The Gift of Doubt: From Crisis to Authentic Faith

by Gary E. Parker

In this volume, Parker approaches doubt not as an enemy, but a companion of faith: a necessity of dealing with "things hoped for" and "unseen."

From the dust jacket: "Here Gary E. Parker illuminates our struggles with doubt in a positive light and searches for the meaning of authentic faith. Explaining the value of passionate skepticism to Christian growth and development, he defines faith as the willingness to trust our lives to a God whom we cannot objectively prove as trustworthy before the actual moment of risk, commitment and action. 'Faith means we act without knowledge or proven certainty,' he writes."

One of Parker's close friends died when they were both young and he began to struggle with many of the doubts that often accompany such an event. This book is much of the trip to doubt and back. Parker contends that a faith which has asked the hard questions and come back is a stronger faith for having braved the fire.

Overall, this was a good and interesting read. It certainly helped me look at doubt from a different perspective. It's not the kind of book that you'll want to run out, buy, and read before next week. But if you stumble across it somewhere, pick it up and give it a chance. You'll probably look at doubt a little differently after you do.

The Editors do not advocate everything taught by the authors of the books we review. Like us, these authors are fallible humans and those who choose to read these books should measure them by the bible, the one true standard.