Your Questions

As well as some thoughts on the power of questions and the most important question of all

I thought I should take a pause from my usual rhythm of writing and ask you: what questions do you have for me? If you are subscribing to my Substack and this showed up in your inbox, you can merely reply to this email and ask me a question. If you are reading this online, you can comment via this button below and ask me a question. I will respond to these questions in a future DruGroup article.

There are a few reasons I want to do this now:

1. I have dozens of articles mapped out but want to get to things on your mind most first. It will help me choose and also refine what I have planned so it hits closer to what meets your felt needs.

2. There's a lot going on out there these days, much of it hard to wrap our minds around, and sometimes a dialog about it can help. I often attempt to write in a more timeless way that is relevant many moons from now (not just to stick around, but more importantly to not get “caught up” in the now too much.) However the present matters as much as the past and the future—and I wonder if I might dialog with you about what’s on your mind.

3. I love good questions in the first place. There’s nothing quite as good as a good question—if I had to choose a philosopher’s posture I most admire it would likely be the Socratic method of question-asking.

Let's talk about good questions for a moment.

Questions are the best way to gain knowledge.

Studies have shown that nothing increases your knowledge like asking conceptual questions. Even formulating the questions themselves increases our intelligence, but of course, the answers to the questions and the dialog that ensues is critical as well. He who knows nothing asks nothing. He who knows much has asked much.

Questions are the best way to build relationships.

Have you ever gathered with another few friends and at the end of the time you realized nobody ever asked you about yourself at all? On these occasions, they didn't learn anything more about you at all--about your hopes, dreams, about the way you think or feel. Asking questions of a friend is how you build a relationship best.

Questions are the best way to diffuse conflict.

While everyone is shouting at each other the best way forward is a good question. Conflict usually arises due to a lack of true interchange, learning, and empathy. Nothing quite sparks those like a good question. Even a confrontational question is still a question, as it requires a response. If we can move from telling to asking we might move from conflict to something approximating unity, or at least peace.

Questions are the best way to grow spiritually.

And finally, part of why I love questions is that Jesus asked a whole lot of them. One author even collected every question Jesus ever asked and came up with 339 of them. Jesus was fond of using questions as a response to a question, especially if the question was intended to trick Jesus or paint him in a corner by nefarious religious leaders.

In the microchurch network that I'm a part of, we discussed for many weeks the power of questions in growing spiritually, and in that process, we all shared the kinds of questions we use in our microchurch gatherings (the meetings of house churches, Discovery Bible studies, or missional communities). It helped us consider the most important questions to ask to spawn spiritual growth.

The Most Important Question

What was the most important question Jesus asked? Perhaps it is the one he asked his closest friends and disciples, in Mark 8:29 and Matthew 16: 15:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

The answer to this question is perhaps the most important answer any of us will ever give. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter's answer was treasonous to the Romans and blasphemous to the Jewish leaders. If either heard you say this the consequence was likely death. It was a dangerous answer to a profound question at the time.

But the question remains profound. It is one the entire world has grappled with for a few thousand years, believers and non-believers alike. "Who is Jesus?" may be a common denominator. In our religious conversations, the most important question might be “What do you think of Jesus?”

Who do you say that Jesus is?

At least for Peter. the disciples, and for me, that is the most important question.

But there are many more questions beyond this. That is not the only important question. What are your questions for today, and this age? Let me know what you're wondering about privately (I won't use your name with others) or in the comments. Let’s talk about it.