Q: If someone has wronged you and it takes you a very long time to forgive them (like maybe several years), is there any irreperable harm done to the relationship? I mean, can't God redeem anything ... so there would always be the hope that the relationship can return to normal once the forgiveness is finally offered? A: This sounds like a question being asked by someone with a guilty conscience! The answer is that of course God can redeem anything. However, God doesn't typically … [Read more...]
Godless Japanese?
March 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: I heard a guy on the radio this week talking about how Japan "is a godless nation" and the latest earthquake and tsunami are punishments from God. How would you respond to someone who has such beliefs? Doesn't God love everyone? A: Mmmm ... I'm not sure I would say that God loves everyone. God is willing to love everyone. God desires to love everyone. And I believe God is grieved that not everyone meets the criteria for His love. But the Bible does indicate that God's love is reserved for … [Read more...]
Science & Religion
March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: My friend says that religion and science oppose each other. Is that really true?A: I don't think so. If anything, science complements religion. The Bible leaves out the details of many things. For example, the Bible describes the heavens as vast. But we learn through science that space is infinite. In other words, science helps us understand how vast the heavens are. Another example might be creation. The Bible tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It … [Read more...]
Curing Gays
March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: You recently shared a link on Facebook to a news story about how Apple is embracing an iPhone application from Exodus International --- which aims to "cure homosexuals." Isn't this just hate-mongering? Aren't we supposed to love the sinner hate the sin? And does anyone really believe gays can be "cured?" I mean, if God made them that way, who are we to change them?A: The Biblical position is that homosexual activity is a sin. And as Jesus pointed out, lust in our minds and hearts is also sin. … [Read more...]
Easter
March 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: Easter is coming up in a few weeks. What would be a good way to celebrate it? I'd like to teach my kids something more than the Easter Bunny, candy and new outfits. But I honestly don't know where to start.A: You start with the resurrection. Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection ... which proved that He is who He says He is. It proved that Jesus is God. And that truth means that our sins are forgiven. We just have to confess them and turn to Him.I think an excellent way to … [Read more...]
Christian Technology
March 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: What does the Bible have to say about modern technology? I mean are Christians supposed to embrace it or turn from it? I notice the Amish, for example, eschew most modern technologies. And I know the Mennonites do too, albeit to a lesser extent (they drive cars). Is there a Biblical basis for such decisions? Would Jesus have a cell phone or text His disciples?A: I'm not aware of any Bible passage that would instruct or even guide Christ-followers to eschew modern technological advancements. … [Read more...]
Orphans in the World
March 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: I've read that there are something like 30 million orphans around the world today. Seriously, how could Christians respond to something like that? I mean, it's more than anyone could imagine. How could you build enough orphanages to house all of those kids?A: Well, here's a little surprise for you --- orphanages are not Biblical. That's right. They're not Biblical. The Christian response is not to house the lonely orphans in institutions. Jesus said that we are to love others as we ourselves … [Read more...]
Christian Funerals
March 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: Is there a way that Christians should handle a funeral? I mean when dealing with the death of a loved one, shouldn't there be an approach that is uniquely Christian? I've been to some funerals lately and don't really notice any difference between the funeral of a believer and the funeral of a non-believer. Is that right? Is that how it's supposed to be?A: The thing about funerals is that they're for the living --- and not for the dead. Whatever ceremony or observance you have it is for the … [Read more...]
Church Conflict
March 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: Through the years we've attended a handful of churches. Inevitably, each of them seems to hit periods of turbulence. I mean, there are nasty political situations in the church. People get wounded. Some get mad and leave. You keep thinking you'll find another church where they don't have the conflict or the drama. But then it happens again. Is it me? Am I a magnet for conflict? What is it about churches that make so many of them dysfunctional?A: The real problem is simply that the churches are … [Read more...]
Spiritual Gifts
March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: What exactly are spiritual gifts? And how do I know if I have them?A: Spiritual gifts are special abilities that are supernaturally bestowed on each of them. Everyone of us has them and the mix of them tends to vary from one person to another. Opinions tend to vary about what the gifts are, depending on where they're referenced in the Bible. A few commonly accepted gifts are also not referenced specifically in the Bible, but are rather implied.The most commonly accepted reference to the … [Read more...]
Letters To 7 Churches?
March 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: What are the "Letters To 7 Churches." I heard someone preaching about them on the radio the other day and was not familiar with them. The guy on the radio said they're in the Bible?A: John, the author of the book of Revelation (the last book in the Christian Bible) included in that book letters to seven different churches that were all located in what was then known as the province of Asia. They were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These were … [Read more...]
Nehemiah Lessons
March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: Our small group at church is doing a study of the book of Nehemiah. We're almost finished, and frankly I'm not sure that I get the point. I mean it's cool that Nehemiah was able to organize the people and rebuild the city within just a few weeks. It's even more cool that the king supported him in his effort. Is there one thing that we should learn from this book? If so, what would it be?A: People often point to the book of Nehemiah as being a model for leadership. So often a study of Nehemiah … [Read more...]
Charity Requests
March 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: We are really overwhelmed sometimes with the requests we get for donations to charities. They send you mail. They call on the phone. They come to your front door. They send your friends to ask you to support their cause. It seems there's no end to the requests for money. The problem is that so many of them have good causes that seem worthy of support. But there's no way we can support all of them. What's a Christian to do?A: What a Christian is supposed to do is first realize that virtually … [Read more...]
Old Testament Relevance?
March 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: I was looking for information on tattoo's and came across this web site that says, (and I quote), "It is ALWAYS (sic) wrong to apply Old Testament Law, which was given only to the Jews, to New Testament times. We DO NOT (sic) live under the Old Testament Law. To take a verse our of the Old Testament and attempt to apply it today is to practice legalism." Is that true? We don't have to do anything it says in the Old Testament?(You can check it out for yourself. The web site is … [Read more...]
Real Love
March 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Q: How would you define love? I mean, how do you know if your love for someone else is real? Or more importantly, how do you know if their love for you is real?A: Of course 1 Corinthians 13 ("Love is patient ...") is the defining Scripture for what love is or isn't. From a practical application perspective, I think you have to look at that (1 Corinthians 13) as the foundation and start building on it. The first thing you have to notice is that love is action and not feeling or emotion. … [Read more...]
