Top Ten Quotes: The Curious Christian

I wasn’t curious about Barnabas Piper’s third book.

Or I suppose I should say: I wasn’t curious about curiosity. As a guy who is rapidly approaching middle age, I didn’t think I could qualify as curious anymore. My childhood habits of kicking over a rock to see what was underneath, or building something off the grid with Legos, or training a turtle to walk across a platform (true story) seemed to be long gone. But Barnabas not only gave me permission to reawaken curiosity, he reminded me that curiosity is something we never truly lose. We can simply let it get lost in the mundane predictability of life.

Here are my top ten favorite quotes from the book:

• When most people see something that makes little sense to them, instead of engaging it, they cringe, cross the street, and hustle on the way, leaving it for someone else to deal with.
• Maturity means growing out of those aspects of childhood that are selfish, unaware of others and the world, an excuse for sin. It does not mean leaving behind all aspects of childhood; to do so, in fact, arrests the development of our souls.
• We do everything as if it should be predictable. In short, we like to live in a rut of consistency. The same stability that creates an environment for children to grow leads adults to stagnate and deteriorate…Curiosity produces a proactive life rather than a reactive life.
• [W]hen we interact with new people, we should see them as new people not strangers. It means we take the risk of offending our mothers by ignoring “stranger danger” and we ask questions that help people feel valued and understood.
• Most of us will find our curiosity aroused by the things that cross our paths on a daily basis. We simply need to be attentive, to notice. Noticing is hard work.

• A true expert doesn’t collect knowledge then stop; she continues to look at her subject from different angles and ask different questions to see what else might be learned.
• For us [Christians], curiosity is a habit, an exercise, a mental and spiritual muscle. It is the exercise of discernment. Ultimately it is an act of worship and a deep refection of our humanity, God’s nature reflected in us.
• [B]eing open-minded does not mean letting the cage of the brain open so all the birds of thought can escape…Open-mindedness, at its best, is humility and grace blended with curiosity – but not without conviction.
• [T]hrough holy open-mindedness, through good questions, through really listening, [Jesus] saw where each person’s life intersected with saving truth and He declared the truth at that intersection.
• Hell is real, and it is full of the least curious. It is full of those who determined their own truth instead of seeking God’s.

Order The Curious Christian

See all posts in the Top Ten Quotes series.

See all the Top Ten Quotes books on Amazon:

Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want you to know that the authors represented did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so (unless specifically mentioned otherwise on the particular page). I’m just a really satisfied customer who wants to let you know where you can get some great products. So there. Further, if you order a resource from a link on any “Top Ten Quotes” page, I may receive a small affiliate commission from Amazon. If that bugs you, feel free to bypass my link and buy from a vendor of your choice. But still: buy it. I only promote books that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you.