This is the best kind of book! One written by a kind and gentle companion in curiosity, reminding us that we are not alone in our questions, and deeply loved by God in the midst of our wrestling and questioning.

“Who told you that?”
The question that stopped me in my tracks. For a person who is clinically incapable of self compassion - this book led a gentle thoughtful walk through many questions I have asked myself, asked God, or wanted to ask the church. I will be sharing it with everyone who is reconstructing // deconstructing // engaging with their faith.

Three words to describe A Curious Faith would be inquisitive, humble, and patient.

Lore Ferguson Wilbert was one of the first writers I really saw my own journey and writing in; I still don’t remember how exactly I discovered her. Lore’s words have always been the comfort I look for when it comes to writing and the courage I search for to pursue faith in the “off-roading” version I see myself traveling. Her first book Handle With Care (released in February 2020), was an absolute balm for my neurodivergent soul. So when she shared an excerpt from her then-upcoming book, I was hooked!

Lore divides her book into three sections: Questions God asks us, Questions we ask God, and Questions we wish someone would ask. The questions God asks us is what she walks the reader through first, and for a good reason too! Beginning in Genesis 3:9, “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (ESV) Each chapter is framed around questions pulled directly from scripture or a human’s most frequently asked questions in later chapters. Through multiple trials, she shares how her own questions framed various seasons of her life and how God answers or doesn’t answer those questions.

The biggest thing I would suggest while reading this book is not to skim over the scripture reference or quote at the beginning. I am guilty of only reading the author’s words, but the core of this book is introspection and application. By reading Isaiah 63, the reader has new context for God’s words, Lore’s words, and the reader’s thoughts.

Many are the times I read a book I wish I would have had the opportunity to read at a much younger age. This, this is that book. There is so much zeal and curiosity that I have been criticized for in my life. ADHD has had its own spin, but my hyperfocus on faith and theology has never waned–I pray it never does! A Curious Faith verbalizes and shares, “There are so many others who are asking too….”

A Curious Faith will sit on my shelf for recommendations if you are struggling with your faith or walking through trails. Lore Ferguson Wilbert’s book will be released on August 2nd, 2022; pre-order now!

“Knowing you are loved is better than knowing the right answers.”

Lore's voice is one I've read for years, and it's one to be trusted. Her writing has mentored me, guided me, and made me think deeply. Over the past several years, my faith has become full of doubt and questions. And honestly? I've been in no rush to figure out where I stand or what I believe. I don't reach for Christian books or music much anymore because they make my skin prickle. But I do find myself reaching toward people like Lore who make me know that it's ok to not be ok. To not know. To not be settled. To have a million questions. To not be scared of the answers and equally unafraid when the answers aren't easy or don't come easily. I told a friend recently that in my own state of deconstruction and reconstruction, I hesitate to buy Christian books and wished they had a sticker on the cover or a review that says "SAFE FOR DOUBTERS." If you find yourself walking in fragile places of deconstruction or questioning or rebuilding your faith life, this book is safe. Try it out. It will meet you where you are and walk alongside you while you learn, as Rilke says, to "live the questions." On a personal note, I literally don't think I can put into words how healing this book has been for me. I sobbed my way through the first few chapters and highlighted and dog-eared and journaled like crazy. It's made me feel seen, understood, and loved more than any book in a long time. I want to put a copy in the hands of all the people I love who find themselves in similar spaces and places.

A beautiful read on faith and doubt, and finding God in the midst. I've followed Lore on social media for a while and have been aching for her to write a book. This was refreshing, comforting, and left me thinking. I'm excited for what comes next from Lore.

This book is so good! I received an ARC from the publisher, but I knew within the first 10 pages I wanted to buy a copy. Lore has a way with words that all Christ-followers would benefit from greatly.

A Curious Faith by Lore Ferguson Wilbert continues to pop on for recommendation by some women I follow on social media. After reading the book, I'm not sure if these women have read it and are promoting it or are just promoting their friends.
I think that all people should be curious about faith. God can handle all of our doubts and questions. Wilbert's attempt to raise questions is great, however, there's no deep dive to find answers. Stories about herself and some misused scripture make the book hard to recommend. She uses plenty of quotes in the book but a lot of them are from questionable sources. Sure, a broken clock is right twice a day, but that doesn't make it a reliable resource. It's wonderful that she's encouraging people to ask questions, but I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who is questioning anything.

*I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lore has a gift with words. I have followed her through the years and her last book so I knew I wanted to read this one. If you feel curious and love to sit with books, chatting about deep stuff and questions in life... you will love this book. There are several paragraphs where I felt seen and understood. What a relief God don't freak out with our questions. Thanks for writing Lore I'm praying for your next book (hopefully soon). "when the pain of life comes knocking— and it will come knocking— we need a framework that goes beyond tautological living. We need a framework that allows for big, audacious, confrontational, unanswerable questions". "..the question matters because part of our journey of faith is moving through the doubts and putting ourselves in a place where the outcome we desire is possible. Even if the place itself is powerless and even if the people around us are powerless too. Wanting to be well is just as important as doing everything we can to be well. Wanting God to answer our questions and satisfy our curiosity and solve world hunger and bring world peace is just as important as involving ourselves in the answers. There must be action to our faith".

There’s a testimony that Lore Ferguson Wilbert gives in this book that is electrifying in its sheer simplicity. We want to be God and we are not!

Through questions, and there’s a lot of them to consider, she simply digs and digs like a careful archaeologist might among the ruins, and when she has unearthed the treasure it is this: God has stooped to our creatureliness, and suffered with us and for us.

As a result of reading this book, I hope to join her in the journey of humility toward admitting my fallibility, walking before God and before others as a pilgrim, despite the unexpected sufferings and disappointments along the way. I thank God her marriage has survived the twenty- seven year journey thus far. Sadly, my marriage has not fared so well.

As we all have disappointments, we all have our many questions, and it takes time to find an answer or two. Thanks, Lore, for partnering with us, your readers.

Way too much prooftexting for me. Concept of this book sounds great and something I could support and get excited about but after 7 chapters I couldn’t believe how much was being taken out of context for the author’s point.

I also couldn’t believe that she had used a quote from Peterson’s commentary on Jonah that makes him sound like a model prophet in chapter 3- made me question both her and Peterson majorly. This is my first book I’ve attempted to read by her.

This did spark my curiosity to go back to these passages she references and look for myself as to what these questions are actually saying about God and us- I’m pretty sure God asking Adam and Eve in the garden “Where are you?” after they have disobeyed his command is about so much more than a physical location.

A very quick and thought-provoking read! I would've taken longer chapters, as some are shorter than a devotional. I understand that this is book about QUESTIONS, but the startling lack of answers shocked me. Do not expect to have your questions answered adequately, but instead simply identified, explored, and validated. I would not recommend this to someone who is specifically looking for answers to the questions that are mentioned!

I wanted to love this book after seeing several people rave about it. Unfortunately, I found it decidedly middle-of-the-road. Wilbert makes some good points. She also appears to fundamentally misunderstand some basic things. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more if instead of grazing over 30+ questions, she'd done a deep dive into just a few. I just know that I found this one disappointing and frustrating.

Beautiful book based on questions we see throughout the Bible and applied to our lives. This is a book to savor and read slowly.

Questions are everywhere right now- inside and outside of The Church. So many are wrestling with similar questions, and it is incredibly daunting when faced with them.

BUT, this book. This book courageously meets these questions, and challenges you to press in instead of running away.

Even if you are not some who who considers themselves a follower of Jesus, I highly recommend this book! Soak it in and let it challenge you

Thank you for the chance to read this book.
The thing with books, especially books on spirituality, is that they can be good while still not working for a reader. I found that with this book. I think it would be great food for thought for Christians or former Christians, especially those raised not to question authority. The questions the book asks, broken into three sections -- questions we ask God, questions God asks us, and questions we wish people would ask us -- are all important questions, and if you haven't been given space to ask them, then this book would be very beneficial. As it was, though, for me, it didn't quite hit the right marks. The questions that aren't relevant to my own journey I felt like skipping over, and the questions that are felt rushed. Again this isn't to say it is an unsuccessful book; only that it didn't quite work for me.

My mini-review will go live on my blog on August 31 in my monthly roundup of spiritual and theological readings.

This book has been such a good, deep breath for me. It’s called me into a more integrated and more wholesome faith. It gives me permission to embrace my humanity and the questions that are bound up in it. You can’t help but to walk away feeling seen and less alone.

Lore writes with invitation and intention. She names many questions here that I've also asked myself and is comfortable allowing them to stand without tidy answers or resolutions. I love the way this book makes space and even celebrates living the big, messy, complicated questions out in real life. I'll return to these short little chapters over and over again as I do the hard work of facing my faith questions head-on. 4.5 stars.

Rainer Maria Rilke famously urges readers to “live the questions” and to “love the questions.” That’s a tall order for our answer-worshiping culture, but I want to keep asking questions and, in particular, to leave space for God (and others) to ask me questions. Lore Wilbert invites her readers into A Curious Faith by examining the biblical questions God has asked, the questions biblical characters have asked of God, and the questions we wish someone would ask us.

Wilbert celebrates the vulnerability of waiting for clarity or receiving an answer we don’t want– and she laments the fact that Christ-followers may have a reputation for being suspicious of questioners. It is a gift to remember that the God of the Bible is curious, and we have been created in his image. In fact, “the Bible is a permission slip for those with questions” since Jesus peppered the Gospels with “Who told you?” and “What do you want?” and “Why are you afraid?”

Perhaps the book’s most stunning description centers on God’s use of questions to comfort Job with images of his own timelessness and mighty power. Job needed a God who was more sovereign than he was–and so do I.

In all our wonderings, we can be certain that God has plans and hopes and good intentions for us. He is committed to living the questions alongside us until we see his face and then discover that he was what we were looking for all along.

Many thanks to Brazos Press for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.

Reading A Curious Faith feels a lot like meeting a trusted friend for coffee: first reminiscing over things you both know to be true, then slowly, carefully opening up the messy, uncertain parts of your lives to each other.

Lore’s gentle writing style belies the depth of doubt she has personally experienced—and still experiences—but it is her honesty about her own struggles with faith that make this book so real and approachable. Her invitation to ask questions, coupled with her quiet confidence that God can handle even our hardest ones, is a gift to anyone who has ever struggled to reconcile faith and doubt.

This was both a faster and deeper read than I expected. Absolutely thought-provoking, and one that prompts me to engage my faith with all of me—mind, body, spirit, emotions. God can handle my questions, and invites them, invites me to engage with him in them.

It was certainly an interesting book to read mostly in the wake of a surgery I hadn’t seen coming at all in life, let alone around the turn of the new year into 2022. So yeah, I’ve got time, different brain space (literally), and a few questions haha. But honestly, that’s kind of the best place to be, and this book helps frame that and me to lean into that in this unique (I don’t want to say “unprecedented,” because we all hate that word now thanks to covid) time.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.