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Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief and Unbelief
Why do some people lose their faith?Why do some choose to abandon religious beliefs that were once meaningful to them?And what happens when they do?In this no-holds-barred book, Ruth Tucker tackles the tough questions about losing faith. Providing historical perspective, she looks at the stories of prominent Christians, like Chuck Templeton and Billy Graham, who have struggled with faith. She grapples with difficult philosophical and theological issues, exploring the intractable questions that bring people to the point of losing faith--suffering, science, answer to prayer, hypocrisy in the church, and more. Throughout the book, she explores the testimonies of some who have made the choice to walk away--and some who have returned.Tucker writes not just as a detached observer but as one who has also struggled with doubt and disappointment. In Walking Away from Faith, she shares her from her experience and tells you why she continues to choose faith. Reading her story and her interviews of others, you will find help for working through your own questions and doubts. You will also find insight for ministering to your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors who stumble between belief and unbelief.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2002
About the author
Ruth A. Tucker
35 books40 followersRuth A. Tucker (PhD, Northern Illinois University) has taught mission studies and church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Calvin Theological Seminary. She is the author of dozens of articles and eighteen books, including the award-winning From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. Visit her website at www.RuthTucker.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 10, 2011
I really wanted to give this book 5 stars…
And I would have if I had halted my reading at page 98 before Tucker starts her chapter on science and philosophy.
But before I get into criticisms of the book, let me offer a summary of this book’s contents and strengths. The author has put together a very worthwhile book on the issues surrounding religious belief. Instead of the usual polemic offered in the service of theism or atheism or the carefully crafted (or not) apologetic text in service of Christian certainty or a godless universe, Tucker delves into the nether land of doubt where belief and unbelief come in gradations of each other.
As someone who reads widely on this issue, it was refreshing to see the topic treated fairly and honestly. The author does a fantastic job in part one of the book that deals with many case studies of believers. Tucker personalizes many faces of belief and unbelief and dives into the issues that each individual struggled with. Her account of the spiritual life of Hannah Whitall Smith as well as others piqued my interest so much that I ordered two of her source materials: "The Secret Life of Hannah Whitall Smith" and "Pilgrim Souls." As I mentioned previously: had this comprised the full range of the book, I would rate it easily at five stars. However, when Tucker moves to science, she stumbles.
It really does seem to me that there is something unconscious going on when probably the majority portion of evangelical authors (even excluding fundamentalists, which Tucker certainly is not) misunderstand science as an intellectual endeavor as well as a culture. Upon the subject of science and biology as it relates to religious belief and unbelief, she makes the following statements that border on egregiously erroneous:
“Scientism is the unquestioned philosophical position held by vast numbers of scientists today” (p. 111).
“But in recent years the field has gained more credibility and attention because good science is being done that supports intelligent design” (p. 113).
“Today it is easier to doubt evolution than it was in Emily Dickinson’s day…” (p. 115).
The first statement makes one wonder if Tucker reads science books written by scientists rather than second hand accounts by Evangelical apologists. Scientism is continually derided by actual scientists. There is a huge difference between methodological naturalism and scientism which she seems to confuse.
The second statement makes one wonder: where? Exactly what science has been done under the I.D. paradigm? I’ve never seen it. I.D. is a philosophical proposition (and a shaky one at that); it exists as a science only in the minds of its propagandists.
The third statement is just ignorant. I apologize to Tucker for such a harsh judgment because she really did endear herself to me as an author over the course of the book, but it is true. Genetics didn’t exist as a science in Dickinson’s day. We’ve discovered hundreds of transitional species since that time. As our knowledge of biogeography has become greater, evolution as a theory has only been supported. For anyone who knows anything about biology and the intersecting fields, the exact opposite is true. It has never been harder to doubt its veracity. Thus, Tucker’s statement is indeed ridiculous.
I’ll end this review without touching on many, many things in the book (both positive and negative) due to length (I haven’t even mentioned things from the final third part of the text).
Do not let my critiquing dissuade any potential reader who wants to read about the personal and intellectual issues faced by individuals concerning belief and doubt (just don’t read it if you want an accurate portrayal of certain scientific subjects).
In her area of expertise, Tucker is wonderful and gives a very unique perspective on this subject. Even the parts that were bad such as mentioned above are illuminating if for nothing else than showing the reader how science and in particular biology is viewed and misunderstood in the eyes of many Christians.
3 ½ stars.
And I would have if I had halted my reading at page 98 before Tucker starts her chapter on science and philosophy.
But before I get into criticisms of the book, let me offer a summary of this book’s contents and strengths. The author has put together a very worthwhile book on the issues surrounding religious belief. Instead of the usual polemic offered in the service of theism or atheism or the carefully crafted (or not) apologetic text in service of Christian certainty or a godless universe, Tucker delves into the nether land of doubt where belief and unbelief come in gradations of each other.
As someone who reads widely on this issue, it was refreshing to see the topic treated fairly and honestly. The author does a fantastic job in part one of the book that deals with many case studies of believers. Tucker personalizes many faces of belief and unbelief and dives into the issues that each individual struggled with. Her account of the spiritual life of Hannah Whitall Smith as well as others piqued my interest so much that I ordered two of her source materials: "The Secret Life of Hannah Whitall Smith" and "Pilgrim Souls." As I mentioned previously: had this comprised the full range of the book, I would rate it easily at five stars. However, when Tucker moves to science, she stumbles.
It really does seem to me that there is something unconscious going on when probably the majority portion of evangelical authors (even excluding fundamentalists, which Tucker certainly is not) misunderstand science as an intellectual endeavor as well as a culture. Upon the subject of science and biology as it relates to religious belief and unbelief, she makes the following statements that border on egregiously erroneous:
“Scientism is the unquestioned philosophical position held by vast numbers of scientists today” (p. 111).
“But in recent years the field has gained more credibility and attention because good science is being done that supports intelligent design” (p. 113).
“Today it is easier to doubt evolution than it was in Emily Dickinson’s day…” (p. 115).
The first statement makes one wonder if Tucker reads science books written by scientists rather than second hand accounts by Evangelical apologists. Scientism is continually derided by actual scientists. There is a huge difference between methodological naturalism and scientism which she seems to confuse.
The second statement makes one wonder: where? Exactly what science has been done under the I.D. paradigm? I’ve never seen it. I.D. is a philosophical proposition (and a shaky one at that); it exists as a science only in the minds of its propagandists.
The third statement is just ignorant. I apologize to Tucker for such a harsh judgment because she really did endear herself to me as an author over the course of the book, but it is true. Genetics didn’t exist as a science in Dickinson’s day. We’ve discovered hundreds of transitional species since that time. As our knowledge of biogeography has become greater, evolution as a theory has only been supported. For anyone who knows anything about biology and the intersecting fields, the exact opposite is true. It has never been harder to doubt its veracity. Thus, Tucker’s statement is indeed ridiculous.
I’ll end this review without touching on many, many things in the book (both positive and negative) due to length (I haven’t even mentioned things from the final third part of the text).
Do not let my critiquing dissuade any potential reader who wants to read about the personal and intellectual issues faced by individuals concerning belief and doubt (just don’t read it if you want an accurate portrayal of certain scientific subjects).
In her area of expertise, Tucker is wonderful and gives a very unique perspective on this subject. Even the parts that were bad such as mentioned above are illuminating if for nothing else than showing the reader how science and in particular biology is viewed and misunderstood in the eyes of many Christians.
3 ½ stars.
May 31, 2024
A CHRISTIAN PROFESSOR LOOKS AT THE MATTER OF BELIEF AND UNBELIEF
Author (and professor of Missiology at Calvin College) Ruth Tucker wrote in the Preface to this 2002 book, “The theological issues related to belief and unbelief, and to whether an individual can walk away from faith, fill many volumes. These doctrinal riddles, however, are not the focus of this book. Rather, I seek to grapple with belief and unbelief from a human perspective, operating on the premise that there is surely the APPEARANCE of losing faith. This then is the paradox for those of us in the Reformed tradition who believe that a Christian’s salvation is secure and cannot simply be lost or denied or abandoned. We are left in a quandary. How do we explain the one who faithfully ministers in the church for many years and then walks away from the faith? The answer, I think, is that there simply is no explanation---none that solves the problem, none that satisfied… We avoid the issue rather than LIVING in the paradox.” (Pg. 8)
She continues, “This book is for those who believe and those who do not. My challenge to believers is that you seek a better understanding of those who do not believe---particularly those who have walked away from the faith---and that you listen carefully to their stories and respond with honesty and sensitivity. To believers who are struggling with faith-threatening doubts, this book offers no easy answers… My challenge to unbelievers is that you reflect very seriously on what you are missing in your life of unbelief and to ask yourself whether you are denying faith for all the wrong reasons---such as demanding proofs for a faith that is not founded on proof…” (Pg. 12)
Later, she adds, “It is my interpretation of these stories that makes this book unique. This is a volume that takes the progression from belief to unbelief seriously and that does so with understanding. I understand the unbelief. I read the stories, and I say, ‘Me, too.’ But unlike these who have abandoned the faith, I will not---if for no other reason than the mysterious fact that God has a grip on me… This is my faith, and I will never abandon it---nor will God abandon me… I accept the conflicts and questions as part of my psychological and spiritual makeup, which allows me to humbly reach out to those with similar struggles.” (Pg. 25-26)
She notes, “Most people who struggle with doubt and unbelief experience an absence of God’s presence. They may feel a sense of loss… about having a little of no sense of God’s nearness. They typically make no pretense of ‘running’ or ‘hiding’ from God, for they have no sense of God’s searching for them… Today many people testify of their conscious disobedience, of their anger and of shaking their fist in the face of God because they resent God’s interference in---not his absence from---their lives.” (Pg. 62)
She observes, “What can we conclude about the prevalence of doubt when we look back over church history? Certainly there has always been doubt and unbelief among Christians, but never before have Christians who live in what might be termed ‘Christian cultures’ been faced with belief systems suffused with philosophical and practical atheism… Today as Christians, myself included, pay lip service (at best) to our dependence on God while in actuality, we DEPEND on the airlines, the doctors, the weather forecasters and the irrigation systems. God becomes an afterthought. There is an optimism, however, as we look to the future, especially as we perceive a loosening in modernism’s stranglehold on Western culture. Yet, many Christians are unaware that they are no longer shackled by the tenets of modernism as they might have been even a decade ago.” (Pg. 96-97)
She acknowledges, “Another problematic area for those who struggle with doubt and unbelief is the realm of apparent biblical contradictions… for those who consider the Scriptures infallible the issues can be very troublesome---enough to lead to doubt and loss of faith. Issues related to the nature and goodness of God and the problem of evil… are among the most often cited reasons for walking away from faith. How, for example, could a good God… allow Hitler to exterminate millions of Jews, or an earthquake to kill tens of thousands of people in Turkey, or terrorists to murder thousands of people in the attacks of September 11, 2001? But perhaps more troubling … are the biblical accounts of God’s purposefully destroying countless people---for example, when God sent the flood to kill all the earth’s inhabitants but Noah and his family… What I seek to do here is show the difficulties some people confront in holding on to their faith and the inadequacies of the standard apologetic.” (Pg. 118-119)
She points out, “Nicholas Wolterstorff had no such preparation for his lament for a son. Wolterstorff, one of the leading Christian philosophers in America today, taught at Calvin College… Nick’s son Eric, who was twenty-five, died… while mountain climbing in Austria… The tragedy changed Nick’s faith. When a friend asked him why he did not simply abandon his faith in God … such as not an option---especially for a philosopher whose faith in God had been tested, at least intellectually, many times before.” (Pg. 154-155)
After quoting a number of people who have left the faith, she notes. “many tell an entirely different story---especially those who later returned to the faith. For some the new life of unbelief allows for freedom from ‘the problems and clutter associated with religion’; but for others the situation is precisely reversed.” (Pg. 181)
She says of former fundamentalist Dan Baker, “We need to ask, How does a Christian deconstruct Barker’s account of deconversion? One of the first questions I ask myself is why stories like this are not more widespread. It is easy to find stories of people who have walked away from cultic groups… But it is more socially acceptable to debunk a cult than to debunk Christianity. So it is reasonable to assume … that there are many people who have walked away from faith, thinking thoughts like Barker’s, but not expressing them openly. Barker, like most Christians, did not feel free to talk candidly about his doubts when they first surfaced… the community of believers needs to be aware of the possibility that some may walk away from faith and, accordingly, it needs to create an atmosphere that allows doubt to be discussed, not dismissed.” (Pg. 189-190)
She states, “Why do people walk away? Why are unbelievers not attracted to my church? What is it about Christianity … makes it so unappealing to so many people?... Too often the gospel message become intertwined with a personal agenda… The gospel is not like a political opinion that I hold and try to foist on others. Rather it is divine truth that I seek to reflect in word and deed.” (Pg. 206-207)
She concludes, “I conclude with the opening lines: ‘Lord, I believe.’ I can say these words with confidence, but I will never exclude the self-effacing words that follow: ‘Help my unbelief.’ … I confidently declare my faith while humbly recognizing my dependence on God… It is unfortunate that this confession is … rarely quoted in books celebrating the power of faith. Yet it ought to be part of our mindset… with ever declaration of faith we make. As a Christian I confess… the Apostle’s Creed. But even this powerful declaration of faith, it seems to me, ought to include a humble acknowledgment of our propensity for unbelief---and our need for help.” (Pg. 223)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the complex issues of faith and unbelief.
Author (and professor of Missiology at Calvin College) Ruth Tucker wrote in the Preface to this 2002 book, “The theological issues related to belief and unbelief, and to whether an individual can walk away from faith, fill many volumes. These doctrinal riddles, however, are not the focus of this book. Rather, I seek to grapple with belief and unbelief from a human perspective, operating on the premise that there is surely the APPEARANCE of losing faith. This then is the paradox for those of us in the Reformed tradition who believe that a Christian’s salvation is secure and cannot simply be lost or denied or abandoned. We are left in a quandary. How do we explain the one who faithfully ministers in the church for many years and then walks away from the faith? The answer, I think, is that there simply is no explanation---none that solves the problem, none that satisfied… We avoid the issue rather than LIVING in the paradox.” (Pg. 8)
She continues, “This book is for those who believe and those who do not. My challenge to believers is that you seek a better understanding of those who do not believe---particularly those who have walked away from the faith---and that you listen carefully to their stories and respond with honesty and sensitivity. To believers who are struggling with faith-threatening doubts, this book offers no easy answers… My challenge to unbelievers is that you reflect very seriously on what you are missing in your life of unbelief and to ask yourself whether you are denying faith for all the wrong reasons---such as demanding proofs for a faith that is not founded on proof…” (Pg. 12)
Later, she adds, “It is my interpretation of these stories that makes this book unique. This is a volume that takes the progression from belief to unbelief seriously and that does so with understanding. I understand the unbelief. I read the stories, and I say, ‘Me, too.’ But unlike these who have abandoned the faith, I will not---if for no other reason than the mysterious fact that God has a grip on me… This is my faith, and I will never abandon it---nor will God abandon me… I accept the conflicts and questions as part of my psychological and spiritual makeup, which allows me to humbly reach out to those with similar struggles.” (Pg. 25-26)
She notes, “Most people who struggle with doubt and unbelief experience an absence of God’s presence. They may feel a sense of loss… about having a little of no sense of God’s nearness. They typically make no pretense of ‘running’ or ‘hiding’ from God, for they have no sense of God’s searching for them… Today many people testify of their conscious disobedience, of their anger and of shaking their fist in the face of God because they resent God’s interference in---not his absence from---their lives.” (Pg. 62)
She observes, “What can we conclude about the prevalence of doubt when we look back over church history? Certainly there has always been doubt and unbelief among Christians, but never before have Christians who live in what might be termed ‘Christian cultures’ been faced with belief systems suffused with philosophical and practical atheism… Today as Christians, myself included, pay lip service (at best) to our dependence on God while in actuality, we DEPEND on the airlines, the doctors, the weather forecasters and the irrigation systems. God becomes an afterthought. There is an optimism, however, as we look to the future, especially as we perceive a loosening in modernism’s stranglehold on Western culture. Yet, many Christians are unaware that they are no longer shackled by the tenets of modernism as they might have been even a decade ago.” (Pg. 96-97)
She acknowledges, “Another problematic area for those who struggle with doubt and unbelief is the realm of apparent biblical contradictions… for those who consider the Scriptures infallible the issues can be very troublesome---enough to lead to doubt and loss of faith. Issues related to the nature and goodness of God and the problem of evil… are among the most often cited reasons for walking away from faith. How, for example, could a good God… allow Hitler to exterminate millions of Jews, or an earthquake to kill tens of thousands of people in Turkey, or terrorists to murder thousands of people in the attacks of September 11, 2001? But perhaps more troubling … are the biblical accounts of God’s purposefully destroying countless people---for example, when God sent the flood to kill all the earth’s inhabitants but Noah and his family… What I seek to do here is show the difficulties some people confront in holding on to their faith and the inadequacies of the standard apologetic.” (Pg. 118-119)
She points out, “Nicholas Wolterstorff had no such preparation for his lament for a son. Wolterstorff, one of the leading Christian philosophers in America today, taught at Calvin College… Nick’s son Eric, who was twenty-five, died… while mountain climbing in Austria… The tragedy changed Nick’s faith. When a friend asked him why he did not simply abandon his faith in God … such as not an option---especially for a philosopher whose faith in God had been tested, at least intellectually, many times before.” (Pg. 154-155)
After quoting a number of people who have left the faith, she notes. “many tell an entirely different story---especially those who later returned to the faith. For some the new life of unbelief allows for freedom from ‘the problems and clutter associated with religion’; but for others the situation is precisely reversed.” (Pg. 181)
She says of former fundamentalist Dan Baker, “We need to ask, How does a Christian deconstruct Barker’s account of deconversion? One of the first questions I ask myself is why stories like this are not more widespread. It is easy to find stories of people who have walked away from cultic groups… But it is more socially acceptable to debunk a cult than to debunk Christianity. So it is reasonable to assume … that there are many people who have walked away from faith, thinking thoughts like Barker’s, but not expressing them openly. Barker, like most Christians, did not feel free to talk candidly about his doubts when they first surfaced… the community of believers needs to be aware of the possibility that some may walk away from faith and, accordingly, it needs to create an atmosphere that allows doubt to be discussed, not dismissed.” (Pg. 189-190)
She states, “Why do people walk away? Why are unbelievers not attracted to my church? What is it about Christianity … makes it so unappealing to so many people?... Too often the gospel message become intertwined with a personal agenda… The gospel is not like a political opinion that I hold and try to foist on others. Rather it is divine truth that I seek to reflect in word and deed.” (Pg. 206-207)
She concludes, “I conclude with the opening lines: ‘Lord, I believe.’ I can say these words with confidence, but I will never exclude the self-effacing words that follow: ‘Help my unbelief.’ … I confidently declare my faith while humbly recognizing my dependence on God… It is unfortunate that this confession is … rarely quoted in books celebrating the power of faith. Yet it ought to be part of our mindset… with ever declaration of faith we make. As a Christian I confess… the Apostle’s Creed. But even this powerful declaration of faith, it seems to me, ought to include a humble acknowledgment of our propensity for unbelief---and our need for help.” (Pg. 223)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the complex issues of faith and unbelief.
May 8, 2021
Dr. Tucker brings a lot of humanity and compassion to the subject of belief/unbelief, which is often a reason for tension among families or friends who often demand consistency and totality. Through profiles of people from various Christian denominations and time periods, she highlights aspects of faith journeys and what can be learned from them. Though I don't think this book "unravels the mystery", it is nonetheless compelling for the interiority of its profiles that is often unseen in our society today. Rarely do we talk with or allow for such vulnerability from each other. Dr. Tucker as narrator is a good guide for this topic because of her openness about her own faith journey as well as her compassionate treatment of the people she profiles. Her strength is her knowledge of historical periods both in and outside of Christian faith which is on show in this book without being too academic or jargony
August 18, 2023
What a hopeful and helpful book for people who are wondering, sometimes after many years of commitment, about the validity of Christian faith. When I say hopeful, I don't mean the no-worries-you'll-get-over-those-doubts kind of hopeful, but more hopeful in that a lot of souls face doubts, walk away, and somehow come to make peace with it. Some come back to faith; some manage to hold on to fragments; some give it up completely; and some even become ambassadors/proselytizers for faithlessness. We are human. God is beyond our ability to understand. John's prologue tells us that no one has ever seen God. It's ok.
August 24, 2019
I like to hear other peoples' stories about their new-found faith, renewed beliefs, and being "re-born." This book has good prose and the writer stroke me as a good story-teller. I found answers to some middle-age-crisis questions I had, and also uncovered explanations to long-lived enigmas of faith that I grew up with. I borrowed this from my local library and I enjoyed reading it.
January 14, 2019
Most of this book I could take or leave, but I think it is at its best in chapter 13 when she talks about grace and humility towards people who doubt and an understanding that doubt is a part of faith.
January 18, 2008
Ruth Tucker was teaching an adult Sunday School class on this topic of doubt shortly after writing this book. She was well received, but after the class one older man came to her and asked, "I really appreciated all that you taught. But one thing you never addressed: how did you finally overcome all your doubts?" Tuckers was floored. He missed her whole point: she has never completely overcome all her doubts. Nor will she ever this side of glory. She teaches theology at a solidly orthodox seminary. She is involved ijn proclaiming and defending the faith. But she is not free of all doubt.
Calvin said that just as sin is always mixed in with holines sin the Christain life, so is doubt always mixed in with faith. We are not fully rid of it until we are glorified.
Liberal churches tend to wrongly make a virtue of doubting -- you are not being honest and sophisticated unless you remain skeptically detached to every belief. But conservative churches (like Tucker's audience) can be guilty of teh other extreme: 'since doubting is bad, then doubters are not welcome here.' So when you have doubts (as all believers do) you can not voice them and seek others to help you answer them. We need to be honest about our doubts to the appropriate people (peers and those with headship over us). We know that doubts are generally more to do with heart problems than head problems.
Tucker does not say doubt is good. But she does show it is inevitable and we shouldn't panic and think we are losing faith when it bubbles up (any more than we should when we fall into sin).
Very nice packaging by the publisher also.
The antidote to doubt is faith in Christ, through his Word, administered in community (Church). Christ tunrs our skepticism back onto our skepticism -- doubt your doubts! Tucker's book is good medicine.
Calvin said that just as sin is always mixed in with holines sin the Christain life, so is doubt always mixed in with faith. We are not fully rid of it until we are glorified.
Liberal churches tend to wrongly make a virtue of doubting -- you are not being honest and sophisticated unless you remain skeptically detached to every belief. But conservative churches (like Tucker's audience) can be guilty of teh other extreme: 'since doubting is bad, then doubters are not welcome here.' So when you have doubts (as all believers do) you can not voice them and seek others to help you answer them. We need to be honest about our doubts to the appropriate people (peers and those with headship over us). We know that doubts are generally more to do with heart problems than head problems.
Tucker does not say doubt is good. But she does show it is inevitable and we shouldn't panic and think we are losing faith when it bubbles up (any more than we should when we fall into sin).
Very nice packaging by the publisher also.
The antidote to doubt is faith in Christ, through his Word, administered in community (Church). Christ tunrs our skepticism back onto our skepticism -- doubt your doubts! Tucker's book is good medicine.
August 15, 2008
This is a great book. It delves into the questions that most Christians don't want to discuss. She honestly protrays her own struggles through the years and adjusts stereotypes about skeptics or those who choose not to believe (i.e., people walk away because they just want to party hard, etc.).
July 29, 2012
I enjoyed what Tucker had to say; I do, however, agree with another review made that the science section was lacking. Overall though, the book was a good and insightful read. I recommend others who have struggled with doubt (or who know others who have struggled with doubt) to read it.
July 4, 2008
Some parts quite helpful, others not so much, but worth a read/skim.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews