Fideism is the belief that religious truths, such as the existence of God, cannot be proven and must be accepted solely on faith. While biblical faith involves trust in God, fideism as an approach to defending faith is incomplete, as Scripture encourages reason and evidence to justify belief.
Fideism is a name often given to a particular approach to religious epistemology which holds that all religious and philosophical knowledge is impossible to prove and, therefore, must be believed by faith. In fact, the name "fideism" comes from the Latin word
fides
, which means "faith." Fideism is therefore opposed to other perspectives of religious epistemology, including rationalism, the belief that religious knowledge is all and only what can be conclusively proved on the basis of first principles, and skepticism, the belief that no religious knowledge can be conclusively proved so no religious truth claims are worthy of belief.
The Bible teaches that faith is central to a relationship with God, but it also affirms the value of reason and evidence in justifying belief. Hebrews 11:6 states, "Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Faith is essential, but it is not blind or baseless. Biblical faith is not merely a leap into the dark but a trusting response to the truths God has revealed. While faith is essential for pleasing God, it is grounded in evidence of His existence, character, and work throughout history (Romans 1:20). The Bible presents both trusting in God through faith and using reason to understand and explain the foundations of belief.
Is fideism biblical? It depends on how it is used. On the one hand, it is biblical to say that we must have faith to have a relationship with God; after all, Hebrews 11:6 teaches that "without faith it is impossible to please him [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." On the other hand, fideism is not, in general, a biblical way of defending one's faith or of showing it to be true: even Jesus demonstrated the reality of His own resurrection to His disciples by "many proofs" (Acts 1:3), without expecting them to "just believe" without any evidence whatsoever. In short, faith is the attitude with which we approach God, not how we justify belief in His existence.
This may cause confusion about whether it is faith or reason that ought to ground (i.e., justify) the beliefs of the Christian: many wrongly assume, in a fideistic fashion, that God demands faith, even at the expense of using reason. However, this confuses categories: Using reason to justify belief in God's existence is biblical and so is using faith to respond to that belief appropriately. Biblical faith distinguishes between justification for Christian belief and the proper response to that belief.
Ultimately, biblical faith differs significantly from mere "blind faith." Biblical faith is not irrational or blind; it is a trust grounded in God’s self-revelation through creation, Scripture, and the life of Jesus Christ. Biblical faith has less to do with justifying the truth claims of Scripture than with ensuring that we have the proper response once we recognize these truth claims to be true. Fideism is only appropriate as a biblical response to Christian truth, and not an adequate justification of it.