Rohr shares details of his own personal journey. He was raised in Kansas by conservative Christian parents and had a stable and happy childhood. He studied philosophy and theology at university in the 1960s and 1970s. This, in addition to his liberal arts education from the Franciscans, prompted his faith to change. He began to see things differently from his parents, who were very literal in their interpretation of the Bible. Rohr realized that the creation story, for example, is archetypal rather than literal.

He compares these changes in his faith to Adam and Eve leaving the garden of Eden (or Dorothy leaving Kansas). He realized that God’s love was inclusive and generous, and so he should be too. He now feels he has no country and no political clique. Instead, he questions exclusive notions of God or America, instead feeling that God’s creation and world is bigger than one country or church. He believes that the existence of the cosmos is not “accidental” or “incoherent,” but an act of God (70). He feels that his leap of faith and trust to believe in God is part of people’s natural wiring, citing the many faiths across human cultures. However, he does not claim to know the details on how or why God created the world.

He laments that many Christians cannot deal with the uncertainty or tensions which surround their beliefs. For instance, many believers react defensively and angrily to the science of evolution. Rohr wishes that more believers could learn to tolerate mystery, and not feel they always have to angrily defend their faith or hold rigid beliefs that never change.

While in the first half of life people must eliminate doubt to be able to function, in the second half people become truly wise, allowing them to tolerate mystery and doubt. This is part of their return to simplicity and a kind of child-like innocence or ignorance. Rohr feels that people must show kindness and forgiveness to themselves before they can really extend it to others; this is a key part of the second half of life.

The author’s admission of ignorance sets an example for the reader to acknowledge the mysteries of the universe instead of denying them. In his discussion about his intuitive sense of God and his leap of faith, Rohr illustrates how to live humbly as a believer. Rather than positioning himself as an expert on God and the world, Rohr claims that he has learned to embrace that there are many unknowable things about God and creation. By admitting what he cannot know or understand, Rohr lives out his instruction to the reader to be humble and have faith simply because they can.

Chapter Lessons

• God’s love is inclusive
• Being rigidly tribal about one’s church or country can be a hindrance to love
• Living with mystery, ignorance, and tension is part of having a humble faith

Reflection Questions

• Rohr recounts the influences which changed his faith and perspective as he grew older. What experiences have shaped your faith? How and why?
• Rohr positions nationalism and religious cliques as a hindrance to God’s message of love and inclusion. Which groups do you belong to? Do they encourage openness or exclusivity?
• Do you feel you have a high tolerance for the mysteries and uncertainties of life and faith? Why or why not?