The Power of Embracing a Curious Faith

As a professional educator, I find one of the greatest challenges in the classroom today is cultivating what we call "active learning." Despite the natural curiosity embedded within us, many of my students seem to have lost touch with this innate desire to explore and understand the world. Instead, they appear content to passively absorb information, as if life—and my classroom—were nothing more than a drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant. With an unprecedented wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, why does this generation seem so uninterested in asking the deeper questions that cannot be answered with a quick Google search or a query to ChatGPT?

This trend isn’t confined to the classroom; it’s seeping into our faith communities as well. In an age where information is just a click away, many Christians have become hesitant to explore the tough questions of our faith. There’s a growing discomfort with uncertainty, a tendency to view questions and doubts as threats rather than opportunities for growth. Instead of fostering a faith that invites curiosity, we often present Christianity as the ultimate answer key—a spiritual version of Google, ready to provide all the right answers with no room for exploration.

Recently, I received an email from a friend who was concerned about a Christian author I had mentioned. Her message was clear: she believed this author was a heretic, undermining the very foundations of our faith. When I asked her to explain her concerns, her response was telling: “If you are truly open to discovering what is true and what is not, then I would be happy to discuss this further with you.”

What she was really saying was, “You are wrong, and when you’re ready to see things my way—the one true way of interpreting Scripture—then maybe we can talk.” This exchange left me wondering: When did we become so afraid of questions? When did we decide that doubt and curiosity were enemies of faith?

In reading The Truth War by John MacArthur, I was struck by the way the book framed faith. Subtitled Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, it paints a picture of Christianity as a battlefield where questions and curiosity are seen as threats to be eliminated. MacArthur’s approach, like that of many within the evangelical community, leaves no room for doubt or discovery. Instead, it demands intellectual submission and wields "The Truth" like a sword, cutting down anything that doesn’t fit within its narrow confines.

But is this really what God wants from us? Does faith require us to suppress our questions, to stifle our curiosity? Or is it possible that God invites us to explore, to wrestle with the difficult questions, and to grow through our doubts?

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of faith that flourished not in the absence of questions, but because of them. David, Solomon, and Job all approached God with tough questions, with anger, with pain. They didn’t shy away from expressing their doubts, and their faith was strengthened as a result. These biblical figures remind us that God is not threatened by our curiosity. In fact, God welcomes it.

The problem with a faith that leaves no room for questions is that it confines God within a box of our own making. It turns the limitless, all-powerful Creator into something small and manageable—something we can control. But the God of the Bible, the God who created the universe, is not afraid of our doubts. The Crucified and Resurrected Jesus is bigger than our uncertainties, stronger than our fears, and unafraid of our curiosity.

So, why are we so afraid to ask questions? Why do we discourage doubt when it has the potential to deepen our faith? Perhaps it’s time for a shift in perspective. Instead of viewing questions as a sign of spiritual weakness, let’s see them as a pathway to a stronger, more resilient faith. Instead of presenting our faith as an answer key, let’s embrace the mystery and wonder of the God who is big enough to handle all our questions.

The journey of faith was never meant to be a straight line. It’s filled with twists and turns, doubts and discoveries. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay—it’s necessary. Because it’s in those moments of uncertainty, when we’re brave enough to ask the tough questions, that we grow closer to God.

So, ask away. Be curious. Embrace your doubts. God is big enough for all of it.

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