Dr. Lynn Anderson - If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts?

If I Really
Believe,
Why Do I
Have These Doubts?

Dr. Lynn Anderson

FOREWORD BY BILL HYBELS

HOWARD
PUBLISHING CO.

Our purpose at Howard Publishing is to:

• Increase faith in the hearts of growing Christians

• Inspire holiness in the lives of believers

• Instill hope in the hearts of struggling people everywhere

Because Hes coming again!

If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts? 2000 by Lynn Anderson
www.SimonandSchuster.com

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America

Published by Howard Publishing Co., Inc.,
3117 North 7th Street, West Monroe, Louisiana 71291-2227

03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations within critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Anderson, Lynn, 1936

If I really believe, why do I have these doubts? : overcoming obstacles to faith / Lynn Anderson.Rev. and updated.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-58229-117-9
eISBN: 978-1-451-60477-1

1. Faith. I. Title.

BV4637 .A63 2000

234.23dc21 00-026321

The quote on page 172 is excerpted from The Family Reunion in The Family Reunion, copyright 1939 by T. S. Eliot and renewed 1967 by Esme Valerie Eliot. It is reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

Scripture quotations not otherwise marked are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. All rights reserved. Other Scriptures are quoted from The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version (KJV), 1961 by the National Publishing Co.; and The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV), 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Edited by Anne Christian Buchanan

Interior design by Stephanie Denney

Discussion questions by John Ogren

To my parents Lawrence and Mary Anderson now gone home through whom I received faith and to my wife Carolyn who follows faiths winding road beside me and to our children Michele, Deborah, Jon, and Christopher who live by faith and to our grandchildren.

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.

P ART 4: I B ELIEVE, BUT H OW C AN M Y F AITH G ROW?
Five Practical Steps toward Stronger Faith

One day a senior-level staff person slipped into my office, fought back tears, and with a tremor in his voice admitted that he was sinking into seas of doubtserious doubts about his faith and the Founder of it. I quietly listened and later assured him that I could identify with his plight.

It wasnt the first time something like this had happened, and I know it wont be the last. But from now on I will have more than an understanding spirit to offer my wavering visitors.

If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts? is Lynn Anderson at his best. The subject matter he delves into demands both intellectual and emotional honesty, and Lynn delivers on both counts. My faith was bolstered through reading this book, and I have no doubt yours will be too.

Bill Hybels
Senior Pastor
Willow Creek Community Church

This book is not theoretical. It is not meant to be merely a good read. Rather, it is a slice of real life. Years before any words arrived on paper, this book was forming out of my own personal struggle to deal with doubt and find faith. It grew as other doubters shared their stories with me. The shape of the book was hammered out during numerous classes, seminars, and retreats I have led under the title I Believe, But Hundreds of bull sessions after these presentations have honed and expanded my thoughts.

This means, of course, that I am indebted to more people than I can possibly remember, much less list here. But special appreciation goes to some closest to mind.

First, I am indebted to a crowd of writers whose works have helped me through tough times and have influenced these pages. Most of these are credited in text or endnote. Some names have long since fled my consciousness, although your insights still shape me and may even be confused with my own.

Most of the people stories in this book are real and have been told to me by the individuals who actually lived them. However, I have combined some stories with others, assigned fictitious names, and shuffled places, genders, and even plots to protect confidences so that any identifiable similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. Nevertheless, I am indebted to these people. In fact, I wish some could be named; they are the real heroes of this book.

Special thanks to Patsy Strader for tireless typing and to Lyn Rose for her endless hours at the word processor and at the library digging up buried footnotes.

Kudos also to Charette Barna, who cheered me by mail, coached me by phone, and prayed my spirits up and out. Thanks also to my line editor, Anne Christian Buchanan, who stuck with me through the painstaking process of fine-tuning the manuscript and helped me feel confident that I was saying what I wanted to say.

Thanks also to the staff and elders of the Preston Road Church of Christ, who patiently allowed me to spend the necessary hours to wrap up this book when I had been on board as their pulpit minister only a few short months.

And thanks to a supportive family who believes in me and in this book enough to do without much Dad at times.

Most of all, I am grateful to you, my loving and patient Lord. You have never left me nor forsaken me, even when I was angry at you or wasnt sure I believed in you or broke your heart. And Lord, as another doubter picks up this book, may the thoughts on these pages help and comfort that soul as they are helping and comforting me.

You are my life, my light, and my salvation. I love you, trust you, and praise you.

And Lord, I do believeplease help my unbelief!

His name is forgotten. Lets call him Ketar, which in Hebrew means to solve a problem or to resolve doubt

Ketars fingers twitched and trembled, but his arm lay warm and gentle around the wet shoulders of his sullen son. Years of fear and frustration choked his voice. With the side of his thumb, Ketar brushed tears from the corners of his eyes.

The terror had struck again. Once more his boy had been dragged from near drowning. The young mans soaked clothing clung to his shivering body but did not cover the burn scars networking his back.

Sometimes the demon throws him into the water, sometimes into the fire, Ketar anguished as he stood in front of the carpenters son. If you can do anythingIf I can? Jesus responded. All things are possible to those who believe.

Believe? I do.

But in reality, what little faith Ketar possessed didnt seem to connect with his life. How does one believe? He had often prayed for the boy, but nothing changed. Had he really expected it would? His long days and dark nights seemed all the same. He was running out of hope.