Lore Ferguson Wilbert's newest book, A Curious Faith: The Questions God Asks, We Ask, and We Wish Someone Would Ask Us (released on 2 August 2022) is an exploration of what it means to ask questions of one's faith, tradition, and of God. Is curiosity and questioning dangerous and sinful, or divine and a God-given gift?

From the publisher:
Popular writer Lore Ferguson Wilbert has belonged to Christian communities that discouraged curiosity. The point of the Christian life was to have the right answers, and asking questions reflected a wavering faith. But Wilbert came to discover that the Bible is a permission slip to anyone who wants to ask questions.

Reflecting her own theological trajectory toward a more contemplative, expansive faith, Wilbert invites readers to foster curiosity as a spiritual habit. This book explores questions God asks us, questions we ask God, and questions we ask each other. Christianity is not about knowing good answers, says Wilbert, but about asking good questions--ones that foster deeper intimacy with God and others.

A Curious Faith invites readers to go beyond pat answers and embrace curiosity, rather than certainty, as a hallmark of authentic faith.


Whenever one engages in conversation, which I believe is one of the parts of reading a book, it is helpful to know to with whom one is speaking. This is especially true in theological conversations where one's background and tradition often illuminate a host of assumptions around doctrinal ideas and vocabulary. Lore Ferguson Wilbert is an American writer who has spent much time in Evangelical circles. She and her husband now worship in an Anglican congregation in New York state, where they live. (Wilbert does not clarify whether it is an ACNA congregation or an Episcopal congregation they have joined.) Her language and certain foci in this book reflect her Evangelical background and a continuing conservative viewpoint, both theologically and socially.

A Curious Faith is written in an easy-to-read, conversational style. Each chapter takes up a question which is framed with a quote from the Bible. The chapters are short and succinct, usually no more than a few pages long. The questions posed by Wilbert are explored primarily using anecdotes, either from her own life or stories collected from other people. This pattern gives the writing a relatable, casual, memoir feel.

There are some brief but truly lovely theological reflections in this book. Wilbert discusses curiosity, the relationship between theology and geography, sin, shame, faith, and God's love in a frank, sometimes arresting way. She is also not afraid to approach questions that, in many circles I am familiar with, are too uncomfortable or personal to be discussed. Subjects like sin, personal responsibility in faith, human anger and disappointment in God, and spiritual honesty make many people uncomfortable. Wilbert acknowledges the discomfort but persists in the discussion, seeing the benefit in opening up these awkward questions.
God is trying to show [Adam and Eve] that this shame they have over their nakedness has a source. He wants them to see that they are not the source of that shame, and neither is he. The enemy is someone else.
Everything about us as humans is rooted in the reality that we are named creatures. We are not independent, autonomous Creators. We are not unattached from all the realities and tragedies that exist in our world today and that have ever existed.
Sometimes I have treated faith less like faith and more like a bargain. I act like I have put God in my debt. I will do this and he will do that. He does this and I respond in kind. He keeps his promises, I keep mine. Likewise, I keep my promises, he keeps his. This never works for very long. Because although he is a promise-keeper, he keeps only the promises he actually makes.
There are moments in A Curious Faith where I found myself curious about exactly what Wilbert meant. She refers at one point, in a discussion about her parents, to "sexual sin" without any expansion on whose sin or what it might have been. Did her parents carry the trauma of sexual abuse? Was there adultery? Or did she mean more broadly and widely disputed ideas of sexual sin such as the sexuality of LGBTQ+ people? It is always dissatisfying when an author drops a loaded term into the conversation and walks away from it without clarifying what they meant.

In this book God is an exclusively male figure and is addressed in what is today, in Anglican circles, often called "traditional" language. This is not in and of itself a problem, but may prove a stumbling block for people seeking assistance asking questions of their faith because of negative experiences with patriarchal structure. Some parts of Wilbert's writing feel less like an invitation to others to engage in questioning and curiosity and more like personal faith journal entries or spiritual direction sessions. There are hints of disillusionment with prosperity gospel teachings in some of the discussion about the morality of God and theodicy in general. I am not suggesting that these questions are unworthy or poor inclusions in the book, rather than they may be most useful to people living a particular experience of Christian growth, deconstruction, and questioning.

In spite of her move to a different Christian tradition, the formative influence of American Evangelicalism is evident in Wilbert's writing. She still writes with the Evangelical assumption that it is the normative and universal Christian tradition, and that others are somehow exceptions. In the quote below it seems that Wilbert is suggesting that her current Anglican congregation is somehow not a part of the Western church represented by her previous megachurch congregation. At the same time, she attributes the cycle of celebrity leaders that is rife in Evanglicalism and significantly rarer in traditions like Anglicanism, Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism as a feature of "the Western church today". I don't believe that she intends to hold up American megachurch Evangelicalism as the Christian norm against which all other traditions are measured (God forbid the thought!), but this way of speaking with the implicit assumptions is symptomatic of the Evangelical formation around its own tradition as "Christian" and all others being something slightly different.
In the Western church today, we're in an epidemic of celebrity. It seems like every single week a pastor, leader, writer, speaker, singer, or teacher rises to meteoric fame and another one falls. The constancy of it has worn our family to the point where we left our megachurch, changed our denomination, moved to a small town, and now attend a two-hundred-year-old church full of octogenarians.

 

Overall, I think this book is just fine and certainly has a place in the theological conversation. The writing is accessible and if one had a group, such as a parish book study or small group, who were looking for ways to explore asking questions in faith, this book might be a useful companion in that work. I suspect the book will appeal most strongly to people who, like the author, have left more restrictive traditions were questions were discouraged and are now looking for ways to flex those interrogative muscles.

If someone asked me for a book that might be helpful on the "Exvangelical" deconstruction journey, I would probably recommend the writing of Rachel Held Evans or Kate Bowler before this book. However, if the request were specifically about the practice of questioning, especially reflective questioning, this book would be an excellent recommendation. It is a useful, worthwhile book for a particular audience.

NB: I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of A Curious Faith from Baker Publishing through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

In A Curious Faith, Lore Ferguson Wilbert invites the reader to become more comfortable bringing their questions and doubts to God. While telling her own story of deconstruction and reconstruction, she points to the faithfulness of God in graciously caring for her. There is 32 bite sized chapters in this book looking at questions God asks us, questions we ask God, and questions we wish others would ask us. These questions give the opportunity to grow relationally and encourage the art of intellectual exploration. This book is very approachable, though I would say it's better for those that are struggling with navigating their faith.

If you’re weary of a strident, dogmatic version of Christianity without room for nuance or mystery, this book is for you. Please don’t misunderstand me. It is Biblically sound. It’s just more realistic and thoughtful than most of what I’ve been exposed to in Christian publishing.

I’ve been reading Lore Wilbert’s work for years, and the word that comes to mind to describe her is FAITHFUL. She seeks to know Jesus and to walk with him rather than to align herself with a particular ideology or movement—something that is desperately lacking in our current “Christian” culture in the U.S.

For me, Chapter 12: Is It Right for You to be Angry?, was alone worth the price of the book. An excerpt:
“That’s what this whole book is about. That’s what these questions are about. They are asking, at their core: What are you happy/sad/angry/glad/fearful/grieving about? What is underneath these big emotions you have? What is behind the stoic mask you wear? What hull of a ship or belly of a fish or withering plant does God want to take you to, to help you see how big and unpredictable, how surprising his grace and goodness can be?”

If you want more of the grace and goodness of God, read this book.

I've been following Lore's 'Sayable' blog for at least six years, and when her first book 'Handle with Care' came out, I rushed to buy it because her words have wisdom. And when presented with the ability to be part of the launch team for 'A Curious Faith', I jumped on the opportunity.
She finds a striking balance of vulnerability and reflection, while continuously and consistently pointing out the character of God and how He relates to us. Lore doesn't hesitate to pull back the curtain on what she's wrestled with and how she's felt in seasons, and I very much appreciate her transparency. She also skillfully shows that the biblical stories we may have heard from childhood on are filled with real people, with real emotions, and with actions and reactions that we ourselves would also make were we in the same circumstances.
I am eagerly awaiting having the physical copy of the book in my hands as my kindle edition is so very highlighted - I know that this book, if read with an open heart, will be transformative. Especially to those of us who have walked a faith journey for a number of years and find it difficult to embrace curiosity and questions.
Buy the book. You won't regret it.

I found Lore in Instagram and immediately felt so safe in her sphere of influence. She speaks with a wisdom and embodiment that holds space for others. I read and loved her previous book on touch and have been looking so forward to reading this new book. I was not disappointed. She reminds us that bravely asking questions is safe. That the God who loves us welcomes (and questions us back!) in a relationship not based on us believing all the right things or getting everything right but rather on who God is and how much he loves us. That some questions may never be answered but life flows from the asking anyways. “Curiosity is a discipline of the spiritual sort”. And I have found that to be true in my life and I love this book for companioning me in that journey.

Honestly I read this book too quickly because I wanted to review it before it released, and now I can’t wait to start it all over again, pull out my journal and slowly unpack and explore each chapter, each question.

Previously I haven’t been so curious, I’ve gone along with other peoples opinions and answers instead of letting myself sit with the questions and if need be let them sit unanswered. This book helped me realise that it’s ok to have questions and more than that, that it’s ok to take these questions to God, to be honest in your doubts or confusion, and to explore your wonderings and curiosity. It reminded me of the beautiful truth that we have a curious God, a God who asked many questions and loves us to do the same.

Lore Ferguson Wilbert is someone I have followed on the internet for a few years and read her previous book, she is a wonderful writer and also makes you think, which is a good thing. I never want someone to tell me how to think but to point me to how and where. In her newest book A Curious Faith – The Questions God Asks, We Ask, and We Wish Someone Would Ask Us does just that, makes you think through questions. Questions that God has asked in the Bible, questions you have or others may ask.

This from the book really summarizes what you are getting into when you read this book: “Asking a question is an act of faith: faith that we could be answered, or that we won’t be refused, or that we will like the answer, or, if we don’t, that it will lead to a better question. To ask a question is to hope that what we currently know isn’t the whole story. It’s a gamble that we deep down want to win. If we don’t make space for curiosity in the Christian life, we will become content with a one-dimensional god, a god made more in our own image than the God who made us in his image. If we don’t make space for self-reflection, we will become content with a picture of ourselves instead of the core of who we are in Him. If we don’t make space for deep and vulnerable times of asking questions or being asked them by friends who love us, we will find our relationships flat and lifeless.”

This is a book for the newbie Christian, the Christian going through doubts, questioning things, and/or wandering in faith. The author does this through her experience and Scripture. I found the parts she shared about herself very relatable! I really appreciate the emphasis on Scripture and turning to God that she uses in the book. I have a lot of highlights and notes from the book, so you know it is a worthy read!

I only wish that I read it from a hard-copy and not an e-book version, so at some point I will plan to purchase the hard-copy of the book, it will make a great reread to go through again, taking more time looking at the questions and answering them. I also feel this would be a good one to gift to someone struggling and asking why God.

Much thanks to NetGallery for providing me with a kindle version to review.

I just finished reading Lore Ferguson Wilbert's book, A Curious Faith. I was first introduced to Lore's writing on Instagram when a dear friend said how much she appreciated Lore's posts. In following Lore, I realized how talented she is with words and thoughts but more than that, the vulnerability with which she wrote tugged at my heart.

In A Curious Faith, Lore shares some of her personal work in deconstructing and rebuilding her faith. A Rilke quote caught her attention, "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves ... Do not now seek the answers ... Live the questions!" Lore had been in church settings where questions were not valued, and this idea of exploring her questions resonated deeply with her.

In her book, she takes a deep dive into the questions in scripture, the questions God asks His people, the questions we ask God, and last, questions we wish someone would ask us. Lore briefly explores the biblical narrative around these 30 questions and then applies them to her life and ours. She defines curiosity as a spiritual discipline essential to our growth.

Lore shares that "living her questions" did not destabilize her; instead, they led to more surety and hope in God. Lore writes, "If we don't make space for curiosity in the Christian life, we will become content with a one-dimensional god, a god made more in our own image than the God who made us in his image."

As I read her book, I was reminded repeatedly how much God loves us. Lore writes, "The most important thing about a person is what God thinks when he thinks about them." I mentioned this quote to Lore in a conversation on Facebook because I agreed deeply, and she replied, "I want this book to be a reminder to people struggling that God loves them, and within that love, there is a wide expanse of grace and goodness." For me - her goal is achieved!

For the one who is doubting, wondering, questioning, or curious. For the one who is afraid of asking, fearful of whether they can voice their questions at all. For the one navigating the murky middle.

A few quotes from A Curious Faith that give you a small taste:

“The Bible is a permission slip for those with questions.”

“We think we know the right answers, when really God cares more that we ask the right questions.”

“I believe God can do something with my doubts, and my belief in that is bigger than my doubt itself.”

“Asking a question is an act of faith: faith that we could be answered, or that we won’t be refused, or that we will like the answer, or, if we don’t, that it will lead to a better question. To ask a question is to hope that what we currently know isn’t the whole story. It’s a gamble that we deep down want to win. If we don’t make space for curiosity in the Christian life, we will become content with a one-dimensional god, a god made more in our own image than the God who made us in his image. If we don’t make space for self-reflection, we will become content with a picture of ourselves instead of the core of who we are in him. If we don’t make space for deep and vulnerable times of asking questions or being asked them by friends who love us, we will find our relationships flat and lifeless.”

Lore Ferguson Wilbert's words have long been a balm for my soul, and this new venture is no exception. She is gracious with her curiosity and generous in the way she writes about people. This is a book I will recommend over and over, and refer back to in spiritually dry times in my life when I need encouragement. So glad she shares her gift of wisdom and words with the world! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Interesting Mix Of Rachel Held Evans And Max Lucado. This book is perfect for fans of the late Rachel Held Evans who miss her type of voice and are looking for someone who can write in that type of mindset. Better, for those who disagreed with Evans' more liberal positions, is that Wilbert doesn't expose any of those here. Instead, Wilbert writes in a more inviting style very similar to Max Lucado's, making her points but also asking the reader to consider a lot of questions and their own answers to them. And yet Wilbert retains the essence of the questioning faith and openness that brought so many of us to Evans. She is open about her struggles as someone who was single into her 30s, who then has actively tried to have children only to suffer through several miscarriages and, now in her 40s, begins to realize that one thing she so wanted may not be in the cards for her family. And so, she questions. But she questions with a yearning, with a hope, that - again turning to the Evans reference - was so evident in Searching for Sunday and is what ultimately made this reader such a fan of Evans. Ultimately the only mars on this incredible work were two issues that I am on a one-man crusade to stamp out any time I see them: prooftexting and discussions of COVID. In each case, my only real weapon in this crusade is a one-star deduction, and thus the two stars removed here. But truly, don't let that deter you from reading this otherwise exceptional book - particularly if you don't mind either or both of the above issues. Very much recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Having loved Lore’s previous book I was excited for this and it didn’t disappoint. It’s so refreshingly written, with hard won wisdom and offers hope to those questioning, curious and wondering.

What a beautiful writer Lore Ferguson Wilbert is. I totally loved her first book Handle With Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and Ministry, so was eager to read her new book and was not disappointed. Lore has had so many reasons in her life to question the goodness of God and this is an openly honest book about her walk of faith and her moments of doubt. Through the lives of bible characters she teaches us that a questioning faith isn’t a weak faith but a strong healthy one and that God welcomes our questions and grows us through them. Sometimes our questions lead to more questions but ultimately they lead us deeper into God and he is always there willing to listen and love.