Tossed by the Wind, Struggling in the Snow: What to Do with St. James’s Words Against Doubt

Help My Unbelief

James 1:2-8 ends with some sobering words: "he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." What's a person with doubt to do with these tough words? In this episode we tackle these verses, concluding that these verses are not a global statement about doubt in general, but a warning against a particular form of doubt, the kind that paralyzes us with over-analysis, fear, and defeat. Plus, Nicole gets a fun Greek lesson from her tutor, Barsanuphius. Follow the Help My Unbelief Facebook page podcast on Facebook for updates, resources, and conversations related to faith and doubt. For deeper and more hard-hitting conversations, join our private Facebook group. Greek terms for doubt mentioned in this episode: diakrino(menos) (διακρινό/μενος), cf. James 1:6: "to distinguish" amphivallo (αμφιβάλλω): "to wrap in different clothing" amphisvito (αμφισβητώ): to question apistos (άπιστος), cf. John 20:27: distazo (διστάζω): Other resources pertinent to this episode: James 1:2 Interlinear Greek/English translation Teleion (Τέλειον) Matthew 5:25, adversary as our conscience AFCon talks (Ancient Faith Conference for Writers and Podcasters) Story of St. Paisios of Mount Athos (in Greek only)