--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have come to think that the challenge…" description: "\"I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be a problem, but that what w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png" --- # I have come to think that the challenge confronting… ![“I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be a problem, but that what we say we believe does not seem to make any difference for either the church or the world.” quote by Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png) > “I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be a problem, but that what we say we believe does not seem to make any difference for either the church or the world.” [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The difficulty lies not in lack of belief but in the gap between professed convictions and tangible impact on both the church and society. **In simple terms:** Belief without effect is a crisis. Key Takeaway Faith must translate into action. Themes faith impact church society authenticity discrepancy Mood concerned thoughtful urgent Type observational critical theological When to use this quote - preaching - mission work - social justice initiatives - church leadership meetings Key Concepts belief action influence community Practical Applications - designing outreach programs - evaluating ministry effectiveness Questions to Reflect On - How can believers ensure their convictions shape outcomes? - What structures help bridge belief and impact? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Challenge Confronting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge-confronting-385984/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians/) [Christians Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians-believe-410932/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Confronting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronting/) [Confronting Christians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confronting-christians-410931/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The challenge in confronting Trump is that there are certain things that he does that that you have to respond to, just morally. 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Many Christians not only believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/many-christians-believe-that-the-vast-majority-of-those-created-by/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Many who become theologians in our time think their task is to try to determine how much of what has passed for Christianity they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/many-who-become-theologians-in-our-time-think-their-task-is-to-try-to/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-challenges-christians-confront-is-how-the-politics-we/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Christians need jobs just like anybody else, but the years you spend as an undergraduate are like everything else in your life. They're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/christians-need-jobs-just-like-anybody-else-but-the-years-you-spend/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [One of the problems with the identification of Christianity with love is how such a view turns out to be both anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-problems-with-the-identification-of-christianity-with-love/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [In the christian view, the ultimate evidence for the existence of God is Jesus Christ. 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Yet I do not think such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-no-doubt-that-for-some-to-become-a-christian-may-involve-an/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [The Gospel of John makes explicit what all the Gospels assume - that is, the cross is not a defeat, but the victory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-gospel-of-john-makes-explicit-what-all-the-gospels-assume-that-is/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-challenges-christians-confront-is-how-the-politics-we/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > ['The Chronicles of Narnia' are war-determined stories. I do not think Lewis could have written well or truthfully if he had tried to avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-chronicles-of-narnia-are-war-determined-stories-i-do-not-think/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [I should like to think how we write as theologians would reflect our confidence in the One who makes that writing possible. 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You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be a problem, but that what we say we believe does not seem to make any difference for either the church or the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanley Hauerwas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e1/stanley-hauerwas-2675_believe_i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge_25650.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say…” — Stanley Hauerwas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stanley Hauerwas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have come to think that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```