Mis-Diagnosis: Certainty
“False cause refers to an argument where someone cites sequential events as evidence that the first event caused the second (Logical Fallacies).”
It’s becoming popular today, if you visit various Christian websites/blogs or see random quotes in your BookFace feed, to find comments reinforcing the following diagnosis:
And, of course, since no Jesus-follower wants to be known as an arrogant know-it-all, therefore certainty in matters of faith must be rejected.
And many of us have, at some point in our lives, run into some arrogant know-it-alls. And some of them have even been Christians. We weren’t comfortable around them, and we certainly don’t want to become them. And so the False Cause Fallacy can be surreptitiously planted into our thinking.
Aye, but here’s the rub ... (Actually, there are several.)
Number one, certainty doesn’t cause arrogance. Let me put it another way: arrogance isn't caused by certainty.
Arrogant people can and sometimes do attach themselves to theological certainty, but let’s face it: they’d be arrogant no matter what the topic was. Theology, politics, the Toronto Maple Laffs Leafs …
Second, the opposite of arrogance isn’t uncertainty, it’s humility. When God speaks against pride and arrogance, He never counsels lack of certainty as the remedy, but rather humbleness (James 4:6,10, 1 Peter 5:5–6).
Third, we serve a God who is revelatory by intent. The supreme example being the Incarnation of the Son of God, who “became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14 The Message).” When God goes to such great lengths to reveal Himself, doesn’t it seem just a wee bit odd that 21st century peeps are trying to make Him all hidden and unknowable again?
By all means, let’s flee pride and arrogance. God has no use for it (Proverbs 6:16-19), and actively opposes people who live in it (James 4:6).
But don’t buy into the logical fallacy lie that says holding your faith with certainty = arrogance. You can be humble, and confident in your faith, all at the same time.
