I was a young, zealous, sincere Christian, probably 17 years old. And I was invited to this Bible study group that had been set up especially for seekers and doubters. That's how they said it. And people came to this group who had asked questions or raised theological problems and doubts, and this

older gentleman who was leading it would listen and he would restate their question and maybe

he would ask them a question back and maybe he'd offer something. But as I listened, I became

really, really disturbed because I grew up in church where we learned

to quote a Bible verse to answer every question.

And I kept knowing the verses that the leader should have been quoting, and he wasn't

quoting him.

And I just thought, what's wrong with him?

And so someone asks a question, and he just starts asking

questions back and listening empathetically. And I'm getting really bothered because it feels like

God is losing. I want to rush in and save God. And so I raise my hand and I start to quote a Bible verse or something.

And the leader very gently says to me, this is your first time here, isn't it?

I said, yeah.

He said, let me talk to you as soon as we're done.

And then he just went on and, you know, just let the thing finish.

So after the meeting's over, he pulls me aside and he says, you know just let the thing finish so after the meeting's over he pulls me aside

and he says you know listen I didn't want to be rude to you but this is a place where people are

asking their questions and and if somebody just rushes in and tries to answer their question

that's not going to help them they need space to think and they need a place where they can just raise their questions.

So I hope you understand that's what I was trying to do.

Well, I've got to tell you, I did not understand.

But I understood that he might have understood something that I didn't understand.

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