"The Sacredness of Questioning Everything" Serves As An Invite to Another World

David Dark, author of "The Sacredness of Questioning Everything", extends an invitation, in a string of essays, to join him in a different sort of world. This world has its own language and tone that David Dark artfully introduces line by line. Dark coins a language that consists of distinct descriptive nouns such as "uncle Ben", "nobodaddy", "plain speak", "HERstory" and "sacred cows", just to name a few. There is not so much as an explanation to this language, but an expectation to join in. At first, I found myself asking questions on what this new language was speaking of. (Perhaps this is to be the intention; hence the title?) However, as I progressed through the pages, I found myself caught in the moment much like a movie where you begin in a new world, but by the end you feel like you belong in that world. ("Chronicles of Narnia" and "Lord of the Rings")

This new world and language points and directs to a new culture of exactly what the title implies. Dark argues that there is very much a "sacredness", something to be had, in the culture or art of "questioning everything". Dark certainly lives in this world and this becomes apparent in this book. Using a wide range of sources to exemplify and embody this new culture, Dark himself recognizes that "questioning" reflects how we see ourselves in relation to God and those around us. The book is broken into chapters, each chapter introducing a facet of life that deserves a discipline of questioning. These facets include everything from God, History, the future, and even our offendedness. With such compelling facets, it is only fair that Dark chose to use a pop sensibility to showcase what this may look like through the likes of U2, Arcade Fire to "the Office". It may seem that the use of such vehicles to illustrate a direction or point would be an attempt to "dumb down" something that is difficult to understand. There is no such attempt here. The ability of Dark to provide social commentary to further illustrate his direction is impressive.

These facets are further explored at the conclusion of each chapter through a set of....you guessed it, questions. I find this to be a completely appropriate way to conclude each facet, and also to encourage a dialogue to further explore the direction Dark takes with each chapter.

After reading the book, I found myself eager to begin to live in this world that Dark invites us into. I can see how the "sacredness of questioning" can lead to a proper posture in relation to God and others around us. The question I continue to ask myself is if I have the humility to embrace this culture of uncertainty? Perhaps this is an appropriate response to the reading of the "The Sacredness of Questioning Everything".

-Dan Jones