Book review: The Questioning God
by Ant Greenham
★★★★
First, a note about what Greenham means by "the questioning God." He doesn't mean God wonders about the truth; he means God engages us with questions, forcing us to think for ourselves. God asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" He asks Abraham, "Can you number the stars?" He asks Moses, "Who has made man's mouth?" He asks Job, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
Given that God is a questioning God, and that we are made in the image of God, Greenham encourages us to freely question as well. God would expect no less. God's basic desire is expressed in this sentence: "I will be their God and they will be my people." However, as individuals turn to God and become his people, it should not be a case of blind acceptance.
Greenham examines the three primary monotheistic religions, concluding that Islam discourages questioning while Judaism liberally encourages it. But there's such a thing as questioning too much. Some questions don't engage us with God, but dismiss him instead. The proper balance (and proper Christianity) seems to fall somewhere in the middle.
An example of how Christians should feel free to question: Consider George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. Christian leaders everywhere opposed Bush's invasion plans, but their voices were drowned in a tide of patriotic endorsement. Few considered the nearly one million Christians living in Iraq. Nobody asked them what we should do. Consequently, one of the greatest catastrophes following the 2003 invasion was the loss of over half of that country's Christian population.
Self-questioning (removing the "logs" from our eyes) is "penetrating and devastating. It is no less demanding than questioning the basis of Islam for a Muslim, or considering Jesus as Messiah for a Jew." But Greenham does have his boundaries! It's apparently fine for Muslims to doubt Islam, and for Jews to contemplate the possibility of Jesus as Messiah, but Greenham stops short of encouraging us to question the Christian Bible. I believe his stance is summed up by this quote:
"I tell people I teach in church and seminary setting not to believe me because I have a Ph.D., but only if they're convinced that my teaching is biblical."
★★★★
First, a note about what Greenham means by "the questioning God." He doesn't mean God wonders about the truth; he means God engages us with questions, forcing us to think for ourselves. God asks Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" He asks Abraham, "Can you number the stars?" He asks Moses, "Who has made man's mouth?" He asks Job, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
Given that God is a questioning God, and that we are made in the image of God, Greenham encourages us to freely question as well. God would expect no less. God's basic desire is expressed in this sentence: "I will be their God and they will be my people." However, as individuals turn to God and become his people, it should not be a case of blind acceptance.
Greenham examines the three primary monotheistic religions, concluding that Islam discourages questioning while Judaism liberally encourages it. But there's such a thing as questioning too much. Some questions don't engage us with God, but dismiss him instead. The proper balance (and proper Christianity) seems to fall somewhere in the middle.
An example of how Christians should feel free to question: Consider George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. Christian leaders everywhere opposed Bush's invasion plans, but their voices were drowned in a tide of patriotic endorsement. Few considered the nearly one million Christians living in Iraq. Nobody asked them what we should do. Consequently, one of the greatest catastrophes following the 2003 invasion was the loss of over half of that country's Christian population.
Self-questioning (removing the "logs" from our eyes) is "penetrating and devastating. It is no less demanding than questioning the basis of Islam for a Muslim, or considering Jesus as Messiah for a Jew." But Greenham does have his boundaries! It's apparently fine for Muslims to doubt Islam, and for Jews to contemplate the possibility of Jesus as Messiah, but Greenham stops short of encouraging us to question the Christian Bible. I believe his stance is summed up by this quote:
"I tell people I teach in church and seminary setting not to believe me because I have a Ph.D., but only if they're convinced that my teaching is biblical."
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