This video helps me greatly. There have been countless moments I wish I never opened a book about theology or philosophy. I might have preferred to stay ignorant about all this. I’ve spent countless nights praying and crying about what to believe in. East vs. West; Catholic or Protestant; theism and atheism. Your channel has been a great blessing with helping me control my anxiety and improve my personal studies. May God bless you Gavin.
AMEN! The agony of being both responsible for what one chooses to believe and incapable of discerning all truth is a heavy burden for the highly conscientious. It's not the dishonest or the cynic who gets caught here, but the more earnest and sincere the seeker, the more he becomes torn between the options. The things people believe and teach have repercussions through the generations. We still bear the costs of mistakes made in the Church centuries ago. To try to shoulder that responsibility is too much for most of us. Perhaps that is why we're taught that not many of us should strive to be teachers. Gavin, this was a wonderful video. Thanks.
@@josephmiller997 It’s not that hard to start narrowing it down tho. Obviously Christianity is vastly more coherent and logical and historical than atheism or Hinduism or Islam, so that already cuts out most worldviews right there. Then if you study church history you can narrow it down further, for example Nestorianism is obviously wrong, etc.
GAVIN! My thoughts exactly. I’m an overthinker AND a theology geek. My brain is non-stop going back and forth between arguments for theological systems and ideas. My anxiety is non-stop sometimes.
I began having panic attacks, anxiety and depression in 2012. Luckily it only lasted for a month or so, but it ended up being the very thing I needed to snap out of my malaise and begin examining my life, my meaning, my purpose.. my WHY.. which led me back to God, and to Christ.
I honestly believe God worked this out for good. Just yesterday I’d resigned myself to accepting my fate of being overwhelmed by infinite possibilities because I thought the best or only way out was to read yet another theory. You’ve inspired me to not give up on studying but use my despair to make my faith stronger. God bless you and all that you do!
This has been a big struggle for me lately. My whole identity is wrapped up in my faith. It's scary to find out people have legitimate reasons to think differently about essentials of the faith like baptism and Communion and which church we should be a part of. It feels like the core of who you are is coming under attack. I'm thankful we can trust in Jesus, the immovable, unchangeable Rock.
@BryceCarmony All ecclesialists and reformational churches agree that Christ alone, and His Word alone, is the only foundation of the Church. His Word alone is infallible, not the papal decree. "I say it without the least hesitation, whoever calls himself the universal bishop, or desires this title, is, by his pride, the precursor of Antichrist, because he thus attempts to raise himself above the others. The error into which he falls springs from pride equal to that of Antichrist; for as that Wicked One wished to be regarded as exalted above other men, like a god, so likewise whoever would be called sole bishop exalteth himself above others....You know it, my brother; hath not the venerable Council of Chalcedon conferred the honorary title of 'universal' upon the bishops of this Apostolic See [Rome], whereof I am, by God's will, the servant? And yet none of us hath permitted this title to be given to him; none hath assumed this bold title, lest by assuming a special distinction in the dignity of the episcopate, we should seem to refuse it to all the brethren." St Gregory the Great
I never really realized I had this at the beginning of the pandemic. I had severe anxiety during this time and I remember vividly one night just looking at the light cast by the moon in my room and felt such existential dread of what eternity is, and who God is, and what I don't know - it almost felt like I was disassociating and losing my sense of reality. This was the time I was really beginning to grow in my faith and was consuming a lot of intellectual things for and against the existence of God, it was overwhelming. I now have peace not because I know more, but because I trust the Lord more. The cross is where all my emotional and intellectual thought hinges upon, I may not know everything and I may still feel anxious, but the truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection overwhelms any doubt and calls me to trust in Him.
Truth Unites, and this video in particular, are expressions of God's lovingkindness to me. I will testify that spiritual anxiety harnessed to sincerity, curiosity, patience, experience, and faith, are working together to give me greater peace. And for the questions still remaining, the prayer, "I believe. Help my unbelief!" leaves it in His hands.
There has definitely been anxiety in my life when examining the claims of Rome and the East. But we need to trust in God and realize that He is in control. Love your videos Gavin, you're an excellent Protestant apologist.
I'm a convert to Christianity and I know that I am Christian and that my faith is in the Christian God but I'm so lost in all the denominational spiraling and argumentativeness. I'm glad this video exists because Lord knows I've seen about every video on everything from Roman Catholicism to Presbyterianism to Mormonism to Eastern Orthodoxy. I hope it helps others too.
Stay in the Scripture, pray and find a Bible believing conservative local church. I also suggest seeking out a Wednesday weekly Bible study. I found a conservative non denominational and a Bible college...Huge growth for me especially starting in 2015.
Thank you for your heart for those of us in a season such as this. Your kind heart and personal testimonies have been a comforting presence for many of us. I find that the words of God in the Holy Scriptures can also bring a comfort that no amount of rational thought can. Lamentations 3 has sort of been my rallying cry in this season. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope;” Lamentations 3:25-29
Thank you so much Gavin. It’s been a tough two years as I’ve gone down all these rabbit trails. Thank you for the constant reminders to trust in the Lord. He will lead us in all truth. I trust him with my soul.
I had extremely horrible intellectual anxiety for almost 2 years after 2 years of being a christian. i wish i had seen this video back then. It was so horrible i thought im going mad... it also mixed with depression at the end, i had no joy in life and i was afraid of god because i was so scared of believing the wrong things... what helped me was to truly let go and but it into his hands, hoping and praying for his grace and mercy because i knew ill (at least for now) never find the "right" denomination by my intellectual strength... it helped me immensely - i still have intellectual anxiety but it doesnt affect my daily life as much as it used to, and im doing a lot better... when i look at this theological mess and chaos were in with all these denominations i just hope that god is more gracious then any man and church could ever be... if you suffer from intellectual anxiety- dont lose heart! Youre not alone. Have hope that Jesus CHrist who cured the sick can also cure and calm the mess inside your head
Thank you for this video. I have been exploring my faith as a Christian, and the further down the rabbit hole of Christianity I go, the more it exacerbates my depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, this has led me to turn to my old nemesis, alcohol, just to help quell my anxious mind. I am trying to learn about different denominations so that I can find a church to attend. I have great interest in Eastern Orthodoxy, but unfortunately the parishioners and clergy seem to be very exclusive and stand offish. It is my understanding that you have to go through periods of "initiation" that could take years before you are accepted into the church. I only wish to worship Christ. Why is it so damn difficult to do that? It is causing my more grief and heartache than anything else has ever caused me in my life. God bless.
The reason it is so confusing is because Satan is real and is out to attack and destroy our faith so we don't get to have fellowship with our creator. God is NOT the author of confusion, confusion is of Satan. Study the scriptures, believe the scriptures, and spend time praying, and getting the help you need when it comes to your alcohol issue. I'll keep you in my prayers, I know you can and will overcome this.🙏🏾
@@TheFIame , Thank you. I really appreciate that. May I ask which denomination you belong to? This is the area that is causing me the most anxiety. I want so desperately to fellowship with other Christians, but cannot find which denomination or church to belong to.
@@paulboerin173 I would be classified as a protestant. I would honestly say any conservative Bible based church is a good place to start, even if you don't agree with ALL of the doctrines there. I think it's important to understand that you don't have the answer to everything all at once. Take your time, be honest with yourself, study and believe the scriptures and know that the Lord wants to save you and guide you, and I believe you will be guided into all truth.
For those listeners whose intellectual anxiety is about beliefs essential to salvation, I recommend making sure to include in how they deal with it the two facets Gavin brings up at the very end, experience and faith. Though I understand that for some people (such as myself!) acquiring apologetical info can be necessary in order to get to the point of being able to receive the gift of unshakable belief and devotion, God deliberately refrained from giving us objective "proof" that COMPELS belief. As Gavin said, it doesn't work to require oneself to be more knowledgeable and smart than every skeptic who might come out with a new book. But God gave us enough evidence to make it fully JUSTIFIABLE intellectually to believe. Then if a person is still hesitating, he can ask God for help, and God is very likely to pull him over the finish line. That's how it went for me.
Gavin, I can't thank you enough for this. I personally believe this is in the top most important videos you have done so far. It most certainly has helped me. I'm 37 and have been a strong protestant my entire life, going to the same Bible church. These last 3 years or so, I found myself in a crisis as I looked at the Catholic and Orthodox points of view over issues of the Papacy, Apostolic Succession, Sola Scriptura (the lack of), Sacramental views and other major theological points. I have weeks sometimes where I've thought I was losing my mind, panic attacks and everything. This video was really something I've needed to see. Keep up the good work and don't let the mean spirited folks get you down.
I am from Scandinavia and have been very interested in Kierkegaard but sadly most Christian TH-camrs don't seem to discuss him at all. Thank you for making this video!
I'm slowly learning more about Søren Kierkegaard. I think that he was a "Christian Universalist". That alone might scare many Christians away. "Faith is a hallmark of Kierkegaardian philosophical and religious thought. Two of his key ideas are based on faith: the leap to faith and the knight of faith. Some regard Kierkegaard as a Christian Universalist, writing in his journals, "If others go to Hell, I will go too."" - AI generated answer BTW, Rod Serling (1924-1975) was a Unitarian Universalist. He was the screenwriter, producer & narrator of "The Twilight Zone". He was an Ashkenazi Jew. th-cam.com/users/shortsNJftPZYXBTI?si=qFc-cDCMUcNFCurV I grew up watching the original Twilight Zone series. I was born in 1964. It's hard to believe I'm so old now.
For all those feeling anxiety God Bless you all ,I pray for you all and ALWAYS remember this! 🙏 Ephesians 1:13-14 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory. Trusted,believed,sealed,GUARANTEED,Amen 🙏
I find it good to often "re-center" on the Gospel by asking a few questions: 1. Does this have any impact on my understanding of the Gospel? 2. Could an early Christian have lived and died in the Grace of Christ without having ever thought about this topic? 3. Does my current understanding of this require me to separate from fellow believers? (Just a few examples). Ultimately, it's just theological triage but it helps me keep things in perspective. Most of the things we worry about are not of salvific consequence and, therefore, should be kept at bay in our minds regarding our assurance.
Thank you Dr Ortlund. Few words can describe how comforting and helpful your video was. Christendom and the world is blessed for a man like you, for the ministry you do.
Kierkegaard is a guide for all seasons. He has functioned both as the safety net of my faith when it is wavering, and a fire fueling and prompting my greatest growth. Thank you Dr. Ortlund for making his thought so accessible for those struggling. For any interested in diving deeper into Kierkegaard I’d suggest books by C. Stephen Evans, Mark A. Tietjen, and Marold Westphal. The book “Philosopher of the Heart” by Clare Carlisle, and “Kierkegaard, a single life” by Stephen Backhouse are both wonderful biographies.
Thank you once again! It’s so helpful listening to how these theologians/philosophers dealt with their anxiety/doubt. I totally agree with being curious whilst remaining patient amidst the storm. The metaphor of the storm bending the tree but actually loosening the soil so the roots can become strong is so powerful. I’ve went through a long time agonising over Calvinism and How God can be all good and yet not offer IG to everyone amidst other concerns regarding it. The process isn’t done but God used it to show me a fundamental flaw within me, and also used it to improve my understanding of His sovereignty. I’m at a place now where even if Calvinism is true, I can trust in Gods goodness
Hi there. I am by no means attacking calvinists. Dr Gavin is being used by God for sure. I am so very grateful to him. If you are looking for a solid biblical perspective on God's sovereignty, Soteriology 101 with Leighton Flowers has helped me into a provisionist view. Blessings in your search. God is not a doctrine, He's a wonderful Father who loves you.
Calvinism is not true. bible is not word of God. God is not defined or confined to the bible, sefer yetzirah, or koran. Tyrants rule Christianity is a slave religion The whole truth is not found within our words, religion, laws, confabulations... Freedom and honesty is superior to dogma and tyrannies.
I can confirm what @Jethrokingsley8903 said. Calvinists like Ortlund offer incredible resources and are excellent teachers, and I love listening to Gavin's videos, but Christ died for everyone, and just because we choose to reject His freely offered grace doesn't mean He sovereignly determined that we would reject Him. If that were true, it would mean that He doesn't actually love everyone or desire everyone to be saved. I highly recommend taking a look at Mike Winger's two videos on Limited Atonement, he goes through almost every clear prooftext in the Bible on exactly who Christ died for in his video "Limited Atonement, Universalism and why I disagree with both". Taking a look at Soteriology 101 with Leighton Flowers, as Jethro said, is also a great idea. Both of these incredibly scholarly and godly men do an excellent job of explaining the truth of God's love, care, and provision for all through Christ. If we say God is sovereign in the deterministic sense that Calvinists claim, then we are saying we reject Him because He first rejected us (determined that we would reject Him). But in truth, He loves us, and commands us to love our enemies, just as He does. God loves every single one of us, and that is why, though we first rejected Him, He chose to give His life that ALL might have the opportunity to be reconciled, have their sins forgiven, and have relationship with Him. Many reject that free offer of reconciliation, but it is not because God determined them to reject Him, it is because of their own hardness of heart. Take heart brother, God loves all and died for all, just as the scripture clearly teaches (1 Timothy 4:10, 1 John 2:2, Titus 2:11-12, 2 Peter 3:9. 2 Peter 2:1 and so many more). I hope this helps!
Dr. Ortlund, thank you so much for this video! I am struggling with a plethora of issues that are causing me crippling intellectual anxiety. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure whether to put my Christian life on pause because praying, going to church, and more makes it worse. Some friends and I were blessed with the opportunity to tell someone about Christ and I felt like I was lying whenever I spoke. I so desperately want to believe, but I have that niggling doubt in the back of my head that Christianity isn’t true, especially when confronted with ambiguous evidence. Thank you for your words of advice and encouragement! God bless!
Be patient; “when we are faithless he remains faithful” 2Tim2:13. You’re so bothered by your faith struggle because you do believe, but you still have questions or doubts from habitual skepticism (believe me, I understand!). “The Lord will give you understanding in all things” 2Tim2:7; no one wants to believe who isn’t first being pursued by the Lord. He’ll get you there. Also you’re not a liar for sharing Christ. It’s not you who speak but the Father in you; again, when we’re faithless he’s faithful.
@@d__w295 a little better. I am thinking that I’ll go to church tomorrow. Should be interesting since I’ve been gone a while. But, I found a ministry that helps with doubts and I really shouldn’t cut myself off from the body of Christ. #NotSmart. Thank you for asking! How are you doing? Are you well?
Hello, I listened to your video: "One Person's Attempt to Understand What God is Doing in Pain and Suffering (..." I don't have an answer. However, this is the first thing that came to my mind. =) The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Chapter 49, No mind of her own th-cam.com/video/ssKj4TJE_po/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wls2C8YVtgVcD9Aw
I have to give a talk about my faith experience at church on Sunday and I didn't know how to describe the struggles I have experienced with intellectual anxiety. This video has given me way more clarity and has spoken to my struggle more than any video I have every watched. Thankyou Dr Ortlund!
I Corinthians 13 [12] For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. [13] And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I'm working on a Master's degree in theology. Whenever I am in my studies is when I have the greatest sense of despair. I think for me it is more nihilistic than anxious. I will come across some obscure journal article written 100 years ago by someone working on the same problem as me. Sometimes their insights are good, but it seems they never made a difference (hence the obscurity). Sometimes they seem just as speculative and inconclusive as all the various positions I read from contemporary sources. I resonate greatly with a story I've heard about Aquinas (not sure if it is true or not, maybe this could be the topic of another Truth Unites video!) that at the end of his life he said “I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw.” I guess I thought that scholarship would give me a sense of purpose. But I am learning that scholarship for scholarship's sake is not good. I put hours upon hours of work into a research paper and will feel proud of the results, but then within a few days I will already be wondering, "what was the point? I should have just gone out with friends or watched a movie or something."
Thank you Gavin. After wrestling for months and even longer since this summer, I’ve hit a turning point in my doctrinal questions. It’s forcing me to leave my current church, but the amount of peace and grace I’ve gained from Christ is evidence that He is the center of it all. Your videos are a blessing to many people. Keep up the wonderful work.
I really needed this video. My struggle is with baptism: Credo vs paedo (and even in this, Covenantal vs Baptismal Regeneration). I've read so much, and I see validity to all of the arguments. It's been a struggle for sure. Thanks for the encouragement, Dr. Ortlund!
I think the hardest aspect of this struggle is the threat of eternal damnation if you ‘get it wrong’…. These topics would be so much more enjoyable if I did not believe that my eternal destiny was at stake.. Trying to find life’s answers has done nothing but paralyze me and fill me with despair. I honestly do not like any of the answers at all.
Believe in forgiveness. Forgive everyone and forgive yourself as Jesus forgave you, have faith in His completed work above everything and He will send the Comforter to guide you.
Really appreciate this video Gavin! Kierkegaard has been my favorite author since I read his book Works of Love in high school, which is more devotional than some of his popular philosophical works. I certainly would not claim complete understanding of Kierkegaard, but it often makes me quite sad to see him caricatured among Christian thinkers that I have a lot of respect for. As a result, it brought me a lot of joy to hear your appreciation for him! Like you mentioned, I think the pseudonyms make his books somewhat difficult to understand and his actual views elusive. In addition, his expression "leap of faith" is often understood as Kierkegaard advocating a complete abandonment of reason in pursuit of faith, which I believe he would wholeheartedly disagree with. Thank you for doing justice to such a great author, and thank you more generally for the time and study you put into these videos! P.S. I want to go to Copenhagen very badly as well to see his statue in the Royal Library and his grave. One day!
My wife struggles with anxiety even after she offers a particular issue to God in prayer. I hope some of this advice will help her, even if it's not directly regarding intellectual anxiety.
Perhaps she also suffers from biologically caused anxiety, such as Gavin mentions in the beginning of this video. He also spoke about the value of having other Christians lay hands on her and pray. Do not be afraid of the need we may have for deliverance.
Thank you so much for this video. It definitely makes me think I need to study up on Kierkegaard. Intellectual anxiety is something I struggle with as well and I'm thankful for the clarity and peace of mind this approach gives me.
Gavin, this is your best piece yet. Thank you SO MUCH. I've been going through this kind of anxiety for a few years now and I never knew it was a more common thing. I thought I was just really going insane. And I just feel desolate because I try to be so static, but I lost being alive along the way. This is such a helpful part and it's honestly really the first time I've felt intellectual peace at all. I can finally take a breath goodness me. It's hard to express in a youtube comment section, but for real and again man, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Glory to God. Why aren't more people talking about this stuff?
Over 40 years ago, a high school teacher of mine commented that something he read by Kierkegaard completely changed his life. He didn't elaborate. I've always wondered precisely what he was referring to.
Thank you for championing Kierkegaard. His work is dense, and it is difficult for me to get through his books with a clear understanding of his points. Still, I can read a few passages and see deep truth resonating from his writing. Some Christians dismiss his writings as not particularly edifying or even paint him as a corrupting existentialist. As with Kierkegaard's work, I will likely be returning to this video to glean kernels of knowledge that I missed the first time.
Gavin, thank you so much for this video. I have been wrestling with intellectual anxiety for over a year at this point, particularly on (using your triage system) urgent and important doctrines. Praise the Lord it has improved in recent weeks through various people and resources (add to that list you and this video). As a full-time seminary student, I am unable to financially support your ministry at this time, though I hope to do so one day. However, may my thanksgiving and prayers be a small token of reimbursement at this time.
as someone who is struggling with intellectual anxiety , i thank you for this video. there are lots of anxiety related videos out there, but most seem to want you to see a physician or suggest medication. for some people this certainly might be helpful. not all anxiety is equal in strength or causes, but i have been looking for a Kierkegaardian and/or spiritual approach to the topic, and those kind of videos are much less common.
I had just watched your video on divine hiddeness with Alex o Connor. I pressed on this one right after because it’s something I’ve been dealing with. As soon as I clicked on it, I was overwhelmed with joy, saying, “I love this man, he’s so beautiful, I love you Gavin Ortlund.” You are such a great help that one video from you comforted me greatly. Thank you so much for your work. You are a beautiful soul
Such a great video. 10 years of study and school, grueling work going over the top many times, and becoming a well rounded philosopher, and I finally calmed down. It's been a few years, but eventually you do reach a place of quiet. And that's when the real work begins....
Such a fantastic video. I think this is a great reminder that the things most important to us occupy our minds incessantly-to various degrees and across the spectrum of human experience, for sure. Beyond that, realizing that these deep profound struggles are necessary steps for intellectual worship and progression is such an important perspective to have in that knowing and having hope in the eventual outcome and the generality of this specific experience as well. I have often felt like I was drowning in incomplete or inconclusive information and in panic, feared my own ineptitude when in actuality, that ineptitude-like you asserted in the quoted section of your essay-is an integral part of the human experience. Though I have caught loose sight of this over years periodically, having this video clearly define these dynamics with truth, evidence, observation and judgment really helped me close the loop on this. Gavin, man, thank you. Really needed this reminder/refinement. May the LORD keep you and bless your ministry's outreach.
Great video! I have a lot of stuff to read through as a new Christian, next year I will mainly be reading John Calvin, but with this video and a couple others that have for some reason found their way into my recommended, I have been inspired to look into Kierkegaard also! Anxiety about which branch of Christianity to go down has been a massive issue for me recently, so I am thankful God could work through this video and bring me some comfort!
Thank you for this video. I find myself in a season of intense intellectual angst. I did not go looking for it. I was merely curious. Growing up in Lutheran and protestant spaces, I developed a love for the Lord and hope in his son Jesus which was and is my greatest treasure in life. Last year, I briefly dated a Catholic girl. While the relationship did not last, it was my first exposure to Catholics in a non-critical way. I enjoyed some of what I observed and had a feeling that maybe these people too share my hope in Christ. Then I encountered online a mob of Catholics claiming they were the one true church and mocking anyone who would say otherwise. Reconciling these two experiences has been very difficult for me. I do not feel I can reject Catholicism because of the beauty and hope I observed when I was curiously attending its masses. However, I shudder at the arrogance I experienced from those who proclaimed that the Roman church was the true church and if I didn't agree, well, too bad. This video has encouraged me that to have a curiosity about the Catholic tradition is not wrong. To have intellectual anxiety over the logical consequences of its outcomes is also not wrong. That this anxiety may be productive. That to listen to the best of Catholic teaching, not just the caricatures I grew up with, may lead me through this anxiety. And that with patience, prayer, sincerity, and faith, God may grant me a stronger faith and trust than the convictions which I held from my youth.
Thank you for this. I couldn’t even put words for this until now. Another thing that helped me today was Abraham Heschel on the topic of Awe and wonder, which surpasses reason and fear. The peace that passes understanding.
I think a big thing for me is that i have a form of Christianity that pushes me and makes me excited and happy, but since i discovered the church fathers and realized what they say has relevance, ive not been sure who is correct and how i can follow the "right" course. I was happy being a baptist who was deconstructing and reconstructing and figuring out what the bible said. Now im getting caught up in "liberal" vs "conservative" and im not finding the same joy in teachers i love. This comment is over reacting and its really not as bad as i made it sound but i just wanted to throw this out there
There is no way in this fast past life here in the Northeast can one escape anxiety especially if one has been exposed to not so great of an upbringing. One has to recognize that there are many good gifts and then there is a whole lot of evil in the world. The evil does a great deal of harm, but how God manifests himself in it all is nothing but miraculous. I didn't have a journey like Augustine's, but when I came to faith it was at a young age and I heard and I believed. I was too young to be thinking critically at the time, but it was no less a conversion than say someone like a C.S. Lewis. But I need to go back to Kierkegaard, for I think I may have not understood him as well as I first thought. Thanks for your contributions to this intellectual figure in history!
There's something to be said about pressing through our anxiety while clinging to our faith that is purifying to the soul. Each trial is a step closer to where we are going. Like a parent out of a child's line of vision, still present and watching; The silence of God does not equal the absence of God.
It took me about a year to read Confessions fully, it's a heavy experience to say the least. Augustine broke through, so to speak, after looking for some time "though a glass darkly" he reasoned his way to God as an immutable, incorruptible Truth for which nothing is "co-eternal". Before his scene in the yard, he was among a group of teachers (for lack of a better word) deliberating and deciding whether or not to serve the emperor or run off to become monks. As he listened, he reflected "You placed me before my face so that I could see how ugly I was, how deformed and vile, blistered and ulcerous. . . I would encounter my iniquity and hate it. I had known this, but denied it, pushed it away and forgetting it." He became inspired, or impressed, by the teachers who decided upon to take the path of devotion who argued, basically, "why serve the emperor when we can serve the Lord?" This point is highly relevant to intellectual anxiety as you put it. Augustine's struggle was with lust. That was his ultimate barrier in his "glass darkly phase" He really, really did not want to give up sexual pleasure although he was keen to become devout like the others. His intellectual anxiety was the conflict between who he believed he was and who he believe he should be. To put it crudely, he couldn't wholly transform into a man of god without giving up his temptation for sex. Until this point, he wasn't certain that he *could* change, "My conscience rebuked me: 'Will you remain silent? Did you not say that for an uncertain truth you did not want to cast off your burden of vanity? Behold! Now the truth is certain, and yet your burden is still smothering you, while others with freer shoulders are granted wings though they did not wear themselves out with questioning.'" He flees the building where the teachers are deliberating, and into the garden, he reasons: "I only knew that I had embraced insanity to gain sanity, embraced death to gain life. I knew how ill I was but did not know how healed I would soon be." By the way, this book is incredibly dense with poignant lines like this one. And it illustrates beautifully his reasoning and transformation into faith. One more thing I'd like to add, I'm always star-struck by you, Gavin, your elocution is dizzying. Please keep doing what you do and God Bless.
Thank you so much for this video. This video describes my situation exactly along with other issues that I am facing. Along with intellectual anxiety, I am also facing the struggle of trying to develop an identity. I feel lost trying to understand whether I should attach who I am to the things of this world or whether my identity should be entirely wrapped around Christ. I have heard pastors say things like our identity should be in Christ but I do not know what that means. A video discussing this would be incredible.
Intellectual anxiety is tough. This is really the case with theological study, as we think as Christians think that our beliefs and practices have eternal ramifications and that with this life, we get only one shot at doing this right. The stakes are high. So what if I leave this world with false theological beliefs? What if I leave this world with a false ecclesiology? I don't have the infinite time to turn every stone, argue every point, understand every theological position and nuance. Is the gospel enough to save me if I do church wrong? Is it enough if I teach and argue for a theological or doctrinal point that turns out to be wrong? Is it a sin if I teach a wrong doctrine or eccelsiology? I look to the story of the man beside Jesus on the cross as my hope. "Lord, remember me!" He had no time for church, no time for theological study, he didn't even have time to read a Bible. He just had this moment to call upon the Lord, not even to forgive him, but to remember him. For Jesus, this was enough. I hope that my genuine faith, given by grace, in his gospel be enough.
remember, God gives the faith we are all dead in sin until God repents us, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit and He sustains our faith with His Holy Spirit
Letting go of trying to control things is a terribly difficult process. Jesus had an entire sermon encouraging people to let go and trust. "Who by being anxious can add a cubit to his life span?" The OT Proverbs also addressed it: 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.'
Thank you Gavin, this was very helpful, but something I would love to hear you talk about in a little more detail is why do so many people have those experiences that you talked about and others don't. You and I've heard many others say something like if you pray for God to reveal Himself He will, but I have prayed many times and still have no comfort. I don't know why I can't feel the presence of God, I can know Him intellectually but not emotionally, and than the passage that says "leave me for I never knew you" brings so much fear to me. So I guess the real question is why do I not feel God? Why do I not relate to God on an emotional level? Thanks for all your work Gavin. I have loved your Chanel.
Personally I think Kierkegaard's key influence Johann Hamann was even better. Not only was he dvout Lutheran who utilized church fathers but was rather critical of Catholics for borderline turning reason into an idol
I greatly appreciate this. But I still have the same question at the end of it: how is it that earnest and intelligent people are being led in different directions? People converting into Catholicism and others converting out of it. Catholics are quick to point out that our God is not a god of confusion, and ask why the Spirit would lead people to different theological conclusions. If we are to appreciate our anxiety, does this mean that our struggle must go on until we have that conversion? That all Protestants with anxiety should study until they become Catholic, and that all Catholics should study until they become Protestant? I think for a lot of us the issue is that we want to be confident in where we currently are. I often feel a burden that my salvation is incumbent upon me to do sufficient study if for no other reason than to prove to God my earnestness. Hope that articulates the feelings. Bless you!
Perhaps to be more precise, your video seems to communicate that intellectual anxiety should be seen as a positive thing and an opportunity to grow in faith. But that sort of gives the impression that you ought to eventually succumb to the anxiety and have a “conversion” experience like cs Lewis. He was troubled UNTIL he changed. Are we going to be troubled until we give in to every claim that causes us anxiety? The judiazer that preached that one must be circumcised to be saved caused great anxiety. And the solution was not to wrestle with the anxiety until someone came to peace with it, the solution was to denounce judiazers as heretics and move on. Catholics cause anxiety by telling faithful Christians they must convert, and that anxiety will persist until they do convert. The convert can then say the anxiety was a great help and guide. But the rest of us will remain stuck with that anxiety because we do not convert. How is this anxiety to my benefit if it will only go away with conversion?
Well I do believe that Catholics are right when they say God is not the Author of confusion. This has led me to believe that many smart and well meaning people are being led astray due to either demonic lies and deception or that our own fallen prevents some smart people from coming to the truth.
Gavin, this video is beautiful. You might have attempted to alleviate intellectual anx, but I imagine you succeeded in helping to alleviate many other forms of anx for many listeners. Excellent job here - this was the work not just of a scholar but a pastor. Do you have a good Kierk biography recommendation? I have the Chamberlain Reader, but you mentioned reading his bios; I should, too.
1 Corinthians 15 has been a great anchor for me over the years. So much else is either secondary or outright irrelevant depending on whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. The centrality of the resurrection helps me prioritize the intellectual "noise" that can often creep in. I am convinced that Jesus rose from the dead, and everything else finds a place to fall in line behind that.
Jesus looked at the crowd with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd..... yet they had a religious ruling class and standing temple. I can't wait for Christ to return, and set all the shepherds straight, while we're told to manage our anxiety caused by all this division. It honestly feels like gaslighting with the kindest of intentions. God, send your son soon! Jeremiah 23
Hey Gavin, you check out Johann Georg Hamann if you haven't already. He was a Lutheran philosopher who wrote a lot against the folly of putting your trust in reason, saying at one point, "I look at reason the way a well-bred girl looks at a love letter." The guy was a hero to Kierkegaard and Goethe as well as a friend and fierce critic of Immanuel Kant. I'd recommend reading translations of his works before reading any of the books written about him because everyone seems to have a radically different interpretation of his beliefs; I've seen him labeled as everything from a conservative reactionary to a post-modernist. And also, he's just very entertaining to read.
Since you asked the one question that'd still leave me with some anxiety (please forgive me if you did in fact address this) is how do I know when to stop? As in how do I know when to stop digging and questioning my stance on certain salvation-level doctrines? Do I? And if I do how do I strike a balance between being steadfast in my faith while not feeling intellectually dishonest by shutting out oposing opinions? Thank you as always, I found this video very easing to my soul
3:46 That's so true! I used to think very low of anxiety crisis when I was younger because I had not felt it before, but after I did, I completely understand this particular suffering.
This is a very good video the only problem I struggle with is trying to not be bias when looking into things because of outside factors like family or significant others.
Thank you for this video. Your ministry is much appreciated. I do wonder why the advice is to do all we can do on our own first, before going to Christ. Shouldn't we submit our intellect to Him before we even engage with ideas and pursuits?
This is why I’m still Catholic at the moment. I’m basically on board with sola scriptura as a concept. But the existential dread of, “what if I’m wrong and I cost my wife and kids the sacraments?” absolutely holds me in a place where I can’t truly affirm the Catholic Church in my mind, but also can’t bring myself to leave it out of fear.
Unfortunately that is probably how alot of Catholics feel...They can not intellectually swallow all the theology and claims of Catholicism but they (especially if cradle Catholics) have angst and fear about leaving. I know several former Catholics and they are in great places spiritually, with their families and church life.
I have studied a ton (from both sides) and church history under Dr. Mayhew...I explored basically all the Catholic apologists and some of church Fathers, tons of theological study, etc and I am more firmly Protestant than ever before.
@BryceCarmony The bride of Christ is all the born again believers in Christ...even Catholicism argues and understands the mystical bride or the mystical body of Christ is not strictly limited to those within the confines of Roman Catholicism ergo Vatican 2 Protestants separated brethren with valid baptisms done in trinitarian formula, etc.
@BryceCarmony If you have read the teachings of the church you presumably claim to be a part you would understand...unless you happen to be a rad trad, sedevacantist, etc
Man I was struggling with this last night. I pray constantly that if there is anything in my beliefs that are incorrect, that God would show me, guide me, and correct me. Last night I was struggling with the subject of the Trinity. Though I have believed it my whole life, I don’t know the Bible enough to fully support my beliefs. I want to see both sides. I want to know, to discern the truth. Trinitarians and Unitarians both have supporters who say the other side is not saved. Even if I knew everything, I know I’m not smart enough to come to a good answer in my own strength. My only desire is to love God with all that I am, and I do not want an incorrect belief corrupt my views or even my relationship with Him. Any guidance would be appreciated
Regarding point 5, about faith: "The faith that changes the life and connects to God is best conveyed by the word “trust.” Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you as you fall is a branch sticking out of the very edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and it is more than strong enough to support your weight. How can it save you? If your mind is filled with intellectual certainty that the branch can support you, but you don’t actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If your mind is instead filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why? It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch. This means you don’t have to wait for all doubts and fears to go away to take hold of Christ. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to banish all misgivings in order to meet God. That would turn your faith into one more way to be your own Savior. Working on the quality and purity of your commitment would become a way to merit salvation and put God in your debt. It is not the depth and purity of your heart but the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf that saves us." - Tim Keller
This is such a struggle! I’ve been studying so much and I feel like I’m “reconstructing” everything I believe. I don’t even know which denomination I should be a part of, help!
What biographies on Kierkegaard would you recommend for someone who wants to begin to study him and his work? And are there any particular books by him that you would especially recommend? Everything I've heard so far from him I have absolutely loved
I am wondering: Is "intellectual anxiety" really just a manifestation of a deeper emotional insecurity? Emotional security is such a complex thing in humans, bound up with our family background, parents, siblings, environment, upbringing, so much of the stuff that makes us human. Religion is a part of all this for many of us.
Gavin, I notice you make nice replies to certain philosophies and positions. I saw the one you did on Buddhism. Have you considered making a video about Stoicism? It has a growing popularity today with figures like Ryan Holiday. Even though the principles they espouse typically seem sound, it’s usually a philosophy perused independent of Christianity.
For me, the biggest take away of this whole video is the von Balthasar quote “ the finite mind, horrified by its own limitless”. I think it is this ideology (that the human spirit is in fact infinite, and therefore, will either spend eternity with God in heaven, or be separated from God for eternity in hell) is, hands down, what causes Christians the MOST anxiety. What if you die in a season of doubt? You go to hell? You were never saved in the first place if doubt leads you to rejecting Christianity? … that’s the type of stuff that keeps me up at night. It’s not trying to fully grasp every aspect of the “fine-tuning” argument. It all revolves around fear of hell. Sure would be nice if what Jesus did on the cross was sufficient for everyone’s salvation, huh? Then we could once and for all put that anxiety to bed… so that many of us can finally get some sleep too.
It's easy to have intellectual peace when you stop caring about the veracity of the intellectual content, which Kierkegaard apparently did. "If one who lives in the midst of Christendom goes up to the house of God, the house of the true God, with a true conception of God in his knowledge, and prays, but prays in a false spirit; and one who lives in an idolatrous community prays with the entire passion of the infinite, although his eyes rest upon the image of an idol: where is the most truth? The one prays in truth to God, though he worships an idol.." - Kierkegaard 'Postscript' Translated by Swenson and Lowries, Princeton University Press, 1941.
I have struggled deeply with this type of anxiety. I settled on Roman Catholicism and I am fairly certain of it now, but I do still struggle sometimes. I am the sincerest now I have ever been about seeking the truth, and I pray that if I have been wrong about anything that Jesus would show me the way. I am ready to drop everything and follow Christ if he shows me a different path. I believe, help my unbelief. All I want is to see You in heaven, Lord.
Entrust yourself to Mary and her maternal love. She knows Her Son better than any of us and she probably knows us better than we know ourselves, as mothers do and as the Lord Himself does. You already have Jesus, your Saviour and mine, in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar in a unique way, the Gift beyond all gifts, the Treasure beyond all treasures. He is the Gift Who lasts for all eternity. This from an Anglican.
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This is beautiful and very helpful to me. God bless your ministry, Dr. Ortlund!
This video helps me greatly. There have been countless moments I wish I never opened a book about theology or philosophy. I might have preferred to stay ignorant about all this. I’ve spent countless nights praying and crying about what to believe in. East vs. West; Catholic or Protestant; theism and atheism. Your channel has been a great blessing with helping me control my anxiety and improve my personal studies. May God bless you Gavin.
so glad it was helpful! May the Lord bless you and guide you!
I feel you bro
AMEN! The agony of being both responsible for what one chooses to believe and incapable of discerning all truth is a heavy burden for the highly conscientious. It's not the dishonest or the cynic who gets caught here, but the more earnest and sincere the seeker, the more he becomes torn between the options. The things people believe and teach have repercussions through the generations. We still bear the costs of mistakes made in the Church centuries ago. To try to shoulder that responsibility is too much for most of us. Perhaps that is why we're taught that not many of us should strive to be teachers. Gavin, this was a wonderful video. Thanks.
@@josephmiller997 interpretation is not one's own private matter
question is, which group/church has the correct interpretation?
@@josephmiller997
It’s not that hard to start narrowing it down tho. Obviously Christianity is vastly more coherent and logical and historical than atheism or Hinduism or Islam, so that already cuts out most worldviews right there. Then if you study church history you can narrow it down further, for example Nestorianism is obviously wrong, etc.
GAVIN! My thoughts exactly. I’m an overthinker AND a theology geek. My brain is non-stop going back and forth between arguments for theological systems and ideas. My anxiety is non-stop sometimes.
I began having panic attacks, anxiety and depression in 2012. Luckily it only lasted for a month or so, but it ended up being the very thing I needed to snap out of my malaise and begin examining my life, my meaning, my purpose.. my WHY.. which led me back to God, and to Christ.
Beautiful! Congrats, very similar to me!
Mine went on for years. I fought it and rebelled so hard, but Christ's love won in the end. Praise God!
I honestly believe God worked this out for good. Just yesterday I’d resigned myself to accepting my fate of being overwhelmed by infinite possibilities because I thought the best or only way out was to read yet another theory. You’ve inspired me to not give up on studying but use my despair to make my faith stronger. God bless you and all that you do!
so glad this video could be of use! God bless you and guide you!
This has been a big struggle for me lately. My whole identity is wrapped up in my faith. It's scary to find out people have legitimate reasons to think differently about essentials of the faith like baptism and Communion and which church we should be a part of.
It feels like the core of who you are is coming under attack.
I'm thankful we can trust in Jesus, the immovable, unchangeable Rock.
Yep, I was there with you too. It’s taken 3 years to start to feel peace, but now I feel I’m on the final stages.
@BryceCarmony
All ecclesialists and reformational churches agree that Christ alone, and His Word alone, is the only foundation of the Church. His Word alone is infallible, not the papal decree.
"I say it without the least hesitation, whoever calls himself the universal bishop, or desires this title, is, by his pride, the precursor of Antichrist, because he thus attempts to raise himself above the others. The error into which he falls springs from pride equal to that of Antichrist; for as that Wicked One wished to be regarded as exalted above other men, like a god, so likewise whoever would be called sole bishop exalteth himself above others....You know it, my brother; hath not the venerable Council of Chalcedon conferred the honorary title of 'universal' upon the bishops of this Apostolic See [Rome], whereof I am, by God's will, the servant? And yet none of us hath permitted this title to be given to him; none hath assumed this bold title, lest by assuming a special distinction in the dignity of the episcopate, we should seem to refuse it to all the brethren."
St Gregory the Great
@@BryceCarmonyProtestants can still go to heaven tho
@@BryceCarmony let us pray! God bless 🙏
You seem to conflate Christ with the infallible church that (you believe) He founded. Would you say that faith in the Church = faith in Christ?
I never really realized I had this at the beginning of the pandemic. I had severe anxiety during this time and I remember vividly one night just looking at the light cast by the moon in my room and felt such existential dread of what eternity is, and who God is, and what I don't know - it almost felt like I was disassociating and losing my sense of reality. This was the time I was really beginning to grow in my faith and was consuming a lot of intellectual things for and against the existence of God, it was overwhelming. I now have peace not because I know more, but because I trust the Lord more. The cross is where all my emotional and intellectual thought hinges upon, I may not know everything and I may still feel anxious, but the truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection overwhelms any doubt and calls me to trust in Him.
Truth Unites, and this video in particular, are expressions of God's lovingkindness to me. I will testify that spiritual anxiety harnessed to sincerity, curiosity, patience, experience, and faith, are working together to give me greater peace. And for the questions still remaining, the prayer, "I believe. Help my unbelief!" leaves it in His hands.
There has definitely been anxiety in my life when examining the claims of Rome and the East. But we need to trust in God and realize that He is in control. Love your videos Gavin, you're an excellent Protestant apologist.
the 5 solas are extremely assuring, not the faith + works that RCC and EOC teaches
faith alone changes everything
I'm a convert to Christianity and I know that I am Christian and that my faith is in the Christian God but I'm so lost in all the denominational spiraling and argumentativeness. I'm glad this video exists because Lord knows I've seen about every video on everything from Roman Catholicism to Presbyterianism to Mormonism to Eastern Orthodoxy. I hope it helps others too.
Stay in the Scripture, pray and find a Bible believing conservative local church. I also suggest seeking out a Wednesday weekly Bible study. I found a conservative non denominational and a Bible college...Huge growth for me especially starting in 2015.
Christ is a person, not a denomination. Rest in Him my friend.
I have a test on this in an hour and a half! Divine intervention to reduce my anxiety that Gavin posted this right in time!
Thank you for your heart for those of us in a season such as this. Your kind heart and personal testimonies have been a comforting presence for many of us.
I find that the words of God in the Holy Scriptures can also bring a comfort that no amount of rational thought can. Lamentations 3 has sort of been my rallying cry in this season.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope;”
Lamentations 3:25-29
Ooo, that’s beautiful. Gotta get into Lamentations.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much Gavin. It’s been a tough two years as I’ve gone down all these rabbit trails. Thank you for the constant reminders to trust in the Lord. He will lead us in all truth. I trust him with my soul.
What were you doing in my brain?! This is exactly what I struggled with for a whole month and am still working on. Thank you so much!
I had extremely horrible intellectual anxiety for almost 2 years after 2 years of being a christian. i wish i had seen this video back then. It was so horrible i thought im going mad... it also mixed with depression at the end, i had no joy in life and i was afraid of god because i was so scared of believing the wrong things... what helped me was to truly let go and but it into his hands, hoping and praying for his grace and mercy because i knew ill (at least for now) never find the "right" denomination by my intellectual strength... it helped me immensely - i still have intellectual anxiety but it doesnt affect my daily life as much as it used to, and im doing a lot better... when i look at this theological mess and chaos were in with all these denominations i just hope that god is more gracious then any man and church could ever be... if you suffer from intellectual anxiety- dont lose heart! Youre not alone. Have hope that Jesus CHrist who cured the sick can also cure and calm the mess inside your head
Thank you for this video. I have been exploring my faith as a Christian, and the further down the rabbit hole of Christianity I go, the more it exacerbates my depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, this has led me to turn to my old nemesis, alcohol, just to help quell my anxious mind.
I am trying to learn about different denominations so that I can find a church to attend.
I have great interest in Eastern Orthodoxy, but unfortunately the parishioners and clergy seem to be very exclusive and stand offish. It is my understanding that you have to go through periods of "initiation" that could take years before you are accepted into the church. I only wish to worship Christ. Why is it so damn difficult to do that? It is causing my more grief and heartache than anything else has ever caused me in my life.
God bless.
The reason it is so confusing is because Satan is real and is out to attack and destroy our faith so we don't get to have fellowship with our creator. God is NOT the author of confusion, confusion is of Satan. Study the scriptures, believe the scriptures, and spend time praying, and getting the help you need when it comes to your alcohol issue. I'll keep you in my prayers, I know you can and will overcome this.🙏🏾
@@TheFIame , Thank you. I really appreciate that. May I ask which denomination you belong to? This is the area that is causing me the most anxiety. I want so desperately to fellowship with other Christians, but cannot find which denomination or church to belong to.
@@paulboerin173 I would be classified as a protestant. I would honestly say any conservative Bible based church is a good place to start, even if you don't agree with ALL of the doctrines there. I think it's important to understand that you don't have the answer to everything all at once. Take your time, be honest with yourself, study and believe the scriptures and know that the Lord wants to save you and guide you, and I believe you will be guided into all truth.
Thank you brother, your words are a healing balm for those struggling
For those listeners whose intellectual anxiety is about beliefs essential to salvation, I recommend making sure to include in how they deal with it the two facets Gavin brings up at the very end, experience and faith. Though I understand that for some people (such as myself!) acquiring apologetical info can be necessary in order to get to the point of being able to receive the gift of unshakable belief and devotion, God deliberately refrained from giving us objective "proof" that COMPELS belief. As Gavin said, it doesn't work to require oneself to be more knowledgeable and smart than every skeptic who might come out with a new book. But God gave us enough evidence to make it fully JUSTIFIABLE intellectually to believe. Then if a person is still hesitating, he can ask God for help, and God is very likely to pull him over the finish line. That's how it went for me.
Amen
Thank you for this video. It popped up on my feed at the right time. The anxiety is debilitating but I know it’s Jesus that will show me through this.
May the Lord bless you and guide you.
I needed to hear you say there's no shame in seeing a professional. Thank you.
Gavin, I can't thank you enough for this. I personally believe this is in the top most important videos you have done so far. It most certainly has helped me. I'm 37 and have been a strong protestant my entire life, going to the same Bible church. These last 3 years or so, I found myself in a crisis as I looked at the Catholic and Orthodox points of view over issues of the Papacy, Apostolic Succession, Sola Scriptura (the lack of), Sacramental views and other major theological points. I have weeks sometimes where I've thought I was losing my mind, panic attacks and everything. This video was really something I've needed to see. Keep up the good work and don't let the mean spirited folks get you down.
so glad it was helpful to you!
I'm moved to see so many brethrens share in this struggle. Your effort has been immensely helpful.
I am from Scandinavia and have been very interested in Kierkegaard but sadly most Christian TH-camrs don't seem to discuss him at all. Thank you for making this video!
I'm slowly learning more about Søren Kierkegaard. I think that he was a "Christian Universalist". That alone might scare many Christians away.
"Faith is a hallmark of Kierkegaardian philosophical and religious thought. Two of his key ideas are based on faith: the leap to faith and the knight of faith. Some regard Kierkegaard as a Christian Universalist, writing in his journals, "If others go to Hell, I will go too.""
- AI generated answer
BTW, Rod Serling (1924-1975) was a Unitarian Universalist. He was the screenwriter, producer & narrator of "The Twilight Zone". He was an Ashkenazi Jew.
th-cam.com/users/shortsNJftPZYXBTI?si=qFc-cDCMUcNFCurV
I grew up watching the original Twilight Zone series. I was born in 1964. It's hard to believe I'm so old now.
For all those feeling anxiety God Bless you all ,I pray for you all and ALWAYS remember this! 🙏
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory.
Trusted,believed,sealed,GUARANTEED,Amen 🙏
I find it good to often "re-center" on the Gospel by asking a few questions:
1. Does this have any impact on my understanding of the Gospel?
2. Could an early Christian have lived and died in the Grace of Christ without having ever thought about this topic?
3. Does my current understanding of this require me to separate from fellow believers? (Just a few examples).
Ultimately, it's just theological triage but it helps me keep things in perspective. Most of the things we worry about are not of salvific consequence and, therefore, should be kept at bay in our minds regarding our assurance.
Thank you Dr Ortlund. Few words can describe how comforting and helpful your video was. Christendom and the world is blessed for a man like you, for the ministry you do.
Glad it was helpful!
Kierkegaard is a guide for all seasons. He has functioned both as the safety net of my faith when it is wavering, and a fire fueling and prompting my greatest growth. Thank you Dr. Ortlund for making his thought so accessible for those struggling. For any interested in diving deeper into Kierkegaard I’d suggest books by C. Stephen Evans, Mark A. Tietjen, and Marold Westphal. The book “Philosopher of the Heart” by Clare Carlisle, and “Kierkegaard, a single life” by Stephen Backhouse are both wonderful biographies.
Thank you once again! It’s so helpful listening to how these theologians/philosophers dealt with their anxiety/doubt.
I totally agree with being curious whilst remaining patient amidst the storm. The metaphor of the storm bending the tree but actually loosening the soil so the roots can become strong is so powerful. I’ve went through a long time agonising over Calvinism and How God can be all good and yet not offer IG to everyone amidst other concerns regarding it. The process isn’t done but God used it to show me a fundamental flaw within me, and also used it to improve my understanding of His sovereignty. I’m at a place now where even if Calvinism is true, I can trust in Gods goodness
Hi there. I am by no means attacking calvinists. Dr Gavin is being used by God for sure. I am so very grateful to him. If you are looking for a solid biblical perspective on God's sovereignty, Soteriology 101 with Leighton Flowers has helped me into a provisionist view. Blessings in your search. God is not a doctrine, He's a wonderful Father who loves you.
Calvinism is not true. bible is not word of God. God is not defined or confined to the bible, sefer yetzirah, or koran.
Tyrants rule
Christianity is a slave religion
The whole truth is not found within our words, religion, laws, confabulations...
Freedom and honesty is superior to dogma and tyrannies.
I can confirm what @Jethrokingsley8903 said. Calvinists like Ortlund offer incredible resources and are excellent teachers, and I love listening to Gavin's videos, but Christ died for everyone, and just because we choose to reject His freely offered grace doesn't mean He sovereignly determined that we would reject Him. If that were true, it would mean that He doesn't actually love everyone or desire everyone to be saved. I highly recommend taking a look at Mike Winger's two videos on Limited Atonement, he goes through almost every clear prooftext in the Bible on exactly who Christ died for in his video "Limited Atonement, Universalism and why I disagree with both". Taking a look at Soteriology 101 with Leighton Flowers, as Jethro said, is also a great idea. Both of these incredibly scholarly and godly men do an excellent job of explaining the truth of God's love, care, and provision for all through Christ. If we say God is sovereign in the deterministic sense that Calvinists claim, then we are saying we reject Him because He first rejected us (determined that we would reject Him). But in truth, He loves us, and commands us to love our enemies, just as He does. God loves every single one of us, and that is why, though we first rejected Him, He chose to give His life that ALL might have the opportunity to be reconciled, have their sins forgiven, and have relationship with Him. Many reject that free offer of reconciliation, but it is not because God determined them to reject Him, it is because of their own hardness of heart. Take heart brother, God loves all and died for all, just as the scripture clearly teaches (1 Timothy 4:10, 1 John 2:2, Titus 2:11-12, 2 Peter 3:9. 2 Peter 2:1 and so many more). I hope this helps!
Thank you! I will check it out!
Dr. Ortlund, thank you so much for this video! I am struggling with a plethora of issues that are causing me crippling intellectual anxiety. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure whether to put my Christian life on pause because praying, going to church, and more makes it worse. Some friends and I were blessed with the opportunity to tell someone about Christ and I felt like I was lying whenever I spoke. I so desperately want to believe, but I have that niggling doubt in the back of my head that Christianity isn’t true, especially when confronted with ambiguous evidence. Thank you for your words of advice and encouragement! God bless!
Be patient; “when we are faithless he remains faithful” 2Tim2:13. You’re so bothered by your faith struggle because you do believe, but you still have questions or doubts from habitual skepticism (believe me, I understand!). “The Lord will give you understanding in all things” 2Tim2:7; no one wants to believe who isn’t first being pursued by the Lord. He’ll get you there.
Also you’re not a liar for sharing Christ. It’s not you who speak but the Father in you; again, when we’re faithless he’s faithful.
hey man. How are you doing a month later?
@@d__w295 a little better. I am thinking that I’ll go to church tomorrow. Should be interesting since I’ve been gone a while. But, I found a ministry that helps with doubts and I really shouldn’t cut myself off from the body of Christ. #NotSmart. Thank you for asking! How are you doing? Are you well?
Hello, I listened to your video: "One Person's Attempt to Understand What God is Doing in Pain and Suffering (..."
I don't have an answer. However, this is the first thing that came to my mind. =)
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Chapter 49, No mind of her own
th-cam.com/video/ssKj4TJE_po/w-d-xo.htmlsi=wls2C8YVtgVcD9Aw
ive been at the same place you are in! It will get better! do not lose heart!!
I have to give a talk about my faith experience at church on Sunday and I didn't know how to describe the struggles I have experienced with intellectual anxiety. This video has given me way more clarity and has spoken to my struggle more than any video I have every watched. Thankyou Dr Ortlund!
Such an important topic - there is a real sense of despair in today's world. We shouldn't shy away from these conversations. Great work!
I Corinthians 13
[12] For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
[13] And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I'm working on a Master's degree in theology. Whenever I am in my studies is when I have the greatest sense of despair. I think for me it is more nihilistic than anxious. I will come across some obscure journal article written 100 years ago by someone working on the same problem as me. Sometimes their insights are good, but it seems they never made a difference (hence the obscurity). Sometimes they seem just as speculative and inconclusive as all the various positions I read from contemporary sources. I resonate greatly with a story I've heard about Aquinas (not sure if it is true or not, maybe this could be the topic of another Truth Unites video!) that at the end of his life he said “I can write no more. All that I have written seems like straw.”
I guess I thought that scholarship would give me a sense of purpose. But I am learning that scholarship for scholarship's sake is not good. I put hours upon hours of work into a research paper and will feel proud of the results, but then within a few days I will already be wondering, "what was the point? I should have just gone out with friends or watched a movie or something."
I was there about 9 years ago...singing worship music has really helped that, prayer/meditation and exercise.
Thank you Gavin. After wrestling for months and even longer since this summer, I’ve hit a turning point in my doctrinal questions. It’s forcing me to leave my current church, but the amount of peace and grace I’ve gained from Christ is evidence that He is the center of it all. Your videos are a blessing to many people. Keep up the wonderful work.
I really needed this video. My struggle is with baptism: Credo vs paedo (and even in this, Covenantal vs Baptismal Regeneration). I've read so much, and I see validity to all of the arguments. It's been a struggle for sure. Thanks for the encouragement, Dr. Ortlund!
I think the hardest aspect of this struggle is the threat of eternal damnation if you ‘get it wrong’…. These topics would be so much more enjoyable if I did not believe that my eternal destiny was at stake.. Trying to find life’s answers has done nothing but paralyze me and fill me with despair. I honestly do not like any of the answers at all.
Believe in forgiveness. Forgive everyone and forgive yourself as Jesus forgave you, have faith in His completed work above everything and He will send the Comforter to guide you.
@@MissDiagnosed2024 Thank you 🙏
Really appreciate this video Gavin! Kierkegaard has been my favorite author since I read his book Works of Love in high school, which is more devotional than some of his popular philosophical works. I certainly would not claim complete understanding of Kierkegaard, but it often makes me quite sad to see him caricatured among Christian thinkers that I have a lot of respect for. As a result, it brought me a lot of joy to hear your appreciation for him! Like you mentioned, I think the pseudonyms make his books somewhat difficult to understand and his actual views elusive. In addition, his expression "leap of faith" is often understood as Kierkegaard advocating a complete abandonment of reason in pursuit of faith, which I believe he would wholeheartedly disagree with. Thank you for doing justice to such a great author, and thank you more generally for the time and study you put into these videos!
P.S. I want to go to Copenhagen very badly as well to see his statue in the Royal Library and his grave. One day!
I've only read Fear and Trembling. It alone was enough to change me in some positive ways.
My wife struggles with anxiety even after she offers a particular issue to God in prayer. I hope some of this advice will help her, even if it's not directly regarding intellectual anxiety.
Perhaps she also suffers from biologically caused anxiety, such as Gavin mentions in the beginning of this video. He also spoke about the value of having other Christians lay hands on her and pray. Do not be afraid of the need we may have for deliverance.
Thank you so much for this video. It definitely makes me think I need to study up on Kierkegaard. Intellectual anxiety is something I struggle with as well and I'm thankful for the clarity and peace of mind this approach gives me.
Gavin, this is your best piece yet. Thank you SO MUCH. I've been going through this kind of anxiety for a few years now and I never knew it was a more common thing. I thought I was just really going insane. And I just feel desolate because I try to be so static, but I lost being alive along the way.
This is such a helpful part and it's honestly really the first time I've felt intellectual peace at all. I can finally take a breath goodness me.
It's hard to express in a youtube comment section, but for real and again man, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Glory to God.
Why aren't more people talking about this stuff?
Thank you Gavin, Kierkegaard has helped me so much in this exact place. Thankful for God by all your work! God bless!
Over 40 years ago, a high school teacher of mine commented that something he read by Kierkegaard completely changed his life. He didn't elaborate. I've always wondered precisely what he was referring to.
Thank you for championing Kierkegaard. His work is dense, and it is difficult for me to get through his books with a clear understanding of his points. Still, I can read a few passages and see deep truth resonating from his writing. Some Christians dismiss his writings as not particularly edifying or even paint him as a corrupting existentialist. As with Kierkegaard's work, I will likely be returning to this video to glean kernels of knowledge that I missed the first time.
Gavin, thank you so much for this video. I have been wrestling with intellectual anxiety for over a year at this point, particularly on (using your triage system) urgent and important doctrines. Praise the Lord it has improved in recent weeks through various people and resources (add to that list you and this video). As a full-time seminary student, I am unable to financially support your ministry at this time, though I hope to do so one day. However, may my thanksgiving and prayers be a small token of reimbursement at this time.
as someone who is struggling with intellectual anxiety , i thank you for this video. there are lots of anxiety related videos out there, but most seem to want you to see a physician or suggest medication. for some people this certainly might be helpful. not all anxiety is equal in strength or causes, but i have been looking for a Kierkegaardian and/or spiritual approach to the topic, and those kind of videos are much less common.
I had just watched your video on divine hiddeness with Alex o Connor. I pressed on this one right after because it’s something I’ve been dealing with. As soon as I clicked on it, I was overwhelmed with joy, saying, “I love this man, he’s so beautiful, I love you Gavin Ortlund.” You are such a great help that one video from you comforted me greatly. Thank you so much for your work. You are a beautiful soul
Such a great video. 10 years of study and school, grueling work going over the top many times, and becoming a well rounded philosopher, and I finally calmed down. It's been a few years, but eventually you do reach a place of quiet. And that's when the real work begins....
Such a fantastic video. I think this is a great reminder that the things most important to us occupy our minds incessantly-to various degrees and across the spectrum of human experience, for sure. Beyond that, realizing that these deep profound struggles are necessary steps for intellectual worship and progression is such an important perspective to have in that knowing and having hope in the eventual outcome and the generality of this specific experience as well. I have often felt like I was drowning in incomplete or inconclusive information and in panic, feared my own ineptitude when in actuality, that ineptitude-like you asserted in the quoted section of your essay-is an integral part of the human experience. Though I have caught loose sight of this over years periodically, having this video clearly define these dynamics with truth, evidence, observation and judgment really helped me close the loop on this. Gavin, man, thank you. Really needed this reminder/refinement. May the LORD keep you and bless your ministry's outreach.
This is the only video that correctly captures Kierkegaard
Excellent video! Kierkegaard makes me a proud Dane.
Wow. Thank you for explaining all of this. But I have to listen to it again, because it’s a lot to take in.
Great video! I have a lot of stuff to read through as a new Christian, next year I will mainly be reading John Calvin, but with this video and a couple others that have for some reason found their way into my recommended, I have been inspired to look into Kierkegaard also! Anxiety about which branch of Christianity to go down has been a massive issue for me recently, so I am thankful God could work through this video and bring me some comfort!
may the Lord guide you and bless you! I hope my videos may be of some use in your process.
Thank you for this video. I find myself in a season of intense intellectual angst. I did not go looking for it. I was merely curious. Growing up in Lutheran and protestant spaces, I developed a love for the Lord and hope in his son Jesus which was and is my greatest treasure in life. Last year, I briefly dated a Catholic girl. While the relationship did not last, it was my first exposure to Catholics in a non-critical way. I enjoyed some of what I observed and had a feeling that maybe these people too share my hope in Christ. Then I encountered online a mob of Catholics claiming they were the one true church and mocking anyone who would say otherwise. Reconciling these two experiences has been very difficult for me. I do not feel I can reject Catholicism because of the beauty and hope I observed when I was curiously attending its masses. However, I shudder at the arrogance I experienced from those who proclaimed that the Roman church was the true church and if I didn't agree, well, too bad. This video has encouraged me that to have a curiosity about the Catholic tradition is not wrong. To have intellectual anxiety over the logical consequences of its outcomes is also not wrong. That this anxiety may be productive. That to listen to the best of Catholic teaching, not just the caricatures I grew up with, may lead me through this anxiety. And that with patience, prayer, sincerity, and faith, God may grant me a stronger faith and trust than the convictions which I held from my youth.
Gavin, I have enjoyed all of your content but this one is especially helpful. Thank you for showing us a way out of the endless forest.
Thank you for this. I couldn’t even put words for this until now. Another thing that helped me today was Abraham Heschel on the topic of Awe and wonder, which surpasses reason and fear. The peace that passes understanding.
Thank you
Love Kierkegaard. Thanks.
"If you can spell "Nietzsche" without Google, you deserve a cookie."
- Lauren Leto
Great video, Dr Ortlund!
I think a big thing for me is that i have a form of Christianity that pushes me and makes me excited and happy, but since i discovered the church fathers and realized what they say has relevance, ive not been sure who is correct and how i can follow the "right" course. I was happy being a baptist who was deconstructing and reconstructing and figuring out what the bible said. Now im getting caught up in "liberal" vs "conservative" and im not finding the same joy in teachers i love. This comment is over reacting and its really not as bad as i made it sound but i just wanted to throw this out there
There is no way in this fast past life here in the Northeast can one escape anxiety especially if one has been exposed to not so great of an upbringing. One has to recognize that there are many good gifts and then there is a whole lot of evil in the world. The evil does a great deal of harm, but how God manifests himself in it all is nothing but miraculous. I didn't have a journey like Augustine's, but when I came to faith it was at a young age and I heard and I believed. I was too young to be thinking critically at the time, but it was no less a conversion than say someone like a C.S. Lewis. But I need to go back to Kierkegaard, for I think I may have not understood him as well as I first thought. Thanks for your contributions to this intellectual figure in history!
There's something to be said about pressing through our anxiety while clinging to our faith that is purifying to the soul. Each trial is a step closer to where we are going. Like a parent out of a child's line of vision, still present and watching; The silence of God does not equal the absence of God.
I read Fear and Trembling and it was quite awesome. I hadn't really thought that deeply about Abraham before.
It took me about a year to read Confessions fully, it's a heavy experience to say the least. Augustine broke through, so to speak, after looking for some time "though a glass darkly" he reasoned his way to God as an immutable, incorruptible Truth for which nothing is "co-eternal". Before his scene in the yard, he was among a group of teachers (for lack of a better word) deliberating and deciding whether or not to serve the emperor or run off to become monks. As he listened, he reflected "You placed me before my face so that I could see how ugly I was, how deformed and vile, blistered and ulcerous. . . I would encounter my iniquity and hate it. I had known this, but denied it, pushed it away and forgetting it." He became inspired, or impressed, by the teachers who decided upon to take the path of devotion who argued, basically, "why serve the emperor when we can serve the Lord?"
This point is highly relevant to intellectual anxiety as you put it. Augustine's struggle was with lust. That was his ultimate barrier in his "glass darkly phase" He really, really did not want to give up sexual pleasure although he was keen to become devout like the others. His intellectual anxiety was the conflict between who he believed he was and who he believe he should be. To put it crudely, he couldn't wholly transform into a man of god without giving up his temptation for sex. Until this point, he wasn't certain that he *could* change, "My conscience rebuked me: 'Will you remain silent? Did you not say that for an uncertain truth you did not want to cast off your burden of vanity? Behold! Now the truth is certain, and yet your burden is still smothering you, while others with freer shoulders are granted wings though they did not wear themselves out with questioning.'"
He flees the building where the teachers are deliberating, and into the garden, he reasons: "I only knew that I had embraced insanity to gain sanity, embraced death to gain life. I knew how ill I was but did not know how healed I would soon be." By the way, this book is incredibly dense with poignant lines like this one. And it illustrates beautifully his reasoning and transformation into faith. One more thing I'd like to add, I'm always star-struck by you, Gavin, your elocution is dizzying. Please keep doing what you do and God Bless.
This is very well timed for me and it might be one of the most helpful videos I’ve ever watched on this subject. Thank you so much.
Excellent video, truly excellent
Thank you so much for this video. This video describes my situation exactly along with other issues that I am facing. Along with intellectual anxiety, I am also facing the struggle of trying to develop an identity. I feel lost trying to understand whether I should attach who I am to the things of this world or whether my identity should be entirely wrapped around Christ. I have heard pastors say things like our identity should be in Christ but I do not know what that means. A video discussing this would be incredible.
Intellectual anxiety is tough. This is really the case with theological study, as we think as Christians think that our beliefs and practices have eternal ramifications and that with this life, we get only one shot at doing this right. The stakes are high. So what if I leave this world with false theological beliefs? What if I leave this world with a false ecclesiology? I don't have the infinite time to turn every stone, argue every point, understand every theological position and nuance. Is the gospel enough to save me if I do church wrong? Is it enough if I teach and argue for a theological or doctrinal point that turns out to be wrong? Is it a sin if I teach a wrong doctrine or eccelsiology?
I look to the story of the man beside Jesus on the cross as my hope. "Lord, remember me!" He had no time for church, no time for theological study, he didn't even have time to read a Bible. He just had this moment to call upon the Lord, not even to forgive him, but to remember him. For Jesus, this was enough. I hope that my genuine faith, given by grace, in his gospel be enough.
remember, God gives the faith
we are all dead in sin until God repents us, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit and He sustains our faith with His Holy Spirit
@@tomtemple69 My comment is not on the theology of soteriology. It is about on how does our personal or church theology affect this.
Your work and channel are pure gold. Thank you, once again!
Thank you for the video. This subject matter is so relevant to me.
Great video. And right on time. Thank you Dr Ortlund
Letting go of trying to control things is a terribly difficult process.
Jesus had an entire sermon encouraging people to let go and trust. "Who by being anxious can add a cubit to his life span?"
The OT Proverbs also addressed it: 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.'
Thank you Gavin, this was very helpful, but something I would love to hear you talk about in a little more detail is why do so many people have those experiences that you talked about and others don't. You and I've heard many others say something like if you pray for God to reveal Himself He will, but I have prayed many times and still have no comfort. I don't know why I can't feel the presence of God, I can know Him intellectually but not emotionally, and than the passage that says "leave me for I never knew you" brings so much fear to me. So I guess the real question is why do I not feel God? Why do I not relate to God on an emotional level?
Thanks for all your work Gavin. I have loved your Chanel.
Personally I think Kierkegaard's key influence Johann Hamann was even better. Not only was he dvout Lutheran who utilized church fathers but was rather critical of Catholics for borderline turning reason into an idol
Very cool video, Gavin. Thank you.
I greatly appreciate this. But I still have the same question at the end of it: how is it that earnest and intelligent people are being led in different directions? People converting into Catholicism and others converting out of it. Catholics are quick to point out that our God is not a god of confusion, and ask why the Spirit would lead people to different theological conclusions.
If we are to appreciate our anxiety, does this mean that our struggle must go on until we have that conversion? That all Protestants with anxiety should study until they become Catholic, and that all Catholics should study until they become Protestant?
I think for a lot of us the issue is that we want to be confident in where we currently are. I often feel a burden that my salvation is incumbent upon me to do sufficient study if for no other reason than to prove to God my earnestness. Hope that articulates the feelings. Bless you!
Perhaps to be more precise, your video seems to communicate that intellectual anxiety should be seen as a positive thing and an opportunity to grow in faith. But that sort of gives the impression that you ought to eventually succumb to the anxiety and have a “conversion” experience like cs Lewis. He was troubled UNTIL he changed. Are we going to be troubled until we give in to every claim that causes us anxiety?
The judiazer that preached that one must be circumcised to be saved caused great anxiety. And the solution was not to wrestle with the anxiety until someone came to peace with it, the solution was to denounce judiazers as heretics and move on.
Catholics cause anxiety by telling faithful Christians they must convert, and that anxiety will persist until they do convert. The convert can then say the anxiety was a great help and guide. But the rest of us will remain stuck with that anxiety because we do not convert. How is this anxiety to my benefit if it will only go away with conversion?
Well I do believe that Catholics are right when they say God is not the Author of confusion. This has led me to believe that many smart and well meaning people are being led astray due to either demonic lies and deception or that our own fallen prevents some smart people from coming to the truth.
This is great. Well done.
Fantastic stuff!!
Gavin, this video is beautiful. You might have attempted to alleviate intellectual anx, but I imagine you succeeded in helping to alleviate many other forms of anx for many listeners. Excellent job here - this was the work not just of a scholar but a pastor.
Do you have a good Kierk biography recommendation? I have the Chamberlain Reader, but you mentioned reading his bios; I should, too.
1 Corinthians 15 has been a great anchor for me over the years. So much else is either secondary or outright irrelevant depending on whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. The centrality of the resurrection helps me prioritize the intellectual "noise" that can often creep in. I am convinced that Jesus rose from the dead, and everything else finds a place to fall in line behind that.
Jesus looked at the crowd with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd..... yet they had a religious ruling class and standing temple. I can't wait for Christ to return, and set all the shepherds straight, while we're told to manage our anxiety caused by all this division. It honestly feels like gaslighting with the kindest of intentions.
God, send your son soon!
Jeremiah 23
Suggested reading for those that have a deeper and more ‘clinical’ anxiety:
Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest - Ed Welch
So wonderful and encouraging. Very grateful for this! Would be helped by some points about the problem of foundationalism/baconianism thanks
Hey Gavin, you check out Johann Georg Hamann if you haven't already. He was a Lutheran philosopher who wrote a lot against the folly of putting your trust in reason, saying at one point, "I look at reason the way a well-bred girl looks at a love letter." The guy was a hero to Kierkegaard and Goethe as well as a friend and fierce critic of Immanuel Kant.
I'd recommend reading translations of his works before reading any of the books written about him because everyone seems to have a radically different interpretation of his beliefs; I've seen him labeled as everything from a conservative reactionary to a post-modernist. And also, he's just very entertaining to read.
Since you asked the one question that'd still leave me with some anxiety (please forgive me if you did in fact address this) is how do I know when to stop? As in how do I know when to stop digging and questioning my stance on certain salvation-level doctrines? Do I? And if I do how do I strike a balance between being steadfast in my faith while not feeling intellectually dishonest by shutting out oposing opinions? Thank you as always, I found this video very easing to my soul
3:46 That's so true! I used to think very low of anxiety crisis when I was younger because I had not felt it before, but after I did, I completely understand this particular suffering.
This is a very good video the only problem I struggle with is trying to not be bias when looking into things because of outside factors like family or significant others.
I would love for you to do a video with Bryan Wolfmueller one day
Thank you for this video. Your ministry is much appreciated. I do wonder why the advice is to do all we can do on our own first, before going to Christ. Shouldn't we submit our intellect to Him before we even engage with ideas and pursuits?
This is why I’m still Catholic at the moment. I’m basically on board with sola scriptura as a concept. But the existential dread of, “what if I’m wrong and I cost my wife and kids the sacraments?” absolutely holds me in a place where I can’t truly affirm the Catholic Church in my mind, but also can’t bring myself to leave it out of fear.
Unfortunately that is probably how alot of Catholics feel...They can not intellectually swallow all the theology and claims of Catholicism but they (especially if cradle Catholics) have angst and fear about leaving. I know several former Catholics and they are in great places spiritually, with their families and church life.
I have studied a ton (from both sides) and church history under Dr. Mayhew...I explored basically all the Catholic apologists and some of church Fathers, tons of theological study, etc and I am more firmly Protestant than ever before.
I would be happy to answer any questions you may have (not that I know everything or that I am infallible).
@BryceCarmony The bride of Christ is all the born again believers in Christ...even Catholicism argues and understands the mystical bride or the mystical body of Christ is not strictly limited to those within the confines of Roman Catholicism ergo Vatican 2 Protestants separated brethren with valid baptisms done in trinitarian formula, etc.
@BryceCarmony If you have read the teachings of the church you presumably claim to be a part you would understand...unless you happen to be a rad trad, sedevacantist, etc
Man I was struggling with this last night. I pray constantly that if there is anything in my beliefs that are incorrect, that God would show me, guide me, and correct me. Last night I was struggling with the subject of the Trinity. Though I have believed it my whole life, I don’t know the Bible enough to fully support my beliefs. I want to see both sides. I want to know, to discern the truth. Trinitarians and Unitarians both have supporters who say the other side is not saved. Even if I knew everything, I know I’m not smart enough to come to a good answer in my own strength. My only desire is to love God with all that I am, and I do not want an incorrect belief corrupt my views or even my relationship with Him. Any guidance would be appreciated
Regarding point 5, about faith:
"The faith that changes the life and connects to God is best conveyed by the word “trust.” Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you as you fall is a branch sticking out of the very edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and it is more than strong enough to support your weight. How can it save you? If your mind is filled with intellectual certainty that the branch can support you, but you don’t actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If your mind is instead filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why? It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.
This means you don’t have to wait for all doubts and fears to go away to take hold of Christ. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to banish all misgivings in order to meet God. That would turn your faith into one more way to be your own Savior. Working on the quality and purity of your commitment would become a way to merit salvation and put God in your debt. It is not the depth and purity of your heart but the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf that saves us."
- Tim Keller
great quote!
This is such a struggle! I’ve been studying so much and I feel like I’m “reconstructing” everything I believe. I don’t even know which denomination I should be a part of, help!
What biographies on Kierkegaard would you recommend for someone who wants to begin to study him and his work? And are there any particular books by him that you would especially recommend? Everything I've heard so far from him I have absolutely loved
Thank you Gavin. Really helpful.
I am wondering: Is "intellectual anxiety" really just a manifestation of a deeper emotional insecurity? Emotional security is such a complex thing in humans, bound up with our family background, parents, siblings, environment, upbringing, so much of the stuff that makes us human. Religion is a part of all this for many of us.
Kierkegaard’s "edifying discourses" is a must read for all Christians. Same with "sickness unto death"
Gavin, I notice you make nice replies to certain philosophies and positions. I saw the one you did on Buddhism. Have you considered making a video about Stoicism? It has a growing popularity today with figures like Ryan Holiday. Even though the principles they espouse typically seem sound, it’s usually a philosophy perused independent of Christianity.
For me, the biggest take away of this whole video is the von Balthasar quote “ the finite mind, horrified by its own limitless”.
I think it is this ideology (that the human spirit is in fact infinite, and therefore, will either spend eternity with God in heaven, or be separated from God for eternity in hell) is, hands down, what causes Christians the MOST anxiety. What if you die in a season of doubt? You go to hell? You were never saved in the first place if doubt leads you to rejecting Christianity?
… that’s the type of stuff that keeps me up at night. It’s not trying to fully grasp every aspect of the “fine-tuning” argument.
It all revolves around fear of hell. Sure would be nice if what Jesus did on the cross was sufficient for everyone’s salvation, huh? Then we could once and for all put that anxiety to bed… so that many of us can finally get some sleep too.
It's easy to have intellectual peace when you stop caring about the veracity of the intellectual content, which Kierkegaard apparently did.
"If one who lives in the midst of Christendom goes up to the house of God, the house of the true God, with a true conception of God in his knowledge, and prays, but prays in a false spirit; and one who lives in an idolatrous community prays with the entire passion of the infinite, although his eyes rest upon the image of an idol: where is the most truth? The one prays in truth to God, though he worships an idol.." - Kierkegaard 'Postscript' Translated by Swenson and Lowries, Princeton University Press, 1941.
I have struggled deeply with this type of anxiety. I settled on Roman Catholicism and I am fairly certain of it now, but I do still struggle sometimes. I am the sincerest now I have ever been about seeking the truth, and I pray that if I have been wrong about anything that Jesus would show me the way. I am ready to drop everything and follow Christ if he shows me a different path. I believe, help my unbelief. All I want is to see You in heaven, Lord.
Entrust yourself to Mary and her maternal love. She knows Her Son better than any of us and she probably knows us better than we know ourselves, as mothers do and as the Lord Himself does. You already have Jesus, your Saviour and mine, in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar in a unique way, the Gift beyond all gifts, the Treasure beyond all treasures. He is the Gift Who lasts for all eternity. This from an Anglican.