Thoughts from a Modern Prophet

I visited Woodbrook Baptist Church in Baltimore Sunday, as their pastor John Ballenger and I swapped pulpits for the day.  Included in their order of worship were some thoughts on faith from William Sloane Coffin.  I thought I’d share them here:

There is nothing anti-intellectual about the leap of faith, for faith is not believing without proof but trusting without reservation. 

Faith is no subsitute for thinking.  On the contrary, it is what makes good thinking possible.  It has what we might call a limbering effect on the mind; by taking us beyond familiar ground, faith ends up giving us that much more to think about . . . .  If we give our lives to Christ, if we leave familiar territory and take the leap of faith, what we receive in return fills our minds altogether as much as if fills our hearts . . . . 

I love the recklessness of faith.  First you leap, and then you grow wings.