BY JEFF SCOGGINS

y college roommate Doug and I were traveling back to Union College. He was driving. I was bored. "We'll be there in an hour," he said.

I responded, "Why?"

"Um, well, because we have about 60 miles left, I guess."

"Why?"

"Because the United States is just so big and we drove the other direction just so far, that's why."

"Why?"

"Because we wanted to go camping."

"Why?"

"Shut up, Jeff."

"Why?"

This profound conversation continued for maybe 10 minutes as Doug became increasingly annoyed. He tried valiantly, but no matter what he said or even what question he asked, he could not say anything to which I could not respond with the question "Why?"

Why We're Afraid of the Question
As strange and insignificant as the conversation was, it started me thinking. I'm now convinced that "Why?" is an important question. Perhaps the most important question. For humans it's an unanswerable question. Maybe you've wondered as I have, What will we do for eternity? Won't I get bored? Forever is a long time. Sooner or later won't I learn everything? Then what?

If God stopped creating new things for us to discover, at some point during eternity technically we could answer every question-at least the standard journalistic questions "Who?" "What?" "When?" "Where?" and "How?" Such questions usually have a single answer. It's true the question "How?" has more depth, but conceivably even that can end.

Our question for eternity, I believe, will be "Why?"

Since sin began, the question "Why?" has been a frightening one. We're afraid of the question, because if we pursue the answer long enough eventually it penetrates our protective armor. It goes to the heart of a matter-and while sin reigns, the heart of most matters is painful. "Why?" eventually forces us to be honest with the one most difficult to be honest with-ourselves. And yet honesty like that is one of the few things we crave most. That kind of honesty is one of the key reasons the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous is so successful.

Because "why" can be such a vulnerable word, most of us carefully avoid it. For instance, we ask how we can keep young people from leaving the church. This is a good question, but maybe it would be a better question (and a more painful one) if we first asked: Why are they leaving? You will get as many different answers to that question as people you ask. My answer is that people are looking for and cannot find satisfactory answers to our "Why?" questions. We receive answers to "What?" "When?" "Where?" and too often "How?" But not enough answers for "Why?"

Some great thinkers before us, fielding all kinds of spiritual questions, have arrived at such answers as: "Because I want to be ready when Jesus comes" or "Because I love Jesus." Those answers are valid, but they mark the end of a journey each person must make for themselves. For people still searching, answers like those jump too far ahead and leave the middle whys unanswered.

Shocked
I was astounded at the General Conference session in Toronto in 2000. We asked General Conference president Jan Paulsen if he would answer a few questions from the Global Mission stage in the exhibit area. He agreed, and we placed a box where people could write their questions for him to answer the following day. Later I extracted the papers from the box to arrange them. I'm not exaggerating when I say eight of every 10 questions dealt with jewelry. That frightens me. Here's our church, 150 years old, and jewelry is the issue we're concerned with? Never-theless, sad as it is, the question is still valid as long as people are asking it. That means we can't ignore it.

When someone asks why he or she shouldn't wear jewelry, sooner or later they might-or they might not-arrive at the answer "Because I love Jesus." That answer, for many pilgrims, is entirely unsatisfactory. Why? Because you can't begin a journey at the destination. The fact is, a person can wear jewelry and love Jesus completely. To become a satisfactory answer, "Because I love Jesus" must come toward the end of the why process, not at the beginning. Here's one possible (short) approach:

"Why do you believe wearing jewelry is wrong?"

"Because I think buying expensive jewelry uses financial resources that would better be used in spreading the gospel."

"Why?"

"Because I believe something as insignificant as my vanity should not take priority over the job Jesus asked me to do."

"Why?"

"Because He has done so much for me, I want very much to do what He asks me to do for Him."

"Why?"

"Because I love Jesus."

Finally I can be comfortable with the answer "Because I love Jesus." Now I understand the whys in between. You will quickly find, however, that this conversation can be dangerous for those of us who hide behind our ignorance. The danger appears when we ask "Why?" questions long enough that we are finally forced to confront the fact that jewelry isn't our only problem-so are our nice cars, expensive houses, and all the other things we hold dearer than God.

When God Is Silent
At times those high-speed chases we have with our questions can be long and draining. We don't want to face the honest truth that we are selfish and hopeless. And on top of that there are certain whys God hasn't seen fit to answer for us. He asks us simply to trust that He knows and someday we will understand. Why? I don't know. But you can always ask. God isn't afraid of whys. Someone who has told the absolute truth does not fear the questions. He just loves the fact that we're thinking! So many people don't anymore.

When I read Ecclesiastes I see Solomon tying his mind in knots trying to discover the final "Why?" He finally arrives at the conclusion that life made sense only so far as we live and work today-doing our best to serve God in the way He asks.

I agree, but still I ask again, "Why?"

Could it be that when finally I ask God to answer the unanswerable "Why?" He will say only "Love"? Perhaps unanswerable questions can have only indefinable answers. But if that's true-why?

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Jeff Scoggins is the general field secretary for the Euro-Asia Division, with headquarters in Moscow, Russian Federation.