The Sacredness of Questioning Everything

by David Dark

In this provocative, entertaining book, author David Dark writes, The summons to sacred questioning, like a call to honesty, like a call to prayer, is a call to be true and to let the chips fall where they may. Far from being a sign of cynicism or weakness, questions are not only positive but crucial for our health and well-being.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Christianity, Theology, Christian, Faith

ebook

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

David Dark is the critically acclaimed author of "The Sacredness of Questioning Everything," "Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, The Simpsons, and Other Pop Culture Icons" and "The Gospel According To America: A Meditation on a God-blessed, Christ-haunted Idea." An educator, Dark is currently pursuing his PhD in Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University. He has had articles published in Paste, Oxford American, Books and Culture, Christian Century, among others. A frequent speaker, Dark has also appeared on C-SPAN’s Book-TV and in an award-winning documentary, "Marketing the Message." He lives with his singer-songwriter wife, Sarah Masen, and their three children in Nashville.

Reviews

[Ryan Linkous · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and almost gave it 4 stars. This book was really fun to read and Dark does a phenomenal job weaving pop culture and classic literature together to make rhetorically forceful points. It was like reading a Gregory Thornbury sermon or lecture (not coincidentally, they are friends).

The main message of the book is that we need not be afraid of questioning anything (including God, the church, history, governments, etc), because if something we believe is really true, it will withstand our scrutiny and make us better people for having examined it. It's a post-modern Christian's guide to thinking critically. The book begins as if Dark is going to constantly rag on conservative, right-wing political evangelical Christians. He does have his time at that (especially at the very beginning and the very end), but his critiques apply equally to the left as they do the right. I think this is a very important book that many Christians should read (but maybe they should start with ch. 3), because the church and the individuals that comprise it need to scrutinize its beliefs and practices more often in order to purify and strengthen them.

What I liked:
Chapter 4: Questioning our Passions - My favorite chapter in the book. Dark does a great job here, showing that we guard ourselves when consuming media and shouldn't take anything hook, line, and sinker. Don't be suckers for bad art.
Chapter 5: Questioning the Media - Excellent chapter. Contained my favorite quote in the whole book (see below)
Chatper 3: Questioning our Offendedness - Dark takes a few potshots here, but his point is that we can't shut down conversation with those whom we disagree ever (whether theologically, concerning different faiths, ideologies, etc.). When we stop communicating amicably, we become even more isolated and disconnected from others, and therefore disconnected from influence.
Chapter 7-8: Questioning Interpretations and History - Dark wants us to have more humility when we make absolute statements and does not want us to buy the story of history as we know it (esp. a triumphalist narrative, glamorizing America), but to question the evils that "we" have committed in history and to allow ourselves to be disgusted by them and act to correct them.

What I didn't like:
-Dark is a bit too antagonistic towards Christians. He doesn't offer much to directly edify the church (although the book is very edifying).
-Dark is very keen on the social aspects of the gospel, but is less precise on the spiritual and doctrinal aspects of it. In his discussion of the eschaton, he hardly mentions Christ's return, but mainly the righting of economic social realties.
-I gave the book 3 stars instead of 4 because I wasn't crazy about his last chapter on eschatology. I'm not sure what framework he is working out of, but he seems to question hell (he questions everything so you can't be too surprised), but does not give a satisfactory position. It was too open ended for me. I think this is a part of real history and the real eschaton, so I couldn't endorse that chapter.

Quotes:
p. 103-My favorite quote from the book comes from ch. 5, "Questioning the Media." I think it's great about journalism, but equally great about how Chrsitians should present the gospel:

"[Fred] Friendly famously observed that it was the job of journalist [Christian] to create a pain in the minds of the audience so intense that it can only be relieved by thinking.... And I'd like to extend the job description to include any bearer of story, any bearer of witness. The storyteller's [Christian's] job is to bring the news (the new take, the new word, the strange report) and to bring it in such a way that it might change people's minds. As we receive it, the newsworthy story drives us to see our world and ourselves differently. Real news stories [the gospel] changes our stories, our understanding of our own lives."

[Persis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is God big enough to handle our questions? Is it okay to even ask questions?

For most of my life, I was afraid to ask questions. Just believe what people, especially church leaders, tell you. Where devotion to God and to the church is determined by how closely you go along with the program. But what if God is big enough to handle every single one of these questions? What if the only way to really grow is to ask "Why?" when you're told that's just the way it is?

"The Sacredness of Questioning Everything" asks many of the questions I've keep bottled up inside that came to near breaking point after 2016. Dark's writing is probing and insightful about subjects that are close to home and rather touchy today. But he handles these issues with respect even in his challenges to our thinking.

This is a book I'll be going back to and one of my 2023 favs.

[Austin Sill · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Dark is my (much older and wiser) doppelgänger. This book was such a pleasure, nay - a real joy, to read. It wasn't just the endless array of literary and cultural allusions, it wasn't just the piercing theological musings, it wasn't just the tone of jest, sorrow, and love; it was that this book, because of everything Dark brought to it, helped me discover a sense of spiritual peace and intellectual quietude that I haven't experienced in quite a while: the peace that comes only when we recognize that it exists beyond our understanding.

[Jon Anderson]

Wonderful reflections on the good of questioning even many of our long-held beliefs and perspectives lest we make them idols and miss the kingdom of God in our midst

[ShareStories · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. David Dark makes a lot of good points, but I found his many examples to be distracting rather than enlightening. He veered a bit too far from the topic of questioning and into current pop culture, which, I'm sure was a good fit for much of his audience, but it wasn't for me.

I would rather he have used his more explicit themes as starting points and gone deeper rather than gone off onto other paths, as he seemed to do.

I longed for more "meat" and detail on quotes such as these:

Religion is born out of questions, not answers.
What pundits call wishy-washiness, the Bible calls repentance.

I expected this book to be primarily about issues such as these--how religion is created from the longing each one of us has for answers to the world's deepest questions, and how questioning our beliefs and behavior can lead to true repentance.

Instead, he seemed to get into the specifics of what he questioned, peppered with long, detailed examples from stories that needed much background, or from examples from pop culture that may not be relevant to the reader, and certainly won't be once the tv programs he talks about are off the air.

I think he may have a first draft of 2 books here. The first is what was promised in the title--a book about the sacredness of questioning and how that has shaped belief. The second, might be a book that goes into more detail about what he thinks is specifically wrong with society today. In fact, this second "book" should probably be a blog. It would reach his intended media-saturated audience and the immediacy of its delivery would make his pop culture examples more relevant.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark is an exceptional writer, and I would love to be a student in his high school English class. He effortlessly weaves popular culture references within and throughout poetry and deep theology, all in an effort to broaden your paradigm. This is not easy to digest, but it is a beautiful and impacting reading experience (particularly the chapters on questioning language, government and the future). If you are interested in a meditative/poetic style of writing, and also love popular culture (think: Dylan, the Simpsons, Allen Ginsberg, etc.) then I could confidently put this book into your hands.

Overall, I would encourage anyone to read this, religious or not, but would especially recommend it to someone who struggles with a rigid/dogmatic approach to faith. David Dark will be a breath of fresh air, and might just enliven your spirituality without giving you too many easy answers.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are going to read this book, be prepared to be challenged on multiple levels. the book is not really a difficult read, but because of how deep it goes, it does require some focus in order for you to get the full impact of everything that David is saying, so be sure that you are not distracted while reading it.

If you apply the things in this book in your life, you will be changed (for the better!). It has given me a clearer picture of real compassion, justice, and a greater value for humanity than I had before I started reading.

Definitely one of the best books I've read.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that would be useful to own, read, re-read, re-read, and so on. There is just so much packed in to the book that my bookmark is full of page numbers, footnote numbers, and other notes. Makes you think about how you are approaching life.

To quote the last line in the book, "It is by questions that we are born again and again."

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a constant questioner, I thought this was beautifully-written and comforting book. His ideas about "the poetic" and "cosmic plainspeak" were lovely and will stay with me.

[Whitni McDonald Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Cyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard one to rate, and maybe to review. I always feel that tension between "How much did I enjoy reading it?" and "How good a book do I think this is?" which oftentimes I would have to rate differently. On the one hand, I think this book says a lot of important things. On the other, I wanted more from it...though I'm not really sure what. I realized when I was almost toward the end that I'd heard a talk given by the author and which was quite good, which led me to suspect that he was just a better thinker and speaker than he was a writer. In retrospect I'm rethinking that a bit.

While reading I felt it was a flaw that it oftentimes felt repetitive, that most chapters were much longer than they needed to be to get the point across, and tended to restate the main ideas again and again just in slightly different ways. It was only after I finished and was reflecting, that I realized this was probably necessary. What the book is trying to accomplish is difficult: to get us to examine the basics of our worldview - theological, political, social, everything - and see if they really hold up, whether they really reflect the scriptures and the reality they reveal. A person's foundational beliefs and attitudes being changed probably happens most often due to some dramatic eye-opening experience they go through. For that kind of change or awakening to be caused by a mere book, and a nonfiction book at that (for stories are the next best thing to lived experience)...well, it's almost like changing the course of a huge, vastly heavy ship as it pushes through the sea. You can't turn something like that on a dime. It happens incrementally, in a smooth curve. Maybe the chapters repeat so many little variations on the main theme because it's so easy to ignore a challenging statement the first time it's given, and go on without really thinking about it. By forcing us to sit in the idea a while, it's like the author is giving the current and all the little waves time to gradually change the course of the giant ship...if they can.

That said, most of the best quotes are when Dark is quoting other writers and thinkers. He references all kinds of authors and theologians as well as cultural personalities like pop musicians and filmmakers, civil rights activists, politicians, etc. Now and then he undermines his own points by injecting some mere opinion of his own without defending or supporting it, which distracts from the goal of digging down to the plain, bedrock Truth. Although the title and premise would imply that the book itself is just as fair game for being challenged as everything else - that we should examine Dark's ideas carefully "and hold on to the good."

But for all my quibbling, I think it's a book worth reading. The problem is, even if any and all flaws were erased, it's still the kind of book that would be least likely read by the sort of person who most needs to read it. People who rest secure that their beliefs, worldview, lifestyle, and opinions are beyond questioning, just aren't going to read a book called The Sacredness of Questioning Everything.

[Jake Holaday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most challenging and thought-provoking books I’ve read. Dark does an excellent job of pushing the reader to question everything, constantly provoking deeper reflection. I will say, to truly appreciate the book, the reader needs to look past the anti-right side comments throughout the book. I say 'side comments' because the book isn't about politics and Dark doesn't really go into political policies, but he constantly makes 'side comments' about policies that are unproductive. Another note, the book is quite sporadic and can be hard to follow, but like the previous point, it would be worth wading through to get to the main points. I strongly encourage readers to do so, because Dark’s central ideas are well worth engaging with.

Again the book isn't about politics. It is about questions. Questions leading to answers. I take it as a religious take of Nietzsche's quote, "There are no facts, only interpretations." It's also important to to keep in mind that endless questioning can lead to aimless circles if we’re not seeking clear answers. Dark talks about the importance of asking questions, but I wouldn't say he explains how to the answers to questions. Not saying I am mad about that because honestly I think that is partly what he is getting at.

Ultimately, I wanted to give the book 5 stars, but the final two chapters are where the book fell apart. In these sections, Dark becomes increasingly antagonistic towards anyone who seemingly disagrees with him. At one point, he criticizes Christians (specifically Christians on the political right) for presenting their views with such fervor that it seems like they’ve received their message straight from God, with angels cheering them on. I agree that this is a legitimate concern and a problem that needs to be addressed.

However, Dark then proceeds to throw shade at policies (often associated with Christians on the right), implying his own views with a similar level of certainty and self-righteousness. It feels entirely hypocritical. How can you criticize others for speaking as though they have divine endorsement, only to turn around and do the same yourself? Maybe I am missing the mark here, but given the anti right rhetoric throughout the book, I am confident in saying there is a clear side Dark is taking here. He constantly questions the right policies, and doesn't ever mention a left policy. Maybe to him they aren't worth questioning?

If I could sum up the main points: Ask questions because questions lead to answers. Don't let stubbornness, pride, 'divine endorsement,' etc. to get in the way of asking questions or seeking answers. Don't devalue others because of your beliefs.

[Stephen Bublitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book suffers from what I see from a lot of progressive Christian writers: the necessity to retroactively justify the gospel to fit with a particular more open-minded/liberal/scientific view of the world. I noticed this from Nadia Bolz-Weber and Rob Bell, both of whom I've enjoyed reading and have gained a lot from. As someone more on the progressive scale than on the Christian scale, I find myself asking why is it necessary to try to cram the round peg of theology into the square hole of actual life.

It seems like a post hoc justification for what can be gleaned from regular life, and to me, it begs the question of whether you need to take the gospels "seriously" in the first place. Maybe you do, and maybe you don't. I find that a more fundamental question. Though, it depends on how you define "seriously." As for Dark, it depends also on how you define "gospels" as he tries to massage the definition into something that fits his worldview.

I, personally, don't have a problem with it because, generally speaking, I agree with the worldview he appears to be putting forward. I just don't see how it's needed to hang Christ on that particular cross whenever you get the opportunity. I'm not sure who he thinks he is writing FOR in the first place. Because the retroactive justification seems to be a technique to bring along more conservative folk who would read the book (though, I'm not sure if they are or not). While his pop culture name-dropping seems to be a technique to buy goodwill from potential non-Christian liberal readers. It's as if he's saying, "look how cool I am. You, too, can be cool and love Jesus. No, really, you can. Look, I have a chapter dissecting a song by the Arcade Fire! Jesus is so cool!" The book was published in 2009 (reading it in 2020, whoop whoop), and I don't feel that it aged well. Also, multiple times he cited U2, which is a losing strategy for me.

There's also the fault of trying to slap a catchy label on a concept, and there's one that worked and one that didn't work. The one that didn't work was the "artists of the possible."

The one that worked was the idea of "cosmic plainspeak." I'd take more time to explain both, but I need to get back to work.

That said, I enjoyed it enough that I want to check out his other books.

[Danielle Routh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this book, so I really wanted to love the book itself... but sadly, it just isn't written well. Dark offers many excellent thoughts and examples, but they feel so rambling and disconnected that it's hard to follow the main narrative without being constantly distracted. It took me almost two months to finish this book as a result, and I don't think I'll read it again. That being said, Dark has many punchy quotes and thoughts, too many to count. Really, the entire book can be summed up with this from the final chapter:

"Our eschatologies drive what we do. They underwrite our practices. If we hold certain ideas as fundamental, nonnegotiable, ultimate, and never to be denied or questioned, then we're fundamentalists, and our eschatology reveals the content of our fundamentalism. Are we up for rethinking our sense of the ultimate? Could we do with some revision?"

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yes! For those of us who grew up in churches where you are supposed to swallow everything that is told to you without question, this is a wonderful book! He not only gives permission to question, but says that it is important, even necessary to question.

Chapters include: Questioning God, religion, our offendedness, our passions, media, our language, interpretations, history, governments, the future, all from the foundation of loving and believing in God.

With great endnotes, Dark's resources are reliable and trustworthy. He does use and quote many pop culture references that I was/am unacquainted with, but might make the book more accessible to others.

My book is so underlined, marked up with sticky flags, you can tell that this had an amazing impact on me. Highly recommend to believers in God who want to continue to grow and change, as well as seekers.

[Justin Lonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A forerunner in the genre of exvangelical memoir, heavy with literary and pop-culture allusions, buoyed by a jaunty style and earnest appeal.

Had I read this when it was released (when I was 25, a new dad, and learning to read the Bible I'd grown up with afresh) I might have been more impressed. Now, it's a little like George Harrison in that Simpsons episode (5.1) who drives by Homer's rooftop concert and says, "It's been done."

I think, even with the space of the genre that I've somewhat disingenuously assigned to it, the book does distinguish itself in tone, which is far more invitational and less confrontational (and more philosophically-twinged) than many other examples. And the author makes a great follow on Twitter, daily offering a masterclass in what that medium can be.

[Benjamin Varner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t have picked or mistakenly fallen into a better book to close out the ear of the pandemic. My own world both externally & internally has felt like an existence inside a blender for much of the past 3 years.

David Dark answered the question I had and the questions I haven’t found words to ask in this book and he answered them all with better questions, sacred questions.

The Sacredness of Questioning Everything is a journey. A journey through joy, curiosity, anger, rebellion, resistance, celebration, or to use Dark’s word, re-membering.

It’s a curated collection of wisdom handed down generationally through literature, poetry, satire, & news with a Dark spin.

Though released in 2009 it just might have been the book written for 2020.

[mental ensemble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very helpful in my journey and struggle with religion. The kind of God and religion of this book gives me hope. A christianity centered on caring for the poor and oppressed is one I'd like to be apart of. A god of mercy who welcomes diversity and questions, thats the god that draws me in.

[Melanie Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read! The importance of understanding your true core beliefs, your government, your mantra, your eschatology, and your faith in God is outlined here. The author reminds us that it is ok to want to dig deeper and understand.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just finished reading today. A thought provoking read and one I need to return to. Made me aware of my need to have a less critical view of others, more expansive view of others, more gracious and generous.

[CJ Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books everyone who considers themselves a Christian should read. Very thought-provoking, and so many good points.

[Colin]

A whole section on The Arcade Fire.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end was beautiful, but for me much of the middle was like literary criticism of things I haven't read or seen. Maybe that makes me uncultured... But I appreciate the arguments he made.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important and influential books I’ve ever read. I will read it many more times.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading, forever and always. Even if you aren’t religious, you can get a lot of it.

[Luisa Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I hesitate to write about it because I don't feel like I have fully digested its ideas, or even discriminated between the meat that was there to digest, and the fragrance that was there to inspire. Dark writes powerfully and also casually. I could vividly envision him pacing in front of a high school classroom, cranking out pop culture references and tying them to classic literature, searching the faces of his spectators, hoping for a hint of surprise, excitement, connection. I felt like he was searching my face, waiting for my response, hoping for my agreement. Dark writes more to provoke emotive concurrence than to provoke thought, though I am sure the latter was greatly his intention. But the evangelism and, at times, out-shoutiness of his conviction can be forgiven (at least by me), because he truly does have something important to say. He says it beautifully and persuasively.

Dark's thesis is, essentially, to un-entrench yourself from your beliefs, to listen to the beliefs of others with sincerity and curiosity, to analyze your actions rather than your words in order to discover what you really worship. These messages obviously have universal application, but I would have appreciated it if Sacredness had read quite so much like a Christian devotional. Especially as the last chapter or two veered into economics/politics and, confusingly, eschatology, I found myself feeling a little alienated, though Dark's values and my own are very similar.

The book in its entirety is motivated by love for humanity and faith in the capability of your mind and mine. Dark is enamored with language, quoting passage upon passage of favorite poets, calling their moments of shocking lucidity "cosmic plainspeak." He knows that the truest understanding of the universe is to be found in what we learn from each other when we humble ourselves, and he is on a ravenous hunt for that truth. He implores you to join him, swayed by his own biases but also aware of them, talking over you a little bit at a dinner party, but apologizing and shutting up after he realizes it. In short, Dark is passionate: his goals are honorable and his idea-drunk volubility, forgivable.

These are two of my favorite passages, and I think they represent well what drew me so much to his philosophy:

"In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything. And the reality comes to us when we cast aside our categorizing impulses and our armored suits of offendedness and enter into the dangerous and redeeming space where people, all kinds of people, enter into this blessed work of actually listening to each other."

"We, the people, are always more than our use value. Like the God in whose image people are made, people are irreducible. There's always more to a person -- more stories, more life, more complexities -- than we know. The person, when viewed properly, is unfathomable, incalculable, and dear."

This is a book (essentially) to Christians about the necessary temperance of a Christian worldview. Stated differently, it is a book about loving people and the truth.

[Longfellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who is filled with doubt about almost everything, I confess this book feels a little unnecessary. Perhaps I’m in a minority; I at least feel like a minority as everyday I read and every week I listen to people who seem quite secure in their stances and opinions. As someone who, when questioned, is most likely to assume the legitimacy of the questioner’s opinion, I’m slightly offended at the suggestion that I need to be more this way. When I feel strongly about something, strongly enough that I’m willing to defend my opinion or belief, it is a relief, for I so rarely feel this assured.

But these are all simply immediate reactions to the chapter I’m currently reading, “Survival of the Freshest: Questioning Interpretations.” The truth is, with each David Dark book I read, I find myself remembering less and less. The first one I read, Everyday Apocalypse, was a series of nicely focused essays that left an impression, but in this book and The Gospel According to America, I’ve found myself overwhelmed with Dark’s myriad references, kind of like absorbing a storm of bullets while trying to see the gun. Consequently, I’ve struggled to remember his larger points or summarize the gist of the book’s thesis in conversation. I do love the references themselves, though, as many of them credit some of my favorite musicians, writers, shows and movies.

Well into the book, I finally started to absorb its content at a more engaged level, beginning with the chapter mentioned above on questioning interpretations. This transition for me may have had more to do with my mental state than Dark’s writing, but I found I was able to relate the last few chapters’ supporting details more easily to the chapters’ themes, thus nailing his main ideas deeper into the wood of my brain. To summarize his big idea in an unfairly succinct manner: Let's be careful about being so self-assured. Let's think twice, or four times, or seventy times seven, before convincing ourselves we have corralled any single truth into a corner. Oh - and our thinking should be driven by questions.

By the time I finished The Sacredness of Questioning Everything, I had confirmed my remembrance that Dark is one of my favorite thinkers within the many who write from the perspective of Christian faith, and it is his insistent questioning and responsive depth of analysis that finds me both in agreement and thrown into fruitful yet challenging self-reflection. As a bonus, my read of this 2009 publication led me to the discovery that Dark published his fourth book just a few months ago in February of 2016: Life’s Too Short to Pretend You’re Not Religious. It’s on order.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rocks the boat while holding firm to faith that Jesus won't let it tip over. I've long thought that "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for life" needed to be challenged. I want to pass the pond completely and go meet the guy who owns it. But one will never get there sitting on the dock screwing around with the tackle box. It's possible that I just like someone who validates my kind of thinking, but I don't think so.

Dark is onto something. No, some things. Big, important things. He effectively demonstrates how humor paves the way to opening dialogue about uncomfortable subjects in a chapter entitled "Truthiness", quoting Colbert's "If Truth be beauty and beauty be Truth, then I look fabulous tonight!" He questions "offendedness" and the "talkaboutable", reminding us that our witness sometimes begins with offending sensibilities. It is, after all, a kind of weirdness and going against popular opinion,that got people screaming "crucify him". He does this in several ways, including a reminder that Mark Twain and his ilk were not always given the honor and respect for candor we now value dearly.

Every time I hear the cliche, "it's like peeling an onion", I'm reminded that onions make people cry and people don't like to cry. Such a huge market for how not to cry while peeling onions exists, to my way of thinking. I love it when Dark reminds us that we, as a society/culture have crafted ways of insulating ourselves from each other. "Such a waste of emotion" is one remark about the movie industry. That we get our tidy catharsis in a theater setting where we don't have to actually look at each other is an astute observation on his part.

Yes, you could call this book subversive, but overall I maintain that he's trying to remind us that "The Bible isn't a collection of voices that learned, over thousands of years, to stop questioning, to silence protests and lamentations. It is a relentless kicking against the status quo, even and especially when the prophets fer that it's their one true God who's somehow endorsing it." Most of all, my take away is for those who mean to follow Jesus, this isn't the adoption of quiescence.

He seriously calls into question "Love your neighbor as yourself" and what that might look like.

[Jedidiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I can say without any hyperbole that this is the most thought provoking book on Christianity I've ever read. I'm sure it has a lot to do with me and certain honest questions I have that are "unaskable" in a typical church setting, but any way you look at it this is a challenging book.

Paradoxically, one of the things I liked most about this book is that it's full of questions but doesn't really offer up any definitive answers, that's something you mostly have to work out for yourself. I found this very refreshing and I think it completely separates itself from the repellent mass-market knee-jerk sentiment that it seems most churchgoers substitute for genuine religion now.

My only real complaint about the book is that Dark continually references works of literature, music, film, etc. all throughout the book, but it often feels like these references are shoehorned in and don't really apply to what he's saying. Sometimes they work (the section about the Arcade Fire song Antichrist Television Blues is fascinating, for instance) but enough of them seem forced that it starts to get annoying.

However, this is an ignorable complaint in consideration of how much this book caused me to reexamine my views of what being a Christian means. I would find myself reflexively disagreeing with whole sections basically just based on my upbringing, only to reread it after I had time to think about it and end up agreeing with Dark. That's not to say I agree with everything in the book, but for the most part it's pretty spot-on.

Perhaps my favorite idea in the entire book is that your witness is something that is conferred on you based on your actions and is not something you can claim. I live in Lubbock and have been thinking about this exact thing especially in relation to Johnny Landrum (google him for an interesting article from the local paper), somebody I pass every day on the way to work. I don't really want to discuss this here, but it's very encouraging to me that other people (talking about Dark here) share a more dynamic view of being a witness than the traditional church models of late.

All in all I can't wait to see what Dark writes next. I hope more Christians are exposed to his writing because I know they will be better off for it.