At the same time, Christians have long understood that doubt is part of life. About five hundred years ago, John Calvin wrote that it is possible for Christians to have a “perpetual conflict” with doubt and unbelief.9 Even this great Protestant Reformer recognized the fragility of faith, and he lived in a context considerably different from our own. As Smith points out above, though, the situation in the West has changed drastically since the days of Calvin. The doubt of that day existed within a