions about Faith and Doubt with Ray Ortlund
“I believe; help my unbelief” is my favorite phrase in scripture. It captures so much of what it means and takes to be a follower of Christ, encapsulating struggle, faith, doubt, obedience, wandering, and repentance. It is deeply theological and personal. For these reasons and more I wrote a book called Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not The Enemy of Faith which explores what real belief is and its relationship with doubt in the life of a believer. The challenges of that tension are not unique to me; They’re nearly universal among Christians no matter position, maturity, or church tradition. In the weeks leading up to the release I will share the the thoughts and experiences of several friends of mine – authors, church leaders, writers, thinkers – who honestly answered five questions about faith and doubt.
Ray Ortlund is the founding pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of several books including The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ and Proverbs: Wisdom that Works .
1) What does “I believe, help my unbelief” mean to you?Well, who doesn’t have a hard time making up their mind, especially when everything important to us is on the line? We’re talking about the ultimate meaning of our lives and the eternal consequences that hang in the balance. We have to get this right, because we have no reason to believe we’ll have a second chance after this life. That is very sobering to me. But it leads me to this realization. My capacity for belief is not measured by my certainty but by my need. Faith is not my bringing the great questions of existence under my control; faith is turning to the Lord, in his all-sufficiency for my desperate need, to hear and receive what he has to say to me. “I believe” is that childlike capacity to accept whatever he says, and “help my unbelief” is that standoffish pride of mine that folds my arms as I listen to him and responds, “What else you got?” When I am unsatisfied, I have to ask if it’s because I am being unsatisfiable.
2) Do you have a favorite passage about belief and doubt?Yes. Psalm 73. The psalmist walks us through his personal crisis of doubt. He believed in the goodness of God (verse 1), but it wasn’t working for him (verse 2). Why? He saw how everyone does everything wrong on purpose, and they succeed (verses 3-12). Then he got to feeling really sorry for himself, how sacrificial he was, how much fun he was missing out on by obeying God (verses 13-14). But he couldn’t admit to anyone what he was really thinking (verse 15). Just when he was about to cave, he saw something new (verse 16). He thought he had seen too much of reality, but he hadn’t seen enough of reality; he hadn’t seen where it was all going (verse 17). Then, looking again with new eyes, he saw how flimsy the whole God-neglecting system is (verses 18-20). [I think, for example, of John Lennon.] Now he was embarrassed by his own stupidity (verses 21-22). But God had still held onto him, even when he couldn’t hold onto God, and God will never let him go (verses 23-24). Finally, he collapses in contented defeat, having nothing but God in all this world to count on as his own, and feeling rich and amazed and talkative (verses 25-28).
I love Psalm 73 because I identify with the poet at every step of the way.
3) What is belief in God?Belief in God takes us beyond a naked intellectual persuasion that a Higher Power is out there. Real belief, by apostolic standards, is — to use the language of Jonathan Edwards — a new sense on our hearts that God is really there and really wonderful (Hebrews 11:6). Even more boldly, it is a vivid awareness, an implicit certainty — it is Christ himself dwelling powerfully in our hearts, so that we are rooted and grounded in his love, it is knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that our hearts are filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19). Anything less is pathetic. Which means we live much of our lives in a pathetic state. But let’s call it what it is. Real faith in God is living on the edge of inner miracle moment by moment.
4) What do you see as the relationship of faith and doubt?Wherever the fault line between faith and doubt appears inside me at any given moment, that is where the Holy Spirit is gaining new ground. There are vast continents inside my internal world, most of which remain unexplored and uncivilized, vast jungles of disorganized impulses and moods, dark continents of unbelief I’m not even aware of yet. But the Holy Spirit is bringing the kingdom of Jesus into me, little by little, but inexorably. The struggles I become aware of take place where his power is pushing into my unbelief, debunking by tired old thoughts, creating new faith, advancing the felt presence of Jesus. This will continue, by grace, until my dying day.
5) How can a person strengthen their belief in God?Read the Bible a lot. Go to a credible church every Sunday. Hang out with believable Christians as much as you can. But hang out with smart non-Christians too. Never shy away from a doubt, difficulty, or question. Finally, take a risk. Put something of yourself on the line, something costly, in obedience to Christ, and see how he comes through for you.
April 29, 2021
New Happy Rant: Sarcasm, Cynicism, and Single Christian Men
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through various topics:
How do we keep sarcasm and humor from becoming cynicism and negativity?Are there single Christian men who aren’t a-holes?*Why* are so many single Christian men so bad?What are our current pet peeves?SponsorBe sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #344
April 26, 2021
How Death Defines Happiness
In the 1991 film, What About Bob? (one of the smartest and funniest movies of my lifetime) uber neurotic and unstable Bob Wiley befriends the family of his psychologist, the perfectly smug and superior Leo Marvin. When Bob crashes the Marvin family’s New Hampshire lake vacation, a thunderstorm forces him to spend the night with them against the wishes of Dr. Marvin. In a scene that would make parents of today more than a little uncomfortable, forty-something Bob shares a room with the Marvin’s middle school aged son, Siggy (named after Sigmund Freud, of course). Siggy is a brooding boy who wears all black and has a fixation with death. This late night conversation ensues.
Siggy: “Bob, are you afraid of death?”
Bob: “Yeah.”
Siggy: “Me too, but there’s no way out of it. You’re going to die. I’m going to die. It’s going to happen, and what difference does it make if it’s tomorrow or eighty years … much sooner in your case. Do you know how fast time goes? I was six, like, yesterday.”
Bob: “Me too.”
Siggy: “I’m going to die. You are going to die. What else is there to be afraid of?”
I wouldn’t go so far as to call Siggy Marvin’s perspective healthy, but there is much to be said for the clarity with which he views life. He sees what so many people refuse to: the inevitability of death and the shortness of life. We could all learn from Siggy and come to terms with the fact that “You’re going to die, I’m going to die.” Death is, in fact, our defining earthly reality. And if we embrace the fact of our mortality in the right way, it can actually lead us toward happiness.
So what does that look like? For one thing, death is the backdrop against which every expectation, hope, and choice should be viewed. We do not choose and think and plan in a space of infinite opportunity and a million chances. Our expectations cannot expand out to undefined horizons and possibilities. Our relationships and resources have an endpoint. Everything we do is cast against our pending mortality, and that should shape what we pursue and how we pursue it. It adds urgency and focus to how we prioritize our money and our minutes. It clarifies what and who truly matters in our lives and offers a sharp reminder that every person is on the clock and we should treat them accordingly. Rightly understood, the reality of death bulldozes lethargy and listlessness to give us focus and direction, by motivating us to use the lifespan God has given us for the purposes he prioritizes.
Another way to think about it is that death is the set of borders that contains our lives. Sometimes borders feel like captivity, like a prison wall. Sometimes borders are for our own good, like lane lines on the road. And sometimes borders are just the rules of the game, like a Monopoly or Scrabble board. Death defines the rules of the game of life. It is the statute of limitations on every earthly action and hope and expectation.
This means that to fully live, to fully embrace happiness, we must acknowledge and accept death. Wait, come again. To be happy we must accept death?! Yes, because to be truly happy we must have right expectations and recognize the world both as it is and as God intends it to be. Otherwise we spend our lives pretending and ignoring and deluding ourselves until our final day comes with such a shockwave that everything we have done and built and hoped for crumbles. To ignore death is to create an alternate reality built on false hopes, in which the only happiness is a figment.
Happiness and Death“But death hurts,” you might be thinking. “It’s stolen away people I love. Death is an enemy we can’t defeat.” Those things are true too. Saying we can only find true happiness in light of death and is not the same as saying we can only find happiness in death or that death makes us happy. We should absolutely hate death—it’s an evil which came about because of sin. But on the other hand, we must accept the reality of death as inevitable and in God’s hands. Only when we accept it can we play by the rules of life, set true expectations, and find the happiness God has for us this side of heaven.
Once we come to terms with the reality of mortality it does something to our perspective. Last chapter we looked at how we live between Christ’s earthly ministry and his return and how we should have an eye to the future and our anchor in the past. Experiencing the loss first hand makes this tension more real for us than any other difficult experience. It forces us to look past the end of life to eternity while making the present moments we have on earth more meaningful. And that is where we can find happiness.
When we live in light of death, especially with an eye toward eternity, we see life as something given to us, not as something to use. In this way death actually increases our gratitude, and gratitude increases our enjoyment. We are able to appreciate and revel in all the good things of earth because death reminds us that now is our time to do so. But we will do so with a different perspective than our unbelieving neighbors. If we’re trying to hide from death, life will be dominated by these good things as distractions or numbing agents or idols. But if we live with the end in mind, we’ll see life as a precious resource—one to be soaked up, shared, and spent in a way that pleases our creator, prepares us for the next life, and brings others with us into that life.
This is in part why we do not, unlike Siggy Marvin, need to fear death. If we have lived with it as an on-call companion, then death’s arrival will not shock or terrify the same way. If we have lived with the end in mind, shaping our expectations and directing our decisions, then we will be as prepared as a mortal can be for the end. But this is not an exercise in positive thinking. Living with the end in mind will only free us for happiness if we’re living with Jesus in mind, and living in Jesus—saved by him, submitting to him, following him, identified as his… and sure to spend eternity with him on the other side of the grave.
The apostle Paul lived and wrote in light of death more clearly than anyone in the Bible other than Jesus himself. He had such a clear vision of the pending glory and joy of death as a Christian that he went as far as to write: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23). He yearned to die, but not at the expense of living the life God had given him to the fullest, telling the Christians in Philippi that “to remain in the flesh [that is, alive] is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith” (v 24-25). His whole attitude is summed up in Philippians 1:21: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” For Christians, to live is to embody Jesus and fulfill the mission of Jesus. To die is to be with Jesus.
When we are defined by Christ, past and future, we live differently. We are released to be happy within the borders of this mortal life because death defines the boundaries but doesn’t finish the game. We are freed and empowered, by the Holy Spirit, to be generous, to serve, to risk, and to face suffering as Jesus did. We can face the end with assurance that what follows will be better than anything this life has held. That’s a profoundly different perspective than one that seeks to fill this life with pleasures to assuage the fear of death, and a profoundly happier one.
This is an excerpt from Hoping for Happiness. A biblical framework for living a grounded, hopeful, and genuinely happy life, this book helps us to throw off both the unrealistic expectations that end in disappointment and the guilty sense that Christians are not meant to have fun.
April 22, 2021
New Happy Rant: Fetishizing Deconstruction and Gossip vs. Christian Reporting
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through a variety of topics:
Cattle flexingChristians fetishizing the stories of others leaving the faithPerformative deconstructionWhy are we so bad at “that’s not my business”?Religion reporting vs. gossipFame vs. skill vs. the skill of getting famousSponsorBe sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #343
April 19, 2021
New Happy Rant Sports: Rebuilding, Pretend Salary Caps, and Looking Good in Uniforms
In this episode of the Happy Rant Sports Podcast Ted and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through a variety off sports topics:
Mariners rebuildingAre draft picks over valued?The NFL salary cap is pretendMLB who look coolest in their uniformsA new favorite fat baseball playerFurther QB moves in the NFLGet Your CoffeeWe’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.Episode #51
April 15, 2021
New Happy Rant: Vegas, the Reformed Rat Pack, and Satan Nikes
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas do what they always do and wander to and fro through a variety of topics:
The Covid family travel experienceVegas and virtue signalingTGC’s lineup and online conferencesThe Reformed Rat PackSatan NikesSponsorBe sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #342
April 12, 2021
New Happy Rant: Writing Process and Writing Advice
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie and Barnabas do something a little different. It’s actually two short episodes that had previously been released to our Patreon supporters. The first is a conversation about how we are writing our Happy Rant book – the process, the style, the topics, and our enjoyment of it. The second is a conversation about writing advice and books we are enjoying right now.
SponsorBe sure to check out Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 10% off your annual subscription or 33% off your lifetime subscription.
We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.Listen on Google PlayListen on StitcherListen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out thereLeave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).Listen using the player below.
Episode #341
