The Bible's Biggest Skeptic Might Be Its Best Disciple  🔗 **Source:** [The Bible's Biggest Skeptic Might Be Its Best Disciple](https://share.snipd.com/episode/ad762acd-54f3-42a7-81d2-9d5a7387e608) ## Highlights - **This Episode Is A Reposted Live Sermon** - Jeremy preached this message live at a real church and is reposting the sermon for the podcast audience. - He frames the episode as a sermon about doubt and spiritual health shared with an in-person congregation. Transcript: Jeremy Steele I am Jeremy, and we're doing something a little bit different today. I actually got to preach at a real live church in front of real live people instead of just my camera. But I think that this study and insight is something I want to share with all of you, because I really do believe that real Christians doubt and that doubt is a sign of spiritual health. So I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Unbelief podcast that is the repost of a sermon that you didn't get to hear. Good morning. I'm Jeremy. I'm a deep skeptic, also a pastor. ([Time 0:00:59](https://share.snipd.com/snip/da38c14a-c2cb-4796-b7c7-b45bed7e8c97)) - **Growing Up Silenced By Evangelical Answers** - Jeremy grew up in the evangelical fundamentalist South where questions were often dismissed or labeled as causing others to stumble. - He recalls pastors telling him to 'accept on faith' or being silenced when answers were unavailable. Transcript: Jeremy Steele You're not going to look for, in the religious world, you're not going to look for religious data in, I don't know, cosmology, right? And so for me, when I say I'm a skeptic, it is like a personality trait. Like I have always been a person, had lots of questions, lots of doubts. But I grew up in like the evangelical fundamentalist South, like the city that I grew up in. It really didn't matter what the church sign said. They were all Southern Baptist. And so when I had questions and doubts, when you had questions and doubts in that religious culture, they were either dismissed or silenced, right? You would ask a question and if they didn't have an easy answer, they'd say, well, you just got to accept that on faith, right? And just dismiss it. Unless it was about evolution, then they would bring out pseudoscience creationism and just so that you would distrust academic institutions. But then there would be times when you would ask questions and you would press and the Sunday school teacher would bring you out and they would say, hey, you know, if you keep asking questions, You're going to cause other people to stumble in their faith and you would be like silenced. ([Time 0:02:07](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1fc10ac8-384c-4163-a212-8ce49c1fb6d0)) - **Why Thomas Stayed Away After The Crucifixion** - Thomas spent years with Jesus' followers, believed miracles, then watched Jesus die and felt crushed and duped. - Jeremy imagines Thomas avoiding the group to avoid disrupting their faith with his skepticism. Transcript: Jeremy Steele And I get that. If you're looking for the person in the Bible that I am closest to, it's Thomas. I really believe that Thomas was a deep skeptic. And, you know, when he's invited to be a disciple of Jesus, he's skeptical, right? Who is this guy? And then he sees Jesus, like, heal somebody. And I am sure he's like, bruh, that guy was not sick. Like, this was a sham. But little by little, he sees Jesus do crazy stuff and like teach amazing things. And huge crowds come and listen to Jesus. And then Jesus says like this weird cannibal thing and then all the people leave. And he sees Jesus raise Jesus' friend from the dead and cry about it. And at some point, Thomas believes that it's real. That, like, what the disciples say about Jesus, about him being the Messiah, is real. And that these miracles are real, and that Jesus is going to lead a revolution. And then Jesus gets brought up on charges, convicted. And I imagine at that point, Thomas is like, I cannot wait to see this miracle. ([Time 0:08:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/776f6423-5829-46f3-96b0-df3b6e202a3e)) - **Jesus Gave Evidence Instead Of Shame** - Jesus returns specifically for Thomas and offers the physical evidence Thomas demanded instead of shaming him. - Jeremy highlights that Jesus gives Thomas data: see the nail marks and put your hand in my side. Transcript: Jeremy Steele Thomas is there. Jesus came back for Thomas. And when I read that as a kid, it hit hard. It still hits hard every single time. Jesus came back for Thomas. He did it all for Thomas. And then look what Jesus says. It says, he said to Thomas, put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Jesus didn't shame Thomas for not believing. Jesus didn't silence Thomas for having doubts and questions. Jesus gave Thomas data, the data that he needed. ([Time 0:15:55](https://share.snipd.com/snip/302b184a-4b64-4ac8-948c-1ee63b35a114)) - **Doubt Is A Sign Of Spiritual Health** - Doubts and questions are a sign of spiritual health, showing you're thinking deeply about faith. - Jeremy argues that struggling with belief (not being 100% sure God exists) indicates engagement, not failure. Transcript: Jeremy Steele So one thing that I have come to believe, a core belief for me, is that doubts and questions are a sign of spiritual health. Because it means that you are thinking deeply about your faith. I think what this story says is that people who have doubts and questions, people like me who aren't 100% sure God exists, the doubts and questions don't exempt them from faith. ([Time 0:17:15](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9f609429-8f98-4a02-97d1-a19819181a5e)) - **Welcome Doubters Into Community** - People with doubts belong in community and should be welcomed, not excluded from church. - Jeremy encourages acceptance: doubt doesn't exempt someone from faith or from being part of the church. Transcript: Jeremy Steele Right here. And we accept them, no matter what they believe, because they belong here. So if you are like me, a person who has a lot of doubts and a lot of questions, I want you to hear that. I want you to hear that that is not a problem. And that I have a lot of doubts and questions. I have a ton. And I'm always trying to study and find answers and stuff. And I'll be honest, I don't have a lot of answers. I have some answers. And I have some answers that I feel like, I don't know if that's actually the right answer. ([Time 0:18:16](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9bcd5d4b-9ebd-4b14-bc17-05db7fcf812f)) - **Find A Doubter To Strengthen Your Faith** - If you don't have doubts, find someone who does to help you question and grow. - Jeremy suggests pairing with a doubter—partner, niece, or atheist coworker—to provoke healthy questioning. Transcript: Jeremy Steele But I also want to say, if you are a person who doesn't have doubts and questions, you need to find somebody who does. It might be your partner. It might be your niece. It might be the atheist in the cubicle on the other side. You need to find somebody like that that can help you question. Because if you start questioning, you will grow in your faith. ([Time 0:19:25](https://share.snipd.com/snip/525b12d5-b617-4577-b128-e0d64a6f76d7)) - **Belonging Without Uniform Belief** - Community can hold people together even when their spiritual paths diverge; you can belong together without believing the same things. - Jeremy thanks the community for not shaming Thomas, showing mutual acceptance despite differing beliefs. Transcript: Jeremy Steele And neither did Thomas. And thanks for coming back for him. Thanks for not shaming him or silencing him so that we know that you're not shaming us or silencing us. It helps us know that we can be in community with each other even if we don't believe the same thing. Even if we don't believe at all that we belong together. That we can be here on a spiritual journey together even if those paths aren't going in the same direction. ([Time 0:20:52](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1f71ed7a-6027-4f49-a813-db716b74c175))