I began my message by reading some of the most offensive passages to modern ears that I could find. Here is a sampling:

Read the rest of this entry »

This message was about the tough issue of other faiths. Today in America there are more Hindus than Orthodox Jews, more Buddhists than Seventh Day Adventists and more followers of Islam than Episcopalians. The question is whether or not these religions are all wrong or do all religions come to the same basic conclusions about the important matters of life.

Read the rest of this entry »

In this message I presented my answer in the context of a statement made by a Standford University student by the name of Shae. She said, “So, like you think Jesus is the only way to God and all who disagree are going to hell? Okay, how could that possibly be fair? I’ve been on archeological digs in Peru, uncovering temples where ancient Peruvians worshiped their gods. They knew nothing of Jesus, ever had a chance. Most Christians I know would say all those Peruvians went to hell because they didn’t believe in Jesus - of course, they never heard of him, but tough luck, huh? That just seems ridiculously ethnocentric to think God would only care about mostly white Europeans who had the chance to hear about Jesus.”

Read the rest of this entry »

By all accounts, this question is the toughest one of the bunch. As theologian John Stott wrote, “The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been in every generation. Sensitive spirits ask if it can possibly be reconciled with god’s love.” George Barna conducted a nationa survey i which he asked, “If you could ask God only one question and you knew he would give you an answer, what would you ask?” The top response was: “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?”

Read the rest of this entry »

In “Part 1″ I began my answer with two statements: First, I believe that all evil, suffering and pain is rooted in the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and second, I believe God can stop any evil, suffering or pain. But having said that, it is clear that God doesn’t always choose to do so, and so the question remains, ‘why not?’ I am going to offer six more parts to my answer… Read the rest of this entry »

Katy Perry’s chart-topping song of this past summer, “I Kissed a Girl and Liked It” and Christian recording artist, Ray Bolt’s announcement last month that he is now, “living a normal gay life” are two of the latest indications that the issue of homosexuality is becoming mainstream in our culture and more visible in the church. So what about homosexuality? How should the church respond to it? I have four parts to my answer.

Read the rest of this entry »

I recently read an article from The Barna Group titled, “A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity”. In it, the author states that, “A decade ago the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society. Currently, however, just 16% of non-Christians in their late teens and twenties said they have a good impression of Christianity.” Read the rest of this entry »