This page is our feeble attempt to answer some of the most common questions that seekers and doubters, and if they are honest, life-long Christians, have about the Christian faith. Different cultures across different periods of history have had different questions about faith, and here we seek to respond to the questions many people are asking in our culture, in our time.
One important note: There is great diversity within Christianity, so our opinions here would not be shared by all Christians. In fact, they are probably not shared by everyone within our own church family. We welcome the discussion and study that comes with different opinions and points-of-view.
One important note: There is great diversity within Christianity, so our opinions here would not be shared by all Christians. In fact, they are probably not shared by everyone within our own church family. We welcome the discussion and study that comes with different opinions and points-of-view.
Q: How could an all-powerful, all-loving God allow so much evil to happen in the world?
A: First, it is probably fair to ask why do WE let so much evil happen in the world. However, we don't want to avoid the question, because it's a fair one. We believe in free will, which is mankind's freedom to make its own choices. That freedom will allow us to love God and be in an honest relationship with him , instead of being forced to robotically love God, which would be pointless. It also allows us to sin and rebel, which we do. The consequences of that are serious and we see and experience them each day. It stinks.
The silver lining is that God has shown, through the Bible and through the experiences of millions of Christians, that he can use even the worst of circumstances to bring people into a closer relationship with him. We recognize that is not much comfort to someone experiencing a tragedy in their life, but it is true nonetheless.
Q: Why would God allow people to go to Hell?
A: God is perfectly moral. To be with God we too have to be perfectly moral. Of course none of us are; we all screw up from time to time. However, Jesus did not screw up.
He was perfect.
Then he sacrificed himself.
He paid the debt that we owed.
We just have to claim that payment.
If we don't, then we are not forgiven and therefore we cannot enter into God's presence. And so there is Hell, where there is punishment for our rejection of God.
There are different views of Hell within Christianity, with two views making up the majority of Christians. One, is that our punishment in Hell is eternal and we are consciously tormented during that time. The other, is that the fire of Hell is a fire that destroys us. Our punishment is eternal, in that it will never change, but there is not eternal conscious torment.
Q: If I'm basically a good person, then why do I need to do all this church-Bible-Jesus stuff.
A: Check out the previous question and answer. There's really no such thing as good enough. God is perfectly moral, so we have to be perfectly moral, which is only possible for us because of Jesus. That answer may frustrate some people, but there are some pretty big logical issues when we talk about being 'good.' How good do we need to be? What if we've just had a tougher life, are we allowed to be less good? Would the standard for 'good enough' also change based on what era you live in; like the Middle Ages vs. the Enlightenment? Some might argue that the biblical requirement for salvation is too complicated, but it is actually much simpler than the alternatives.
Q: Does Christianity reject science?
A: Absolutely not. Science is a methodology, a way of arriving at knowledge. Christianity is a worldview. Thus, they are fundamentally different things. Science actually allows us to learn more and more about how God created us and the universe, and the more we learn the more we are blown away by the complexity and precision of it all. There are some theories in science that we may disagree with, but there is no conflict between faith and science.
Q: How can Christians claim to have the truth?
A: Mainly the Bible. We read what the Bible says, and then we can look at all sorts of outside evidence that confirms what the Bible says is true. Some of that evidence is historical, some is experiential, and some is logical. This is too big of a question to answer here, but do a google search for Christian Apologetics, and you'll find some good stuff (like here).
Q: Why are the people we read about in the Bible always portrayed as white people?
A: Pieces of entertainment or art produced to be marketed to white people are going to use white subjects. We suppose that's part of the formula to generate a profit. Jesus was definitely a few shades darker than we typically see in our paintings and pictures and movies. Oh, and so was Mary.......and everyone else we read about in the Bible.
Q: Why are their so many hypocrites in church?
A: Christians aren't perfect, or even close to perfect. If there are some pretending to be, then yes, they are hypocrites. Most however are trying to do their best and come up short some times, which is why having a God that forgives us is something we should be thankful for each day. Most importantly, the failure of Christians, does not take away from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He did not fail; we sometimes do.
To be real about it, some people's behaviors and actions do not change at all when they begin following Jesus. That is a problem, and an indicator that their faith may not be genuine. That is between them and God, but in the American church we do have to recognize the problem of 'cultural Christians' who may have been raised in the church, but have never truly followed Jesus Christ.
Q: What's the deal with being baptized? Seems weird.
A: What's the deal with wearing long robes and funny hats when we graduate from high school? Also weird. The world is full of things we do publicly to demonstrate a really significant event in our lives. Baptism is a public event to demonstrate a really significant event in our spiritual lives. It shows we are changed people, who have decided to follow Jesus Christ.
Different churches deal with baptism in different ways. We baptize those that have made a sincere and conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ.
A: First, it is probably fair to ask why do WE let so much evil happen in the world. However, we don't want to avoid the question, because it's a fair one. We believe in free will, which is mankind's freedom to make its own choices. That freedom will allow us to love God and be in an honest relationship with him , instead of being forced to robotically love God, which would be pointless. It also allows us to sin and rebel, which we do. The consequences of that are serious and we see and experience them each day. It stinks.
The silver lining is that God has shown, through the Bible and through the experiences of millions of Christians, that he can use even the worst of circumstances to bring people into a closer relationship with him. We recognize that is not much comfort to someone experiencing a tragedy in their life, but it is true nonetheless.
Q: Why would God allow people to go to Hell?
A: God is perfectly moral. To be with God we too have to be perfectly moral. Of course none of us are; we all screw up from time to time. However, Jesus did not screw up.
He was perfect.
Then he sacrificed himself.
He paid the debt that we owed.
We just have to claim that payment.
If we don't, then we are not forgiven and therefore we cannot enter into God's presence. And so there is Hell, where there is punishment for our rejection of God.
There are different views of Hell within Christianity, with two views making up the majority of Christians. One, is that our punishment in Hell is eternal and we are consciously tormented during that time. The other, is that the fire of Hell is a fire that destroys us. Our punishment is eternal, in that it will never change, but there is not eternal conscious torment.
Q: If I'm basically a good person, then why do I need to do all this church-Bible-Jesus stuff.
A: Check out the previous question and answer. There's really no such thing as good enough. God is perfectly moral, so we have to be perfectly moral, which is only possible for us because of Jesus. That answer may frustrate some people, but there are some pretty big logical issues when we talk about being 'good.' How good do we need to be? What if we've just had a tougher life, are we allowed to be less good? Would the standard for 'good enough' also change based on what era you live in; like the Middle Ages vs. the Enlightenment? Some might argue that the biblical requirement for salvation is too complicated, but it is actually much simpler than the alternatives.
Q: Does Christianity reject science?
A: Absolutely not. Science is a methodology, a way of arriving at knowledge. Christianity is a worldview. Thus, they are fundamentally different things. Science actually allows us to learn more and more about how God created us and the universe, and the more we learn the more we are blown away by the complexity and precision of it all. There are some theories in science that we may disagree with, but there is no conflict between faith and science.
Q: How can Christians claim to have the truth?
A: Mainly the Bible. We read what the Bible says, and then we can look at all sorts of outside evidence that confirms what the Bible says is true. Some of that evidence is historical, some is experiential, and some is logical. This is too big of a question to answer here, but do a google search for Christian Apologetics, and you'll find some good stuff (like here).
Q: Why are the people we read about in the Bible always portrayed as white people?
A: Pieces of entertainment or art produced to be marketed to white people are going to use white subjects. We suppose that's part of the formula to generate a profit. Jesus was definitely a few shades darker than we typically see in our paintings and pictures and movies. Oh, and so was Mary.......and everyone else we read about in the Bible.
Q: Why are their so many hypocrites in church?
A: Christians aren't perfect, or even close to perfect. If there are some pretending to be, then yes, they are hypocrites. Most however are trying to do their best and come up short some times, which is why having a God that forgives us is something we should be thankful for each day. Most importantly, the failure of Christians, does not take away from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He did not fail; we sometimes do.
To be real about it, some people's behaviors and actions do not change at all when they begin following Jesus. That is a problem, and an indicator that their faith may not be genuine. That is between them and God, but in the American church we do have to recognize the problem of 'cultural Christians' who may have been raised in the church, but have never truly followed Jesus Christ.
Q: What's the deal with being baptized? Seems weird.
A: What's the deal with wearing long robes and funny hats when we graduate from high school? Also weird. The world is full of things we do publicly to demonstrate a really significant event in our lives. Baptism is a public event to demonstrate a really significant event in our spiritual lives. It shows we are changed people, who have decided to follow Jesus Christ.
Different churches deal with baptism in different ways. We baptize those that have made a sincere and conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ.
