Every once in a while I catch something on TV that just leaves me in awe.

Recently, I’ve checked out a few episodes of ABC’s Combat Hospital, and had one of those moments. The show is set in a military hospital in wartime Afghanistan. Honestly, the jury is still out for me about the show overall, but one recent episode really caught my attention.

The episode is called, “Reason to Believe,” and is described in this way:

An Army chaplain must deal with her lapse of faith when she is ordered to hold vigil with Simon during a surgery.

I’m always interested when TV shows deal with issues of faith, especially since our READ Editor Mark Lafler wrote that he believes the worst part of modern entertainment is that God is absent from movies (and television). I was curious to see how God would be portrayed in this episode about wrestling with faith.

You can watch the full episode online right here…

I honestly have to say that I appreciate ABC for dealing with matters of the faith in such a real, honest, and respectful way. I sometimes cringe when I see TV shows bringing God into their discussions, because far too often the Christian faith is brought in as a sign of weakness or as the butt of a bad joke.

The struggle with faith presented in this episode is something that I believe many of us can relate to. I know that I’ve felt similar feelings of doubt at various points in my walk. And how the show deals with this issue was (I believe) as good as, if not better than, any sermon I’ve heard on the topic.

The best part was to see God play a very central and critical role in the story. TV and movies need more of this kind of thing, as opposed to presenting a completely Godless culture.

What are your thoughts? How do you feel ABC did with how they presented the real struggles met in the Christian faith?

What about the struggle with faith itself? Have you ever doubted like this? And if so, what do you think about the chaplains response to her struggle? How would/do you respond?