The first annual “Night of Doubt” will be hosted by High Places Community Church at the Historic Grove Theater at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 26. The coffee house-style event is an offering of space to the community for the sole purpose of creating a safe place to ask questions, express skepticism, and share doubt in a group setting.

“There will be no sermon, no rebuttals, and any attempt to answer the doubts expressed will be strictly forbidden,” according to Reverend David Allred. “This is about affirming the reality of doubt as being central to the human experience; it is not an opportunity to debate or argue.”

Allred says the idea came from a Rob Bell book the church read for a recent retreat, but also from an experience he had with a high school girl 10 years ago who openly asked in small group where God was hiding when she was sexually assaulted.

“We were talking about God’s presence and how God is with us when she erupted with powerful emotions surrounding this terrible memory,” Allred said in a press release. “It would have been highly inconsiderate of her experience to even attempt a ‘pat-answer’ about faith in that moment. The doubt, grief, and anger she felt needed a safe release. No answer would have sufficed for that kind of pain as she shared. Sometimes healing comes through just being able to let it out safely and the best ‘Christian’ response is to simply listen.” [Read more…]