Questions vs. Answers

“Not pointless,” I protested. “It’s the questions we can’t answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he’ll look for his own answers.” - Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man’s Fear(p. 558).

I often use a Socratic approach to youth ministry. In a smallish group setting, questions can accomplish way more than answers. But there’s more to this method than just making your voice go up at the end.

I start with easy questions that anyone can answer. Often these are preferences, so they’re never wrong. Questions about your favorite color or candy are good examples. I then move into more probing, deeper questions that reveal how a person thinks. You might have to start the ball rolling in doing this, but I will eat a pound of…  french fries if you don’t have better results.