What if doubt isn't the enemy of faith but, instead, the beginning of deeper belief?

That's the question that Steve Cuss explores on a recent episode of Being Human. Cuss considers how authors such as Frederick Buechner and Madeleine L'Engle opened the door for Christians to struggle with their beliefs. He also shares insights into a small, yet powerful, book of the Bible.

"I love the New Testament book Jude," says Cuss. "It's just one chapter long, so in Jude 22, Jude says, 'Be merciful to those who doubt.' I love that because Jude was Jesus' brother! And the gospels clearly record that Jesus' family doubted. They weren't sure what to make of everything Jesus was doing and everything that was being said about him."

Jude, then, isn't writing from a distance—either from Jesus or from the experience of doubt. Instead, he has been up close and personal with both, and rather than encouraging believers to scold their brothers and sisters who doubt, he urges them toward gentleness.

Whether we are the ones who doubt, or we are standing beside those who do, may we remember Jude's words of mercy.