What is faith? Faith is something different to everyone. If you asked a hundred different people, it is possible that you would get many diverse answers. Religious faith and non-religious faith are two very distinct terms. Faith holds an extremely complex meaning when discussing it in the context of religion. Faith is a belief. That holds true to every religious and non-religious person. Every faith involves a decision. It is not about what we claim to believe, but what we actually do believe, that is true faith. Throughout this paper, I am going to discuss Christian faith, how it pertains to daily life and Christianity as a whole. I also intend to delve into George W. Forell's discussion of Christian faith and analyze and interpret his statements and conclusions. Since the beginning of my childhood, I have learned much about faith and its essence in everyday human life and also in religion. For me, it is simple really. I have always believed that faith is your belief in God, and as Jesus Christ as the savior of the world. My strong Methodist beliefs and background have somewhat tainted my academic viewpoint of the term "faith". The Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion defines faith as "the act or virtue or spiritual disposition by which people accept the reality, promises, and love of God." 355 However, all religions are based on some form of faith, a belief in something. You can not have religion without faith. George W. Forell states that "faith is universal," (Forell 1). By this Forell is saying that everyone has some sort of belief, they believe in something or somebody. Forell is not limiting this belief to God, or gods for that matter, he simply means that all humans believe in something- money, or education, or the general goodness of mankind. Forell goes on to also describe Christian faith; "Classical Protestantism asserts that God wants fellowship with man and that if we trust completely in Jesus Christ ...
