January 2026

I’ve always admired those who are able to ask the right question at the right time with a stunning balance of wisdom and care.

They seem to read the situation and draw us into reflection and deeper engagement. They also seem settled and curious as they lean in for our answer and possibly the next question.

But we have all been in situations with those who don’t bother with questions and impose old answers on the ones we ask.

I often go back to a book by Robert J. Schreiter about the challenge of crafting good questions and the art of surfacing relevant contextual answers. From his work in various cultures and contexts he noticed that:

New questions were being asked, questions for which there were no ready traditional answers.

Second, old answers were being urged upon cultures and regions with new questions.

Third, the realities of new questions and old answers pointed to a concern that recurred in churches around the world: a new kind of Christian identity was emerging.

In our day, we might question some of what has been promoted as Christianity but is laden with hatred, cruelty, and greed. We wonder what has happened to mercy, justice, compassion and the ways of Jesus?

At the dawning of this new year, may we be free to ask good questions. May we also refuse to parrot back destructive answers that are not only old and worn out, but harmful.

And in the asking and answering, may we remain open for the ways God is forming us as disciples and leading us along paths of peace.

Tom