Questions in the Work of Evangelization
But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ (Gen. 3:9).
God asks Adam where he is, not because God doesn’t know, but because Adam doesn’t know—or to the degree which he needs to know.
In order to return to God, Adam must first realize the depths to which he has fallen; repentance requires change, and change requires the realization that one needs to change.
For us, in the work of evangelization this means, practically speaking, that if we want someone to change (whether in regard to faith or morals) maybe the best thing we can do—is ask a question.
The Power of the Question
The efficacy of questions lies firstly in their capacity to engage the will.
Unlike providing information or preemptive answers, questions draw a person into their own search for the truth.
Questions place the listener in the role of the protagonist. They place the “ball in his or her court,” and by doing so, incite engagement. It is as if the spotlight has been turned in their direction, and the clock is ticking…
Questions elicit a response.
Consider the difference, just introspectively, between the “feeling” of being told that God exists, and being asked whether you think God exists. Doesn’t the latter draw something out of us, in a manner the former doesn’t?
Moreover, as in the verse quoted from Genesis, questions stimulate introspection, which as we said is prerequisite to repentance. In the words of C.S. Lewis:
…the moment when a man feels real guilt, moments too rare in our lives….When we merely say that we are bad, the “ wrath ” of God seems a barbarous doctrine; as soon as we perceive our badness, it appears inevitable, a mere corollary from God’s goodness. To keep ever before us the insight derived from such a moment as I have been describing, to learn to detect the same real inexcusable corruption under more and more of its complex disguises, is therefore indispensable…(The Problem of Pain, Human Wickedness, Pg. 46).
In other words, it’s not until one realizes how bad off he is, or how bad his situation is that he begins to understand his or her place before God, and therefore his need for salvation. Lewis continues:
…it is a poor thing to strike our colors to God when the ship is going down under us; a poor thing to come to him as a last resort, to offer up ‘our own’ when it is no longer worth keeping. If God were proud He would hardly have us on such terms: but He is not proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to him, and come to him because there is ‘nothing better’ now to be had…(The Problem of Pain, Human Pain, Pg. 85).
In Scripture we see a similar story in the parable of the Prodigal Son, where the journey back, begins with this exact realization, as the Gospel of Luke details:
But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Lk. 15:17-19).
The Prodigal Son is fortunate in that he comes to this realization on his own (with God’s grace, of course). But how much sooner might he have come to that conclusion, if he had had someone around him to ask him the question: “Where are you?” (cf. Gen. 3:9).
The Perception of the Questioner
Besides benefiting the questioned, questions also benefit the questioner, by giving the impression of:
Likability/Genuine Concern
Authenticity
Capability and Authority
Looking into the first, here’s the relevant research from Harvard:
People who ask more questions, particularly follow-up questions, are better liked by their conversation partners…Participants assigned to ask a high number of questions were perceived as more responsive to their partners, which predicted higher liking by their conversation partners (Harvard University, It Doesn’t Hurt To Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking, 2017)
Regarding the second point, questions, for the evangelist, can make the conversation seem more “off-script.” Instead of a rote presentation of the Gospel, questions make for a more spontaneous, personal touch.
Regarding the third point, questions can also give an impression of capability and authority.
There’s an old saying that, “he who asks the questions, controls the conversation.” And although this maxim may seem cold and calculated, it is quite often the case. The person asking the questions, naturally steers the conversation, he or she leads the dance (as it were). Just try it yourself and see!
Questions also convey a kind of ease and knowledgeability in the subject matter under discussion, since we don’t normally ask questions about those things of which we are terrified of the response (or feel incompetent to wrestle with the forthcoming response).
Questions are also (stereotypically) the prerogative of the teacher. It is the teacher who examines his students and administers the test. One of the most well-known teachers in history is famous particularly for his use of questions to teach, that is Socrates.
The Perfect Question
Yet, what questions ought we to ask, specifically in the work of evangelization?
Well, we have the perfect person to ask, in fact, the most perfect person who ever walked the planet.
Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, is found in the Gospels to be a Master questioner. In the space of about 1,500 verses in which our Lord speaks, He asks over 300 questions.1
Examining those questions, we find that they fall, more or less, into three categories:
1. Questions intended to expose a contradiction/intellectual inconsistency/hypocrisy:
Ex. “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?…(Mt. 12:11)
Ex. And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Lk. 12:25)
2. Questions intended to reveal a person’s inner dispositions to themself:
Ex. What do you seek? (Jn. 1:38)
Ex. Who do you say that I am? (Mt. 16:15)
3. Questions at the conclusion of a parable/moral:
Ex. Which of these three proved neighbor to the one who fell among the robbers? (Lk. 10:36)
Ex. Which of the two did what his father wanted? (Mt. 21:31)
The first category of questions is by far the most common among Catholic evangelists. These questions are known, in the apologetics world, as “stumpers.” For example:
Where is Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone) found in Scripture? (Contra Protestantism)
Are you absolutely certain that there are no absolutes? (Contra Relativism)
What is the cause of eternal and necessary truths (e.g. mathematics)? (Contra Atheism)
The second category of questions may be a personal favorite because they are similar to the first question ever asked in recorded history (cf. Gen. 3:9). For example:
For Atheists:
Would you want God to exist?
What would you consider definitive proof that God exists?
For the Spiritual/Religious:
Would you recommend it? (in regard to their creed/religion)
If Catholicism were true, would you consider it for yourself?
For Ex-Catholics:
Is there anything you liked about Catholicism?
Do you know your one-confession away from coming back?2
The third category of questions may be the most neglected kind among apologists. Therefore, to do our part, in filling the void, Think Catholic started the Analogous Apologetics series. Here are a few examples:
All Churches the Same?
Not Interested?
Spiritual, not Religious?
Building a Habit
Probably, the most difficult part about asking questions is remembering to do so.
It may help to remind ourselves that if someone is going to adopt the Catholic faith and its moral teachings, they will have to do so voluntarily.
We can not force a “horse to drink,” (as the saying goes) but by asking the right questions we may give the necessary nudge to “lead them to water” (cf. Isa. 55:1).
1. Jesus Is the Question: The 307 Questions Jesus Asked and the 3 He Answered by Martin Copenhaver.
2. If they are only one confession away from coming back, barring any circumstances preventing them from making a good confession.
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