" ...
'I understand what you're saying,' he [Perry] said to Reverend Walsh. 'But what if a person isn't able to have faith?'

'Not everyone finds faith overnight. Faith is rarely easy. But if you've ever done a good thing, and felt a glow in your heart, then that's a little message from God. He's telling you that Christ is in you, and that you have the freedom and capacity to pursue a closer relationship with him. Seek, and ye shall find.'

'It's approximately the same if you're a Jew,' the rabbi said, 'although we tend to emphasize that you're a Jew whether you feel like it or not. It's more a matter of God tracking you down than of you finding God.'

'I don't think our positions are so dissimilar in that respect,' Reverend Walsh said stiffly.
...
'But so,' he [Perry Hildebrandt] said, 'what if I feel the kind of glow you're talking about, but it doesn't lead me to God? What if it's just one of those feelings that any sentient animal might have? If I never find God, or He never finds me, it sound's like you're saying, basically, that I'm damned.'

'In principle, I suppose that is the doctrine,' Reverend Walsh said. 'But you're young, and life is long. There's a near infinity of moments when you might receive God's grace. All it takes is one moment.'

'In the meantime,' the rabbi said, 'I think it's enough to be a mensch. "

― Jonathan Franzen , Crossroads