• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. religion>

Never stop asking questions

Charlotte Vaughan Coyle
February 18, 2022
Cross on a church

"In particular, the questions about my place as a woman in a patriarchal, hierarchical church led me to dive deeply into a study of Scripture," Coyle wrote.

Erica Shires/Getty Images

Last week, we published a selection of responses to our question, ““During our turbulent and challenging times, how does your faith, religion or spirituality inform your politics?” A few readers followed up with additional thoughts that we wanted to share. The following was submitted by Charlotte Vaughan Coyle and excerpted from her book “Living in The Story: A Year to Read the Bible and Ponder God’s Story of Love and Grace.”

I grew up immersed in the life and logic of one of many evangelical, “Bible believing” denominations typical across the South. I adored my preacher father and fervently believed everything he preached from the pulpits of these small, conservative congregations. I believed it all, that is, until I started asking questions.


The questions started the unraveling. The questions moved me away from literalist readings of the Bible because they revealed cracks and contradictions in my fundamentalist belief system.

In particular, the questions about my place as a woman in a patriarchal, hierarchical church led me to dive deeply into a study of Scripture. The questions ultimately led me to seminary and into ordained ministry. Questions saved me and, to this day, I still believe the questions are more important than the answer.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

I was 43 years old when I found my way to seminary and my four-year journey through seminary changed everything. It took every minute of every day of those four years to discover how to “take the Bible seriously without taking it literally.” Seminary turned my theological, social, and political understandings upside-down. And then inside-out. And then right-side-up.

As a preacher, pastor, and friend, everywhere I go I encounter people who are asking questions similar to those I have been asking for much of my life. Since most of these seekers will never have the opportunity to go to seminary as I had done, I wanted to share with other seekers the profound insights that had changed my own life.

I am well aware that many people are not asking the same questions I need to probe. I have no quarrel with them, but I hope all people of faith (and people of no religious faith) will never stop asking, seeking, and knocking for greater wisdom.

From Your Site Articles
  • Candidates and officials need to embrace a civil religion - The Fulcrum ›
  • How Trump is using religion to undermine our democracy - The ... ›
  • Your Take on faith informing politics - The Fulcrum ›
  • Politics informed by faith, religion and spirituality - The Fulcrum ›
Related Articles Around the Web
  • Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace ... ›
  • Questions and Answers About Americans' Religion ›
  • Why the U.S. Census Does Not Ask about Religion | Pew Research ... ›
  • 50 questions believers are asked every day about their faith, God ... ›
religion

Join an Upcoming Event

The End of American Democracy? Session 3 of 3

Interactivity Foundation
Jan 25, 2023 at 2:00 pm EST
Read More

Healing Conversation

Living Room Conversations
Jan 25, 2023 at 6:00 pm MST
Read More

Parenting: Protecting/Empowering Children Conversation

Living Room Conversations
Feb 04, 2023 at 8:00 am MST
Read More

Separation of Church & State

Dignity Dialogues
Feb 20, 2023 at 3:00 pm EST
Read More
View All Events

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

Layla Zaidane

Two technology balancing acts

Dave Anderson

Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

Jeremy Gruber

Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

Kevin Johnson

Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

Christine Todd Whitman

Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

Henry Santana
Jerren Chang
latest News

The crook and the fumbler

Lawrence Goldstone
1h

Pragmatism is the way forward

Dave Anderson
1h

Podcast: How the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack impacted politics

Our Staff
2h

Family values and societal results

Debilyn Molineaux
25 January

Transpartisanship and transformation

Brenda Marinace
25 January

Podcast: Why we misunderstand independent voters

Our Staff
25 January
Videos

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Our Staff

Video: Veterans for Political Innovation - Who we are

Our Staff

Video: Want to fight polarization? Take a vacation!

Our Staff

Video: Kevin McCarthy is Speaker, but he's got a tough job ahead

Our Staff

Video: #ListenFirst Friday End of Year

Our Staff

Video: Minnesota Gov. Walz asks fellow Democrats to ‘Think Big’ when it comes to fixing voting issues

Our Staff
Podcasts

Podcast: How the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack impacted politics

Our Staff
2h

Podcast: Why we misunderstand independent voters

Our Staff
25 January

Podcast: What does the House Speaker election say about the Republican Party?

Our Staff
24 January

Video: Chaos or calm: Building confidence in Pennsylvania elections

Our Staff
19 January
Recommended
The crook and the fumbler

The crook and the fumbler

Elections
Pragmatism is the way forward

Pragmatism is the way forward

Big Picture
Podcast: How the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack impacted politics

Podcast: How the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack impacted politics

Podcasts
Family values and societal results

Family values and societal results

Big Picture
Transpartisanship and transformation

Transpartisanship and transformation

Big Picture
Podcast: Why we misunderstand independent voters

Podcast: Why we misunderstand independent voters

Podcasts