03-14-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 14, 2025
It was Voltaire who wrote, “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” Though I am not encouraging us to judge one another in a haughty kind of way, in life, I have often found the questions to be more interesting than the answers. There have been times when I strongly disagreed with someone, only to realize that we were asking slightly different questions. It wasn’t that we were going to agree moving forward, but knowing the question is essential for any real conversation. Even more so, I find that a lot of people are giving strong answers (opinions) on a range of topics, but when pushed, they were only giving some talking points they read on social media. And the question behind the so-called answers was not known. If we are providing answers to questions we do not know, then maybe it is time to stop providing answers. The church is sort of guilty of spewing long-held answers to an audience that has never asked the questions that first gave rise to the answers, questions that even the church is a little fuzzy on. I think of Proverbs 18:13 that says, “If one gives an answer before hearing, it is folly and shame.” Let’s be curious about the questions people are asking, and not just reach for the catalogue of predetermined answers that may sound religious and even poetic, but don’t mean squat for those who are asking an entirely different question. 

Provide me an empathetic and curious mind, O God, for there is so much for me to learn, even when I am confronted with a question I never previously pondered. However, once asked, that question can be extraordinarily intriguing and take me places I never previously imagined. Amen.