A Curious Faith by Lore Wilbert

 

If I was limited to a single book recommendation for 2022, this would be the book.

Wilbert has a gift for writing. Her words are empathetic and conversational, born out of experience as she shares her own journey with a faith that makes room and encourages space for hard questions. I was encouraged that, although her work revolves around deep matters of life and faith, it never feels inaccessible or stuck in theoretical head games. Rather, Wilbert is content to sit in the questions alongside her readers in the messiness of where life and faith intersect, a willingness to live with the unanswered questions as long as needed.

The concept of a book about faith and questions instantly grabbed my attention. Wilbert has divided her book into three distinct segments: "Questions God Asks: Living Curiously", "Questions We Ask God: Listening Curiously", and "Questions We Wish Someone Would Ask Us: Loving Curiously."
I really appreciated this framework that firsts starts with a curious God seeking to know his creation first before moving into the reflection of the individual reciprocating with their own questions. In a market that is filled to the brim with books prescribing the "right" way or the quick fix, it was refreshing to see a book that was willing to bring some balance back to the dialogue and reaffirm the value of questions for a healthy faith and spiritual dialogue. 

My one regret with this book is that I did have a timeline to read it. I really feel this is the kind of book that lends itself to a slow read and a pacing that lends itself to reflection outside of the pages to get the full intent of the author (I definitely plan to reread this one without a timeline when life settles a little bit in the new year).

5 out of 5 stars

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.