Churches tend not to do doubt very well. Some make certainty – blessed assurance – their hallmark. Others nurture doubt so much that they cease to be sure of anything. There’s a balance to achieve, but is the pulpit the right place to express doubts? Mark Vernon looks for an “art of doubt” that trusts that the stripping away of fantasies, the challenging of selfreliance and leads to a deeper connection with the divine.
Mark Vernon is a writer, journalist, author and faculty member at The School of Life. He began his professional life as a priest in the Church of England, left an atheist, and is now agnostic. He is also an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College, London.
