The Questions People Are Asking

Much of the church culture I've been a part of and even some of my formal education has placed (falsely, I think) a dichotomy between the "practical" and the "theological or theoretical."

"People just don't care about theology," some of my esteemed pastoral colleagues have said.

I have always had a sneaking suspicion that that is not entirely true. Now I have definitive proof.

A few weeks ago I sat down in my study and began compiling a list of all the theological, and indeed philosophical, questions that people have asked me since taking the helm in my new pastorate. I have been impressed with the questions and the seriousness of the inquiries. These are not light subjects.

I promised on my Facebook page a few weeks ago that I would post the list on my blog. So without further delay, below is the list (so far). A star (*) indicates that it is a question that has been asked multiple times by different individuals . . .

1. Is the Muslim Bible the same as our Bible?
2. *Is the Muslim God the same as the Christian God?
3. How did we get our Bible?
4. *How do we get our Bibles today (in their various translations/versions)?
5. *What is the best (or a good) English Bible version?
6. *Will non-Christians have a second chance to accept Christ when they die?
7. *What about those who have never heard the Gospel or heard of Jesus?
8. *Are believers eternally secure (i.e. the perseverance of the saints) or is it possible to lose our salvation (i.e. reject Christ)?
9. Homosexuality (in general). More specifically, is there scientific (e.g. DNA?) evidence which demonstrates that people may be born gay or have leanings in that direction? And if so, how could it be wrong if God made them that way?
10. What is Heaven and what will it be like?
11. Do believers go to Heaven when they die or someplace else?
12. Are scholars and Bible commentators just giving their own opinion? Can we trust them? Why should we?
13. Are all sins the same in God’s eyes or are there levels of sin and evil? (e.g. is Hitler the same as a nice man or woman who just never accepted Christ?)
14. Why does God allow awful things to happen to good people?
15. *Is there going to be a rapture? What are some other end-times perspectives? How do we know which one is correct?

As you can see, people are thinking about, wrestling with, and asking some pretty serious theological questions.

And the church I pastor is a relatively small church in a rural community in the middle of nowhere Ohio! So it's not like I'm in a big university town with a bunch of sophisticated intellectuals and seekers where one might expect there to be these kinds of theological questions. I'm pastoring farmers, factory workers, and other working professionals who are just good, hard-working folks.

This is demonstrable proof that we pastors, no matter what our ministry context, must be equipped to listen attentively and respond gracefully with truth and love. And we must be able to perhaps point people in the direction for further self-study after we've talked with them and answered them as best as we can.

I am humbled by this awesome task. Frankly, I don't even know what I think about some of these issues! Some of them are tough. Some of them have no clear-cut answer.

But I believe the Christian faith is, among other things, a thinking faith. It is, as both Augustine and Anselm said, a faith seeking understanding.

May we seek to understand and respond well.