A dual-process approach to faith, doubt, and diakrisis

Abstract

It is often claimed that there are passages in the New Testament where the word διακρίνω, contrary to its regular meaning (to discern, separate), has a special "NT meaning" of hesitation and doubt. Those passages describe diakrisis as the opposite of faith. I offer an argument against the "NT meaning" of diakrisis, which is based on the dual-process theory from cognitive psychology. First, I distinguish the two types of faith in the New Testament—an involuntary Type 1 and a voluntary Type 2. I also suggest that all cases of propositional or quantitative faith belong to Type 2. I argue that in those passages where diakrisis opposes faith, the faith is propositional and quantitative, therefore it is of Type 2. Then I argue that in those passages faith and diakrisis belong to the same Type, i.e. Type 2. Since doubt is an involuntary Type 1 process, and diakrisis is a voluntary Type 2 process, diakrisis should not be translated as "doubt," and the claim of the special "NT meaning" of διακρίνω is incorrect.