1. Is it not rude for Christians to try to convert atheists and members of other religions to Christianity?
It is rude to try to force a person to listen to something that she or he does not want to listen to. Jesus did not tell his disciples to badger or coerce others into becoming followers of Jesus. Evangelism is about sharing the Gospel message with people who are willing to receive it.
2. If God is so powerful, then why doesn't He stop the abuse of little children?
The worst form of child abuse is child murder. Nineteen little children were murdered in the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995. During the national memorial service that followed, four clergymen from three major faiths spoke, one of the men being Billy Graham. None of them were able to answer the question “Why God?” - not the Muslim cleric, not the Jewish rabbi, not the Christian pastor, not even Billy Graham.
The lack of an answer frustrates all of us. The carnal person is not willing to accept “I do not know” as an answer. Christian author Jerry Bridges comments on the reason for this frustration:
“As we watch tragic events unfolding, or more particularly as we experience adversity ourselves, we often are prone to ask God, ‘Why?’ The reason we ask is because we do not see any possible good to us or glory to God that can come from the particular adverse circumstances that have come upon us or our loved ones.”
Our inability to come up with an answer to “Why?” is due to the fact that our way of thinking is not the same as God's way of thinking.
Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
This answer from the Bible leaves some people unsatisfied because the carnal person does not acknowledge God's superiority and sovereignty. For those of us who do, it is still okay for us to ask “Why God?” Such is the cry of the heart.
3. Why should I have to listen to a preacher when I can interpret the Bible by myself?
You may interpret the Bible by yourself just as long as your interpretation matches that of the preacher’s. . . Just kidding.
The Bible does not say that we are to turn off our brains and automatically accept everything that comes out of a preacher’s mouth. Indeed, a preacher can contradict what the Bible teaches, and we have every right to reject a preacher’s teaching if it conflicts with what we read in the Bible. Preachers do not usually admit it, but they are fallible. Still, God has placed in our lives earthly shepherds to guide us on our spiritual journey, and if we are to reject what they tell us, then we had better have a strong biblical basis for the rejection.
4. Why do Christians put down other faiths?
Christians believe that the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact and that the resurrection verifies that Jesus is God-incarnate, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Now, if Jesus is indeed God, then Jesus is the ultimate authority on how to have eternal life (a.k.a. how to go to Heaven).
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Now, if what Jesus said is true, then other faiths are not alternate paths to God. To deny what Jesus said is to deny the Christian faith altogether.
Still, people who are Christians need to guard against presenting their faith in a way that is unnecessarily abrasive. Abrasiveness is what gives people the impression that Christians are hateful.
5. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
A false dilemma has been presented. Jesus said that only God is good (Mark 10:18). As it so happens, we all sin, and thus we can't be good enough according to God's standard. The problem here is that people wish to judge themselves by their standards, not by God's, and therefore, they label themselves as being good.
6. Can a person be both a homosexual and a Christian?
According to the New Testament, a person has salvation if that person confesses that Jesus is LORD and believes that God the Father has raised Jesus from the dead. Nowhere does the New Testament say that a person has to be a heterosexual in order to obtain salvation. When Jesus died on the Cross, he paid for the sins of heterosexuals and homosexuals alike. Thus, God’s gift of eternal life is available to both heterosexuals and homosexuals.
[A more-detailed answer can be read by clicking here.]
7. Why do so many Christians insist that it is wrong to drink alcohol?
Only those who are opposed to drinking alcohol can explain their opposition. The Bible does not say that drinking alcohol is a sin. Indeed, the book of Deuteronomy says that the people of God were allowed to purchase alcoholic beverages for consumption during a religious rite (Deuteronomy 14:26). What the Bible describes as being sin is intoxication, which is the state of having a toxic amount of alcohol in one’s body.
Billy Graham makes the following comment:
“Teetotalism or non-teetotalism cannot be proven from Scriptures. Whatever we do, we should do to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10.31). I had a wonderful Christian friend in England many years ago. He was a godly man with a great knowledge of the Scriptures and a deep and holy walk with God. Once when we had a meal with him he said, ‘I serve wine at my table to the glory of God. I know that you don't take wine, to the glory of God, so we have provided ginger ale for you.’ He continued, ‘We are taught to respect each other's liberty and each other's conscience’. ”
In all fairness it must be said that although drinking alcohol in itself may not be a sin, there may be occasions when one should refrain from drinking alcohol. The Apostle Paul warns us not to do something that could cause a weaker brother to stumble. If we know that doing something may cause another to stumble, and if we go ahead and do it anyway, then we have sinned against the other person.
Perhaps the wisest course of action to take in regards to alcohol would be to show good manners when in the company of people who are strongly opposed to alcohol. The Bible may not forbid the usage of alcohol, but it does not require it either.
8. Why should anyone believe in Christianity when so many Christians act worse than non-Christians?
When Man’s standard is the standard for comparison, then it is true that many Christians appear to be worse than non-Christians. However when God’s standard is the standard for comparison, then Christians and non-Christians are equals because, according to the Bible, no person is righteous. The Apostle James writes, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10).
Still, to be honest it should be acknowledged that it is all too common for Christians to fail to act in accordance with their professed faith. Even the Apostle Paul lamented about the fact that his behavior did not always mirror the Christian faith (Romans 7). To make matters worse, it has become all too common for church leaders to engage in immoral behavior and then to keep their leadership positions. With such behavior being that of Christians, what could attract people to the Christian faith?
Thankfully, the Christian faith is not based on the behavior of Christians, but rather is based on the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. And how do we benefit from the behavior of Jesus? The Apostle Paul gives this answer: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
Yes, the behavior of Christians should mirror the faith that they profess, but as long as Christians remain creatures of flesh, their carnal nature will continue to trip them up. Thankfully, nothing that a Christian may do can nullify what Jesus has done.
9. Are members of churches required to give 10% of their income to their churches?
The subject of tithing tends to be controversial because people don’t always understand the biblical purposes of tithing.
In Deuteronomy 14:28-29, we read the following:
“At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.”
In Deuteronomy 26:12-13, we read the following:“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. ’”
Because all Levite men were dedicated at birth to performing sacred work, they could not on their own obtain an adequate supply of food for themselves and their families. So, the Levites had to receive a portion of the tithe, which consisted of food and beverages.
The other people mentioned in the above-quoted verses were the poorest people in the land. Due to circumstances beyond their control, they could not on their own obtain an adequate supply of food. So, they, too, had to receive a portion of the tithe.
An additional biblical purpose of tithing is found in Deuteronomy 14:22-27:
“You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.”
In short, tithing is also a means of worshipping God and acknowledging our dependence on Him for our physical needs.
In summary, tithing has three biblical purposes:
- As an act of worship and acknowledgement of our dependence on God.
- As a means of providing ministry workers with what they need for physical survival.
- As a means of providing the physical necessities of life to people who are trapped in physical poverty.
If the tithe is being used for its biblical purposes, then tithing should not be a problem for anyone.
So, are Christians required to tithe?
Answer: If they are required to do so, then churches are required to use tithes in the ways dictated by the Bible, including using tithes to help people trapped in physical poverty.
Nowhere does the Bible give permission to use the biblical tithes for purposes other than the above-described biblical purposes.
Whether or not pastors will talk about all three biblical purposes is an altogether different issue.
10. What are the basic Christian beliefs?
As explained by Evangelism Explosion, Christians believe that . . .
. . . Heaven is a free gift that cannot be earned or deserved.
. . . people are sinners and cannot save themselves.
. . . God is merciful and therefore doesn't want to punish us.
. . . God is just and therefore must punish sin.
. . . God solved this problem in the person of Jesus the Messiah (Christ).
. . . Jesus is the infinite God-man who died on the cross and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins and to purchase a place in Heaven for us.
. . . the gift of Heaven is received by faith.
. . . faith is not mere intellectual assent, nor is it trusting that God will provide for our temporal needs.
. . . the gift of Heaven is ours when we trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life.
Quote Sources
Bridges, J. (1988). Trusting God even when life hurts. Colorado Springs: NavPress.
Graham, B. (1988). The Holy Spirit. Nashville: W Publishing Group.