Our study has made me more aware of how many people have been hurt by our inability to have good conversations. So many of our conversations at Campus edge these past weeks have highlighted the hurt and struggle we all have in learning how to communicate in a way that fits more with who we believe we are called to be in Christ.

Yet, another part of the reason we have the hard questions (like on racism and sexuality) is because not having the conversations causes people to see faith as being irrelevant. Or it will cause people to look elsewhere for answers.

As a recent Christianity Today article notes:

“But faith needs to be talked about and processed, and if these conversations diminish as our kids get older, we miss opportunities to help them remain fluent. What we call “faithing,” or the ongoing act of faith, depends on practice and use for it to become deeply part of us. It is through faithing that language, behaviors, beliefs, and values are internalized.”

Furthermore, the articles notes that “students’ opportunities to express and explore their doubts were actually correlated with greater faith maturity. In other words, it’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith; it’s silence.” May we have the courage not to be silent, both for our own good but also for the good of all of those around us who are also striving to understand what faith looks like in practice.