Inquiring Faith

Inquiring Faith (1999)
By Tadeusz Dajczer | Publisher: unknown (mysterious, but real)
ISBN: none
Condition: Good (theologically alert, structurally sound)
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

This is Inquiring Faith, which sounds like the title of a polite parish discussion group, but is in fact a slim, serious little volume by Tadeusz Dajczer—a priest and spiritual writer who operates somewhere between gentle confessor and politely insistent interrogator of your soul.

If you thought “faith” was supposed to be about having all the answers, Dajczer is here to remind you that asking questions might actually be the point.

What’s going on inside?

This is not a book of:

• Cheerful slogans

• Easy certainties

• Or “Ten Quick Steps to Peace, Joy and a Better You”

Instead, you get:

• Reflections and meditations that treat faith as an ongoing conversation rather than a certificate you once received in childhood.

• Lots of “What if?” and “Why?” instead of “Because I said so.”

• A quiet but persistent emphasis on trust, surrender, and actually relating to God, as opposed to simply filing theological facts in your mental cabinet.

It reads like a long, thoughtful walk with someone who won’t let you get away with your usual vague answers.

About the edition

The publisher is, shall we say, shy—listed as “unknown” in the paperwork, which only adds to the sense that this is the sort of book that travels quietly, hand-to-hand, among people who like their spirituality on the reflective side.

• No ISBN – which feels oddly appropriate for a book that’s more interested in your soul than in cataloguing systems.

• Compact, focused, and very much in the “you could read this in an afternoon and think about it for a month” category.

This particular copy

• Condition: Good – which in Crappy Old Books parlance means:

  • Binding: firm

  • Pages: intact, legible, and not carrying any obvious signs of having been used as a coaster at parish tea

  • Cover: presentable, with only light signs of life—some edge-softening, maybe a faint crease where someone actually opened it (radical).

It looks like it has been read respectfully, not thrown across the room during a theological crisis.

The vibe

Reading Inquiring Faith feels like:

• Being gently but relentlessly nudged out of autopilot:

  • “You say you believe—yes, but what does that mean?”

• Realising that doubt and questions are not necessarily enemies of belief; they might be its co-workers.

• Discovering that spiritual writing can be both simple and quietly sharp, without needing fireworks or apocalyptic language.

It’s Catholic in tone, but the core questions—about trust, love, surrender, and what it means to actually live what you say you believe—are universal enough to unsettle almost anyone.

Why you might actually want this

• You’re tired of either angry debates or fluffy platitudes, and would like something that sits in the middle, calmly asking real questions.

• You enjoy spiritual books that don’t shout, but also don’t let you off the hook.

• You’re fond of short, dense little volumes you can keep by the bed, in a bag, or on a quiet corner of your desk for periodic reality checks.

• You suspect that “inquiring faith” might describe you more honestly than “sorted, confident, never troubled by questions” faith.

Condition vs. Content

• Physically: Good – more than ready for note-taking, re-reading, or being lent (with only a 50% chance of coming back).

• Intellectually/spiritually: probing, patient, sometimes uncomfortably direct in its implications, but always humane.

This is not the kind of book you buy to look holy. It’s the kind you buy if you’re willing to let someone gently ask, “Yes, but do you really trust?”

Ideal for:

• People of faith who don’t see “inquiring” as a problem, but as a job description.

• Readers who like a bit of European spiritual intensity in compact form.

• Anyone amused by the idea of a quietly serious, question-asking book about God being sold by an outfit called Crappy Old Books.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where the faith is inquiring, the publisher is shy, the condition is Good, and the questions are very much included in the price.

Keep browsing: See more Religion books Other books by Tadeusz Dajczer