Instead of arguing for your viewpoint, what would happen if you leaned into other people’s questions and asked more questions? Make it your goal to see what is behind the question.

For example, a coworker asks you how God could let some tragedy happen. What if you responded by asking, in a calm voice, about their views?

Things like, “What leads you to believe God allowed this to happen?” Possibly, “Why do you think God is the one most responsible for this?” This will help you to determine their view of God, how he acts, and their view on evil. Perhaps you ask them where they learned that God is supposed to behave in specific ways. Who told them about God, and was it based on the Bible? Maybe ask if they have ever read the scriptures or what stories they know that would shape their views.

I am encountering a world filled with people who are more than willing to argue about anything at any time, especially about God. These discussions are often heated and produce little light on a topic. I believe these times call for Christians to ask more questions about other people than to jump to conclusions.

To be clear, I think Christians need answers to questions about their faith. Also, know that before you can answer issues correctly, you must be willing to ask penetrating questions to understand what others genuinely think.

Sometimes, the biggest hindrance to faith is not the correct answers but the lack of our ability to ask the right questions.