Have you ever met a steamroller? Not the construction vehicle you see sitting idly by on the side of the road – while your state tax funded construction crew seems to also sit idly by. No, the steamroller personality. Greg Koukl in his book Tactics describes this person as someone who bombards and interrupts you. You are the person who is trying to kindly answer their question. They typically carry a narcissistic tone followed by a bullying-type question, followed by another question and another question. Even better they seem to enjoy steering the direction of the conversation off road. One second you are headed to Washington DC. Suddenly, you and the conversation are headed north to Boston, MA. I hope you can deal cordially with a “typical” steamroller. Be aware that these are not the only versions of this type of person. If we are being honest, we are just as bad. These people may have very valid questions as they are trying to seek truth. The steamrollers are interrupting or changing topics because there is just so much information and so little time. You have probably experienced a conversation like this. You answer their question. Then they respond with something like “yea but.” You address the “yea but.” Then they ask, “but what if,” and you answer the “what if” questions. Yet, they still respond with “okay well that still doesn’t make sense.” Ugh, right?
I would mostly agree with the old adage, “There’s no such thing as a bad question.” We’re encouraged to ask questions. Children who constantly ask questions are seen as having high intelligence. My 6th grade science teacher Mr. Harvey encouraged our class to always ask, “Why?” I find most people, if not all people, have wondered, “Why?” Why God? Why Jesus? Why Evil? Typically, we don’t stop after we’ve answered our first question. Not long ago I found myself in this dilemma of spiraling questions gone out of control. Why did God send Jesus? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Why not just make another Adam who was not God but just human and perfect? Just so you know the questions did not stop there. What often happens is we find ourselves finding an answer. Then, we run headfirst into another perplexing question. This keeps us up into the deep darkness of the night. We want and need answers, and sleep becomes just a dream.
I pray I can assist you with a resource to help you get some sleep. Andy Steiger authored Thinking? Answering Life’s Five Biggest Questions. Steiger does well to not just answer our first questions of “why?” but also answer the “why, yea buts and okay wells.” Steiger is the lead pastor of Northview Community Church in British Columbia. He is also president of Apologetics Canada and Wes Huff’s boss. He does his best to answer all the initial questions and follow-up questions. I have recently read A Reason for God by Tim Keller (2008). I also read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (1998) long ago. If you are like me and have read both of those books, you will notice something new in Andy’s book. It provides a fresh perspective. It offers a newer take on answering the why questions. Steiger does an exceptional job of sharing his life experiences, logic and the Bible to answer life’s 5 biggest questions. Steiger is not as well-known as Pastor Tim Keller. Keller is a figurehead of Western Christianity. However, Steiger still makes an impact. He does not have a famous book like Lee Strobel. Strobel’s book has stood the test of time. It is highly recommended for both believers and nonbelievers who want to look at the evidence for Christ. I would not hesitate in saying Steiger’s book is on par with both these giants of the faith. While we will never answer all of the questions fully it does not mean we shouldn’t try. In the end, God is a great personal God, but still mystery. However, Jesus instructs us in Mark 12:30. He says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Steiger helps us to do all four. Maybe you have read one, two or all three of these books. If so let me know how they stack up against each other. If I know you personally, please feel free to borrow my copy of Thinking? By Andy Steiger. Lastly please share any why questions you have or have had concerning Christianity. Let us discover the answer together.
Lit Lamp For The Soul 
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