question the answer

Last updated on: June 4, 2008 at 8:34 am by David Hayward

question the answer 2008-06-04T08:34:09-04:00 David Hayward

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The question is more important than the answer. To press it further: the question is the answer. Jesus often answered questions with a question. He did this because he was answering (questioning?) people who needed a fixed answer and who lived according to their answer and demanded that everyone agree with their answer. They questioned Jesus to expose his disagreement with their answer so they could justifiably execute him. Jesus answered them with questions to expose the vacuity of their answer and the fear which sponsored their answer and the murderous hatred which their answer spawned.

This is why when I teach I try to not come across as dogmatically certain. In fact, usually at the end of my sentences the pitch of my voice rises, as if I’m not making a statement but putting a question. Whenever I have taught, I sometimes walk away from the platform feeling a little foolish, feeling as though I didn’t market myself very well, feeling that I didn’t help anyone at all to be impressed with me. But I always hope that I have challenged our certainties, derailed our dogmatics, called into question our answers. The questions from the community that salt and pepper our teaching times indicate to me that we are stirring up the solid, upsetting the settled, and provoking our positions. And this to me is enough. It spurs us to seek. And seeking is what should define us. Seek and you will find. Find what? Find the question.

The fine art photograph is the creation of my friend Howard Nowlan.

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