{"id":60138,"date":"2026-05-15T12:44:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/is-faith-relevant-today-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T10:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:06:56","slug":"is-faith-relevant-today-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kernbeisser.ch\/en\/is-faith-relevant-today-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Is faith relevant today? (2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][uncode_block id=”60964″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” uncode_shortcode_id=”198807″]Christian churches, once the backbone of society, have shrunk to a marginal phenomenon in many Western countries. As a church, you can think of yourself as a people’s church, but that tends to point to the past. In most places today, the church is no longer the center of society. People are leaving the churches and free churches and have thus either left the known faith communities and put faith aside or are outside religious institutions with their beliefs. Is faith still relevant today? For whom and why (not)?[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”210670″]In my first post, I pointed out that people can believe. This ability does not indicate an institutional affiliation, nor does it have anything to do with dogmatic ideas. I described it as a human ability that plays an important role in our lives. Only when people can believe can we begin to talk about the content of this belief. To believe is to trust. In the original languages of the Bible, \u201cbelieve\u201d and \u201ctrust\u201d mean the same thing. Unlike in German, there are no separate words for them. <\/p>\n

What or who I trust is then the next step. We trust in small or big steps. Do you have a partner? Then trust is a tried and tested reality. Are you employed? Then you probably trust that you will soon be allowed to work again. It would be pointless to question this trust. It would make life much more complicated. Belief simplifies perception by making trust the basis for everyday assumptions. It’s the same with beliefs that everyone makes. <\/p>\n

This approach is generally applicable. However, if one has reduced religious beliefs to a specific set of tenets, this broad assumption may seem far-fetched. If, for example, one believes that supposedly \u201ccorrect\u201d faith must look only a certain way, this inevitably leads to missteps. For example, if one assumes\u2014based on something written somewhere in the Bible\u2014that one must believe in Jesus in order to avoid ending up in hell, that is an almost reckless narrowing of the concept. Not only is the statement false when compared to the Bible, but everyday applications and the meaning of the term \u201cbelieve\u201d have been misinterpreted. This serves no one. I am not questioning the Bible here, but I arrive at these conclusions because I am trying to take the Bible seriously.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ back_color=”color-731465″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ column_width_percent=”100″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ content_parallax=”0″ uncode_shortcode_id=”121357″ back_color_type=”uncode-palette”][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”107607″]<\/p>\n

Function and content<\/h3>\n

The narrowing of the term “believe” (a verb) usually lies in the fact that people confuse the ability to believe with the content or a known subculture. People like to argue about the content of faith. This is perfect if you want to emphasize your own self-righteousness. People entrench themselves in trench warfare and limit themselves to arguments with which they can prove their own superiority, while the other person naturally has no idea of reality. These are unfruitful arguments because the focus on content only serves to set boundaries. <\/p>\n

The approach that all people can<\/em> believe first liberates the content. This does not mean that there is no truth. It merely gives the understanding a context. Of course, a belief content is formed, but this differs according to ability. What you believe is learned and can also be relearned. Sometimes this is necessary, for example when you say goodbye to sectarian ideas. <\/p>\n

Any understanding we have is by definition human and therefore limited. It cannot be absolute. This neither denies nor doubts an absolute truth, but understands one’s own understanding as limited. Such an attitude frees us from self-righteousness and opens the horizon for a conversation in which people can discover their ability to believe together. Then, of course, it can and should become personal. <\/p>\n

Paul describes the content and the ability to believe as follows:<\/p>\n

“If you confess Jesus as Lord with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame’.<\/em>”
\nRom 10:9-11<\/p>\n

Discuss:<\/p>\n