Is Your God Big Enough to Be Questioned? The freedom to question is an indispensable and sacred practice that is absolutely vital to the health of our communities. According to author David Dark, when religion won't tolerate questions, objections, or differences of opinion, and when it only brings to the table threats of excommunication, violence, and hellfire, it obstructs our ability to think, empathize, and live lives of authenticity and genuine engagement. The God of the Bible not only encourages questions; the God of the Bible demands them. If that were not so, we wouldn't live in a world of such rich, God-given complexity in which wide-eyed wonder is part and parcel of the human condition. The possibility of redemption and revolution depends on the questions we ask of God, governments, media, and everyday economies. It is by way of the questions that we resist the conformity that deadens and come alive to visions that redeem.
The Sacredness of Questioning Everything
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Questions make new worlds possible, asserts author Dark (The Gospel According to America), a key premise in this thought-provoking meander of reflections on, and challenges for, living an engaged life of authentic Christianity. The well-read author draws insight and inspiration from a broad range of sources—Shakespeare, Ursula Le Guin, Johnny Cash and James Joyce—in calling into question the status quo, received history and conventional theology. Dark brings to his writing the kind of energy, offbeat enthusiasm and commitment to relevance that must make his high school English classes exciting places for inquiry and exploration. That each page yokes keen observation to practical application with wisdom and compassion inclines the reader to forgive the book's bewildering organization and abstruse section headings. Questions for further conversation at the end of each chapter will be useful for groups eager to put Dark's appeals into action. The author's passion for social justice, clarity about the sacred obligation of taking nothing at face value and confidence that unsettling questions yield rich rewards for both individuals and communities is convincing and moving. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
David Dark is my favorite critic of the people's culture of America and the Christian faith. He brings a deep sense of reverence to every book he reads, every song he hears, every movie he sees, but it is a discerning reverence---attentive to truth and Jesus wherever he comes on them. He is also a reliable lie detector. And not a dull sentence in the book. -- Eugene Peterson, professor emeritus of spiritual theology, translator of The Message <br><br>
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More About the Author
David Dark is the critically acclaimed author of Everyday Apocalypse and The Gospel According to America and is an educator who is currently pursuing his PhD in Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University. He has had articles published in Paste, Oxford American, Books and Culture, Christian Century, among others. A frequent speaker, Dark has also appeared on C-SPAN's Book-TV and in an award-winning documentary, Marketing the Message. He lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Sarah Masen, and their three children in Nashville.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Every once in a while, I encounter a book that breathes life into me by the way it communicates profound truth. The interesting thing is that books like this almost always take me by surprise. Zondervan sent me David Dark's new book, The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, with the request that I review it if I liked it. I had heard of Dark, but had never read anything by him. The title intrigued me, so I opened to the table of contents...which intrigued me all the more:
Table of Contents
1. Never What You Have In Mind--Questioning God
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Being Brainwashed--Questioning Religion
3. Everybody to the Limit--Questioning Our Offendedness
4. Spot the Pervert--Questioning our Passions
5. The Power of the Put-On--Questioning Media
6. The Word, The Line, The Way--Questioning Our Language
7. Survival of the Freshest--Questioning Interpretations
8. The Past Didn't Go Anywhere--Questioning History
9. We Do What We're Told--Questioning Governments
10. Sincerity As Far As The Eye Can See--Questioning the Future
End Note: That Means To Signal a World Without End
That was enough to get me to start reading immediately. Halfway through the first chapter I was hooked. Dark artfully articulates faith in the context of what Lesslie Newbigin calls "A Proper Confidence"...faith that is not (cannot be) the equivalent of certainty...faith that recognizes our finite nature, our tendency to re-craft God in our own images and religion into self-justifying dogma. At times, he seems to be virtually channeling Kierkegaard in the context of 21st century Western culture. Dark offers us a thing of beauty, a life-giving breath of fresh air. His book invites us to take God a lot more seriously by taking ourselves a lot less seriously. Drawing from diverse voices (from Augustine and Aquinas to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to U2 and Arcade Fire) and various disciplines (Theology, Philosophy, Literature, Film, Music, etc.), he revives the Biblical tradition of questioning...as an act of humility in the pursuit of truth. He calls for us to cut through the propaganda, and resist any "powers that be" that would seek to subvert or co-opt the Way of Jesus. He beckons us to journey down a path that is characterized by faith, hope, and love (rather than certainty).
Pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.
AE
Table of Contents
1. Never What You Have In Mind--Questioning God
2. The Unbearable Lightness of Being Brainwashed--Questioning Religion
3. Everybody to the Limit--Questioning Our Offendedness
4. Spot the Pervert--Questioning our Passions
5. The Power of the Put-On--Questioning Media
6. The Word, The Line, The Way--Questioning Our Language
7. Survival of the Freshest--Questioning Interpretations
8. The Past Didn't Go Anywhere--Questioning History
9. We Do What We're Told--Questioning Governments
10. Sincerity As Far As The Eye Can See--Questioning the Future
End Note: That Means To Signal a World Without End
That was enough to get me to start reading immediately. Halfway through the first chapter I was hooked. Dark artfully articulates faith in the context of what Lesslie Newbigin calls "A Proper Confidence"...faith that is not (cannot be) the equivalent of certainty...faith that recognizes our finite nature, our tendency to re-craft God in our own images and religion into self-justifying dogma. At times, he seems to be virtually channeling Kierkegaard in the context of 21st century Western culture. Dark offers us a thing of beauty, a life-giving breath of fresh air. His book invites us to take God a lot more seriously by taking ourselves a lot less seriously. Drawing from diverse voices (from Augustine and Aquinas to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to U2 and Arcade Fire) and various disciplines (Theology, Philosophy, Literature, Film, Music, etc.), he revives the Biblical tradition of questioning...as an act of humility in the pursuit of truth. He calls for us to cut through the propaganda, and resist any "powers that be" that would seek to subvert or co-opt the Way of Jesus. He beckons us to journey down a path that is characterized by faith, hope, and love (rather than certainty).
Pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.
AE
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has been getting a lot of rave reviews lately, so I decided to download it to the Kindle and give it a quick read. It reads very fast as the author is an excellent writer. He weaves cultural images, amusing stories and biblical insight into a fun tale. As much as this may turn off some readers, it comes across as more sermons should. It's honest, prophetic and entertaining. The audience intended are clearly lay people trying to figure out the intersections of faith and life.
One story I enjoyed from the book was a discussion about eternity that started with someone saying that when they die their argument with another individual will finally be over. Dark told this person that when they wake up (i.e. resurrection), they are going to find more people to deal with. He insightfully plays this very true theological insight off Sarte's comment of hell being people and C.S. Lewis' vision of heaven being people. The best in New Testament scholars today, whether NT Wright, Michael Bird or Larry Hurtado are making this same insight from the texts...the revelation of the New Testament is that our eternal future will be one in community with other people and God.
I also enjoyed the call of this book to action. I do not expect readers to remain apathetic about their faith after reading. That's a good thing. I firmly believe that we can love God by/in loving others. The church should become more active and be what Hauerwas has called an alternative to empire's secular ideals. No disagreements here.
So why did I only give the book three stars?
To put things in context, I finished reading Alister McGrath's "The Science of God" last night and as soon as I posted my review, I started this book. It read quickly (one sitting), but offered minimal prospects for theological reflection. McGrath offered fresh insights built upon the intellectual traditions of the church, offering new avenues for both the intellect and action. I didn't get the same fresh insights from Dark.
Dark clearly writes from the Christian tradition, but seems to attack those seeking to live within, while constantly reforming its historical confessions. "Uncle Ben" concepts of God should be rejected (and have been rejected throughout the history of the church), but I fear Dark may be playing on the intended audience, implying that we must reinvent the wheel, seeking insights from all faith traditions. I agree wholeheartedly that we constantly need to deconstruct (or if you prefer, reform), while being engrossed in our great tradition to find the Spirit's future for us. The Spirit has led the church throughout its history and plunging the depths of previous theological insights will better help us to situate ourselves today, and see a clear God-led vision for our future. I'm not sure that Dark would disagree, but I think he underemphasized the history of Church in thought and action.
As such, I would suggest two books for further (or alternative) reading:
1. Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World
2. Reading Scripture With the Church Fathers
We have a great Christian tradition, offering plenty of insights for those of us following Christ on this journey in community.
One story I enjoyed from the book was a discussion about eternity that started with someone saying that when they die their argument with another individual will finally be over. Dark told this person that when they wake up (i.e. resurrection), they are going to find more people to deal with. He insightfully plays this very true theological insight off Sarte's comment of hell being people and C.S. Lewis' vision of heaven being people. The best in New Testament scholars today, whether NT Wright, Michael Bird or Larry Hurtado are making this same insight from the texts...the revelation of the New Testament is that our eternal future will be one in community with other people and God.
I also enjoyed the call of this book to action. I do not expect readers to remain apathetic about their faith after reading. That's a good thing. I firmly believe that we can love God by/in loving others. The church should become more active and be what Hauerwas has called an alternative to empire's secular ideals. No disagreements here.
So why did I only give the book three stars?
To put things in context, I finished reading Alister McGrath's "The Science of God" last night and as soon as I posted my review, I started this book. It read quickly (one sitting), but offered minimal prospects for theological reflection. McGrath offered fresh insights built upon the intellectual traditions of the church, offering new avenues for both the intellect and action. I didn't get the same fresh insights from Dark.
Dark clearly writes from the Christian tradition, but seems to attack those seeking to live within, while constantly reforming its historical confessions. "Uncle Ben" concepts of God should be rejected (and have been rejected throughout the history of the church), but I fear Dark may be playing on the intended audience, implying that we must reinvent the wheel, seeking insights from all faith traditions. I agree wholeheartedly that we constantly need to deconstruct (or if you prefer, reform), while being engrossed in our great tradition to find the Spirit's future for us. The Spirit has led the church throughout its history and plunging the depths of previous theological insights will better help us to situate ourselves today, and see a clear God-led vision for our future. I'm not sure that Dark would disagree, but I think he underemphasized the history of Church in thought and action.
As such, I would suggest two books for further (or alternative) reading:
1. Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World
2. Reading Scripture With the Church Fathers
We have a great Christian tradition, offering plenty of insights for those of us following Christ on this journey in community.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Steve Bell
Format:Paperback
One of the many memorable phrases found a couple of times in David Dark's new book; "The Sacredness of Questioning Everything" is related to the difficulty "to try to want to know what I don't want to know." It is the antithesis of having things figured out and being very comfortable with that that you very much. It's about digging deeper and exploring possibilities that might be foreign, inconvenient or even contrary to that place from which I operate. It is a rigorous exercise in humility and searching.
As the title states this is all about questioning; everything. The book has 10 chapters each a main focus of questioning; God, religion, media, our "offendedness", history and others. Throughout the book questions related to these "topics" are explored. But through each chapter more questions come up and the end of each chapter has even more questions to provoke discussions. This is a healthy and invigorating practice that Dark is encouraging.
I'm not as familiar with some of the literary figures or works he cites. However, in this I was simply introduced to interesting people, music, history or books I have begun to check out for myself. It is easy not to question. It may be a natural tendency to gravitate toward community where similarities are more prevalent than dissent or diversity but it can be unhealthy, self-perpetuating and dangerous. If I cannot question, as Dark gives me opportunity to in his book, what I currently believe about God, religion, history, governments or ideas is it possible I have tipped my hand? Am I really as certain about things as I would like to be? If I take myself so seriously as to think I cannot say "I don't know" without sliding into thinking I cannot know anything, I suffer from some god-complex. Just because I question something does not mean I will not continue to believe what I have come to believe. Either I will believe more firmly, find corrective adjustments to my thinking and living or reject a bad idea altogether. I may simply need to rethink the presentation of my ideas and the way I communicate.
The tone of the book is stimulating, entertaining, and enlightening and Dark's humor, expansive understanding of his subject matter and related facets and his apparent affection for the reader keep this from getting bogged down into a finger-shaking, question-for-the-sake-of-questioning exercise. I found myself challenged by this engaging author and take him at his word when I question even the ideas he presents in his book.
As the title states this is all about questioning; everything. The book has 10 chapters each a main focus of questioning; God, religion, media, our "offendedness", history and others. Throughout the book questions related to these "topics" are explored. But through each chapter more questions come up and the end of each chapter has even more questions to provoke discussions. This is a healthy and invigorating practice that Dark is encouraging.
I'm not as familiar with some of the literary figures or works he cites. However, in this I was simply introduced to interesting people, music, history or books I have begun to check out for myself. It is easy not to question. It may be a natural tendency to gravitate toward community where similarities are more prevalent than dissent or diversity but it can be unhealthy, self-perpetuating and dangerous. If I cannot question, as Dark gives me opportunity to in his book, what I currently believe about God, religion, history, governments or ideas is it possible I have tipped my hand? Am I really as certain about things as I would like to be? If I take myself so seriously as to think I cannot say "I don't know" without sliding into thinking I cannot know anything, I suffer from some god-complex. Just because I question something does not mean I will not continue to believe what I have come to believe. Either I will believe more firmly, find corrective adjustments to my thinking and living or reject a bad idea altogether. I may simply need to rethink the presentation of my ideas and the way I communicate.
The tone of the book is stimulating, entertaining, and enlightening and Dark's humor, expansive understanding of his subject matter and related facets and his apparent affection for the reader keep this from getting bogged down into a finger-shaking, question-for-the-sake-of-questioning exercise. I found myself challenged by this engaging author and take him at his word when I question even the ideas he presents in his book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Comical
I find it very funny, even hilarious, that believers / Christians (for whom this book is intended, although it isn't very clear; I hope I saved a few people from buying what they... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sharon R. Thorne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars for Portrayal of Another Perspective
I won't attempt to write any sort of official sounding review, but instead write here what this book made me think about. Mr. Read more
Published on May 16, 2011 by Whitney A. Showalter
2.0 out of 5 stars
Comical
After reading the Sacredness of Questioning Everything, the first thing I question is this book. I enjoy reading things outside of my norm and I enjoy seeing others' view points. Read more
Published on April 18, 2011 by C.B. Mason
5.0 out of 5 stars
I read this book at the perfect moment, and therefore it was perfect...
This book was exactly the kind of thing I needed to read at the time I was reading it. What Dark argues is that the God of the Bible doesn't look for us to be docile sheep who... Read more
Published on March 31, 2011 by Heather ORoark
4.0 out of 5 stars
Questioning is essential for relationships
Early in the book David Dark quotes Flannery O'Conner as saying, "The cultivation of skepticism is a sacred obligation because skepticism keeps us asking questions... Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by Adam
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!
In "Sacredness", Dark has brought his intellect to me pureed for digestion. Still alot to chew on, but readable and comprehensible. Read more
Published on November 4, 2009 by Frank Midgley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I wouldn't consider myself a Christian by any means.
This book is amazing, totally gives new view to many life aspects. Read more
This book is amazing, totally gives new view to many life aspects. Read more
Published on October 13, 2009 by Mark Dorsey
4.0 out of 5 stars
good, deep, insightful
not an easy read, but worth it. dark leads us through a pithy ride of pop culture and high-brow literary references, along with some great biblical framing, on a journey of... Read more
Published on August 27, 2009 by Mark Oestreicher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential reading
David Dark is such a careful and generous writer, and his latest is no exception. He manages to weave in so many disparate sources and ideas into one cohesive whole. Read more
Published on June 17, 2009 by Jessica Hopper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superbly Written, and the Content Will Make You Think --- and Rethink
Asking the hard questions is never easy --- regardless of who is asking them or what is being asked. This is particularly true when it comes to issues of faith. Read more
Published on June 10, 2009 by FaithfulReader.com
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