Perhaps my favorite quote from C.S. Lewis comes from a paper he gave to the Oxford Socratic Club:
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.
The thought that Lewis fleshes out in this paper, which is embodied in this quote, is a powerful one. While reason and arguments are important for the Christian faith, coming to faith is not typically the pure result of such argumentation. Rather, it is an entire worldview that is opened before one’s eyes via the key of the Christian faith. Christ, the Light Of The World, illuminates our lives and the world around us. Christianity makes sense of things in a way that no other religion, no other philosophy, and no other worldview could ever begin to do, and so we respond accordingly.
And yet, there are questions that we nevertheless find troubling. The same light that illuminates our world simultaneously casts shadows. This is not a flaw of the light itself, rather it is the effect of distance and obstacles. Certain obstacles prevent us from experiencing the light fully, and this is where the shadows are cast. Even then, if we were close enough to the light, it would obliterate those obstacles, though of course it would obliterate everything else as well.
And this is where we find ourselves. We are at a safe distance from the light and surrounded by obstacles. We certainly experience the light; the world is bright and colorful thanks to it. But there are still spots of darkness, areas not yet perfectly illuminated. Some, sadly, even choose to dwell here. Although we have opted to dwell in the light, we should not therefore pretend these dark anomalies do not exist.
As long as we are honest and thoughtful, there will be unanswered questions that trouble us. There are things we will not, perhaps cannot, understand. The world is not perfectly illuminated. Obstacles remain. But this should not shake our faith or make us question whether the light is really light at all. It should not pull us into the shadows. Neither should it, out of fear of winding up in the shadows, prevent us from even going near them, or else cause us to pretend that they aren’t so dark after all. It is our sacred duty to tear down these barriers so that the light may shine through more clearly (2 Cor. 10:5), and we can only do this when we are honest about what it is we are dealing with.
There are great benefits to such a robust Christian worldview. Not only are we better able to coax those dwelling in darkness out into the light, but we have a better grasp of what it means to dwell in the light for ourselves. Likewise, this way of thinking allows us to approach the darkness with faithful confidence. Quite often, in my experience, it is the aforementioned fear which leaves many ignorant about difficult questions and struggles. Even if they are addressed, it is frequently done in such a way that at best offers a caricature of the actual problem. The power of God’s light is diminished in this, and so it is an approach I believe we must carefully avoid.
Nevertheless, even with this more robust was of thinking, questions will likely remain. Unanswered questions are, I suppose, a fact of life. But God’s light is not, therefore, any less powerful. On the contrary, perhaps it is all the more appealing.