BUT WHY?

Mark 10:13-16 People were bringing little children to Jesus in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (NRSV)

Somebody made the following statement to me the other day: "We are not supposed to question our faith." To me, it is sad that we live in a time and place that seems to tell us that we cannot question our faith. Every time I hear a statement such as this, I think about the passage above from the book of Mark and how Jesus says that the kingdom of God belongs to people like little children.

I don't have any children of my own, but I know from my nieces and nephews, children of friends and family, and children and youth I have experienced in the church that they are almost always questioning! How many of you have heard a young person ask, "Why...? But why...?" I have heard it many times! Why, then, are we not supposed to question our faith? Doesn't the kingdom of God belong to such as these?

As I look back at the history of the church, I see many important people who questioned faith:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. questioned those whose faith said that African-Americans did not deserve equality with Caucasian people.

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer questioned the faith that allowed Hitler to kill Jews.

• John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) questioned the faith of the Anglican Church of his day that would not reach out to people of lower social and economic status. He wanted to share God's love with ALL people, not just the middle and upper class!

• Martin Luther questioned the faith of the Roman Catholic Church of his day. This questioning brought about reform through the Protestant movement as well as bringing reform to the Roman Catholic Church!

• Jesus questioned the faith of the Jewish faith of his day - need I say more?

When we properly question our faith, seeking the desires of God for our life and this world, we are able to bring and experience a bit more of God's kingdom on this earth. Have we not experienced this through the questioning of the people listed above?