Disquiet Time: Rants and Reflections on the Good Book by the Skeptical, the Faithful, and a Few Scoundrels

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I hate books full of warm, meaningless affirmations. The banal “inspirational” messages touted by many books with religious influence not only insult the reader’s intelligence, but they reflect poorly on the followers of that religion.

So I am overjoyed to report that Disquiet Time is nothing of the sort, collecting stories—some funny, some thought-provoking—about issues of faith and with faith, as told by people outside the usual ardent zealot archetype. Doubters, humorists, scholars, and students explore misconceptions about sex, scatological humor, the motivations of Biblical icons, and more within these pages, and their sincerity makes for a very engaging read.

Whether you agree with the writers in this compilation or not, you cannot fault the single driving message behind the collection: that asking questions of your faith is not and should not be synonymous with denying or doubting it. If anything, asking questions means you’re more than a blind follower; you’re actively involved in an important dialogue that won’t be brushed off by a mere “take it on faith” rejoinder. Disquiet Time is the rare book about religion that will open both eyes and hearts.