Collected Essays

If you were to look up the word faith in almost any dictionary you would discover that, like so many other words that are considered to belong to the English language, it can be and is used in many ways and understood to describe many things. At the beginning of this introduction are the words from the Letter to the Hebrews, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). This is perhaps one of the most quoted verses found in the New Testament. Current usage and understanding of the word hope will almost certainly mislead the reader of this text and this may carry some of the blame for other definitions of faith, most specifically, those which we dismissed earlier. Hope, in the context of our time, conveys a sense of wishful thinking, as in, "Oh, I hope I pass this test!" or "I hope I win the lottery!" In the context of the time and the language in which the Letter to the Hebrews was written, hope had a vastly different meaning. Here we find ourselves at the core of the meaning of faith as far as these pages will be concerned. Without completely dismissing or casually denying the validity of any other definition of faith, the central tenet upon which we will build an expression and understanding of faith begins and ends with God. Lest there be any doubt or expectation to the contrary, first and foremost faith with-in these pages will be singularly and precisely focused, that is to say as clearly and in as straightforward a manner as possible, we will be speaking solely of faith in God.