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Not that Johnson doubts Jesus' resurrection; he argues thoroughly for it. But one of his pet themes is that people come to faith or knowledge of God by doing, not by intellectual formulations. This dye tinctures his notion of what it means to be Christian.

Thus someone ultimately may come to faith by following Jesus, not necessarily follow him because of prior faith in the Atonement. In this vein, the creeds of the historical church come in for some harsh treatment. Johnson says they reduce the Godhead to a biology lesson.

He told CT he realizes the church fathers had good reasons (and bad ones, such as fierce political maneuvering) for trying to define the relationship between Jesus and the Father, but that the resulting formulations are not the first or last word for faith.

Separating himself from the misdeeds, vocabulary, and labels of the church, Johnson builds his bridge to nominally Christian or unbelieving masses. His gentle but straightforward style suits that role. It also helps to make this book ideal for pointing unbelieving friends and family toward Christ.

His directness becomes fuzzy only at the uncomfortable issue of Jesus as sole Savior. Johnson boldly asserts the mysterious saving power of the Cross, but the discussion of salvation in general is unfocused. Thus, in a book about questions, precisely here Johnson doesn't ask the tough ones. In the face of Jesus' claim to being the way, the truth, and the life, Johnson veers away from salvation issues in favor of whether other faiths provide understanding and meaning.

As the book's title indicates, questions are of the essence. This is a work of daunting questions and appropriately meek answers. Johnson began asking these questions as a daydreaming child. When he asked them as a seminary student, they nearly destroyed his faith.

With an eternally childlike curiosity, here he asks those questions anew. Only in this propitious moment, it seems, has the designer of the cosmos given him a platform to broadcast his conclusions.

Jeff M. Sellers is a CT associate editor.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today.Click for reprint information.

Dick Staub interviewed Timothy Johnson about his book and his journey to faith.

An interview with Timothy Johnson is available from our sister publication, Today's Christian.

Finding God in the Questions is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information is available from the publisher, including a video clip.

ABC News also has a bio of Dr. Timothy Johnson.

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November 2004, Vol. 48, No. 11