Introduction

A Journey of Questioning and Rediscovery

Life itself has inspired me to write this book, not because I think the world needs it, but because I need it. Writing has become a way for me to process everything I have experienced, learned, questioned, re-learned, read, watched, and researched. Some realizations have been gradual, unfolding slowly over time, while others have struck me suddenly like a puzzle piece snapping into place. Through it all, one thing has remained constant, I question.

Not to be difficult or contrarian, but because I have an innate resistance to simply accepting what I am told without digging deeper. I cannot take someone’s word for something, even if they mean well and are convinced of their truth. I have to know for myself. That questioning has applied to everything, even to the very existence of God.

There was a time when I had to ask myself: Do I believe in God simply because I was told to? Because of religious tradition? Because of cultural expectation? Or do I believe because there is something undeniably real about the existence of a Creator?

After years of searching, my answer is clear. I believe in a Creator, because the very structure of reality points to intention. The more I learn about the physical world, from quantum mechanics to the vastness of the cosmos, the more absurd it becomes to me that all of this simply happened on its own. The universe is so layered, so fine-tuned, and so incomprehensibly vast that we barely grasp 5% of what exists, and some insist that it all just… happened. To me, that is intellectual dishonesty.

At the same time, I don’t pretend to have all the answers. In fact, I don’t believe any one person does. I have met too many people, especially in religious settings, who speak as though they have God entirely figured out and completely understand His ways, His nature, His salvation, and the purpose of His creation. To me, that is both arrogant and misguided. There is no way for the created to fully comprehend the Creator. Just as there is no way for us to fully understand a universe we are confined within.

Who Is This Book For?

I’m writing to those who feel alone in their view of reality while still trying to hold on to the idea that God is real. If you’ve ever felt like traditional Christianity creates more questions than answers, or that faith and logic are supposed to be at odds but don’t feel that way to you, then you’re not alone.

For years I felt like I was either missing something entirely, or seeing something others weren’t. The way I was being taught about God, the Bible, and reality didn’t always align with what I personally believed or felt to be true. Whenever I pressed deeper I didn’t find less faith, I found more. I discovered that I wasn’t alone, and I hope you will too.

Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 3: Rethinking the Starting Point

Why do we start the human story in Genesis 3? Why do we define ourselves first and foremost by failure, when the Bible itself starts by telling us that we were made good?8 

Christianity has long emphasized the fall of man, sin, and redemption as its central themes. While these are certainly within the central theme, what’s been left out is both the beginning and the end. Before the fall, before sin, and before separation there was creation, and that creation was good. Humanity made in the image of God. If that’s where the story starts, then maybe that’s where we should start, too.

This idea changed everything for me. It reoriented the way I understood faith, existence, and even the purpose of Jesus’ message. It isn’t just about fixing what is broken, it’s about reminding us of who we were created to be and then reconciling us to His original intent.

Science and Faith: A False Divide

Another realization that shaped this book was the recognition that science and spirituality are not separate things. They can’t be. Yet we’ve been conditioned to believe that we must choose between them, as if believing in God means rejecting science, or that trusting science means denying God.

The thing is, science is not something to “believe in” as it requires no faith. It’s the study of reality itself. If God is real, then science does not suddenly become irrelevant, it becomes more relevant. It becomes a way to understand the very world God created.

Is science sometimes misguided by human assumptions? Yes, but so is Christianity. Both are filtered through the limitations of 9 

human understanding. The problem isn’t science itself, just as the problem isn’t faith itself. The problem is when we assume we already have all the answers.

An Invitation to Seek

This book is, in many ways, a search for others like me. Not those looking for certainty but those searching for the freedom to question, to explore ideas without judgment, and to engage in honest discussion about what it means to be human, what it means to be conscious, and what it means to exist in a universe we barely understand.

I am not writing this book because my personal journey is remarkable. Quite the opposite. By all accounts, I am an average American. An average 47-year-old who has had the privilege of time and space to read, study, and reflect. I have not endured extreme hardship. I have not suffered addiction. I have not been abandoned. What I have done is spend years searching for a faith that allows room to think, discuss, wonder, and move ever closer to real truth.

The search has not been easy. I have struggled to find a Christian community where I truly fit. Not because of surface-level differences but because I have yet to find a place where I feel freedom of thought and deep questioning is truly welcome. Too often, religious communities become echo chambers. Once a belief is settled upon, it becomes sacred. To question it is to threaten not just the belief but the identity of those who hold it. I find that troubling. The moment we stop questioning, we stop growing.

I don’t have all the answers and I don’t think I ever will. I do believe that seeking truth without fear of what we might find is a path worth walking. I believe that questioning is not a sign of weak faith, but of a faith that is alive and growing.

If you’ve ever felt like the version of Christianity you were taught doesn’t quite fit, or that the tension between faith and reason is unnecessary, then I hope you’ll find something in these pages that resonates with you. I believe we were made for more than fear, more than guilt, and more than just waiting for the next life to begin.

We were made for something good. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to start our story where it actually begins.