One of the great things about college is that we can have conversations of depth — but how often do we engage in conversations that will challenge our beliefs ? Asking and discussing profound and difficult questions about our thoughts , opinions , and beliefs is essential to building relationships on all fronts ...
P E N N | On Campus
A Willingness to Dialogue
QUESTIONS DEEPEN OUR FAITH , OUR RELATIONSHIPS By Sebastian de Armas , Penn ’ 19
The following article was adapted from Locust Walk , a student-led , Christian journal at the University of Pennsylvania ( www . locustwalkjournal . com ). Sebastian de Armas is a junior studying Healthcare Management and Policy .
Why should I care about a God when I ’ m doing fine just by myself ?” I sat there waiting to see what my other two Christian friends would say . The three of us were having a late night conversation with another friend when , curious about what we believed in , he asked that question . There was one of those prolonged awkward silences — the elephantin-the-room , cricket-chirping kind . Rather than directly answering the question , my two other friends simply gave confused looks .
Later , they commented on their feelings of shock as , to them , the answer was self-evident and , therefore , the question was unnecessary . Though the conversation continued , I left feeling profoundly uncomfortable . It seemed like no one was willing to break past the wall of differing opinions in order to engage in meaningful dialogue . One of the great things about college is that we can have conversations of depth — but how often do we engage in conversations that will challenge our beliefs ?
A willingness to dialogue — and ask questions that make us uncomfortable — is vitally important for two reasons . First , it is a better way to learn . Second , it deepens our relationships with others . Both of these dy- namics are at work , not only in our human relationships , but also in our relationship with God .
I find that I ’ ve learned the most by constantly asking questions — questions not grounded in skepticism of the other , but based on curiosity for the sake of clarity . From an early age we all think this way . Recall the times when we questioned our parents with an endless array of “ Who ?” “ What ?” and “ When ?” We saw our parents as sources of truth that could provide insight into the world around us . As we grew older , we began to ask “ How ?” and “ Why ?” regarding their worldviews .
Asking them questions became an important supplement to the observations we made about ourselves and our surroundings .
This is also true of our learning from and about God . Testing our beliefs through study of the Bible is
an integral aspect of our spiritual growth . The book of James states , “ If any of you is lacking in wisdom , ask God , who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly .” When I actively bring my beliefs and assumptions to God , He promises to reveal the reasons I can place my faith in Him . Questioning others and ourselves in matters concerning our beliefs solidifies our foundation of truth and clarifies the claims we make .
Besides enriching our personal worldview , asking questions plays a crucial role in deepening our relationships . Imagine a friendship in which
One of the great things about college is that we can have conversations of depth — but how often do we engage in conversations that will challenge our beliefs ? Asking and discussing profound and difficult questions about our thoughts , opinions , and beliefs is essential to building relationships on all fronts ...
one friend never bothered to get to know the other . We could hardly call it a friendship . The two could never grow in mutual understanding , and attachments to any other person or thing would become immediately more attractive . f a l l 2 0 1 7 : : c h r i s t i a n u n i o n . o r g
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