Question #2...

Some time back a member of one of my former congregations submitted the following questions to me and asked that I respond. This person said that these are the kinds of questions that they are regularly asked about the Christian faith. My assumption is that all of us hear these kinds of questions from time to time, so I want to share both the questions and my brief answers with you. The answers are not entirely complete because the issues that were raised are complicated and require a certain amount of background in Biblical/Christian concepts that not everyone has. Let’s just say that it’s a start.

Question 2: Do I have to give so much money?  Seems the Church just wants money.  I’ve watched TV ministries and they always turn to asking for money.

We don’t actually have to give any money but we would hope that you would want to.

We are being asked to love God for what he has done for us, trust God with our lives and then learn to care about the people who live with us in the world.  

We are supposed to give because we are thankful for what God has done for us. If we know that Jesus died for us and purchased our salvation (salvation that he offers to us as a gift) then we respond to his love for us by giving back to him. Giving of our time, talents and money is supposed to be something we do willingly and gratefully but, of course, if we don't believe that God has done anything for us then we won't be highly motivated to give anything. It's a faith issue.

The church is really an extension of this conversation. It is meant to be more than just a religious club. The church is a gathering of people who have been called by God to tell everyone about the new life that is available through trusting in Jesus. Consequently, we give to support the work of the church because we want other people to experience the joy and peace that we have experienced. If we are unwilling to support the work of the church it suggests that there is something deficient about our relationship to God. It's a faith issue.

The simplest way to explain it is to say that Jesus gave his life for us and we are trying to gratefully give our lives back to him. Giving is good for us and our sacrifices are supposed to make a difference in the world. It is a faith issue.

Television ministries are hugely expensive to produce and broadcast and so they need a huge influx of cash just to keep their programs on the air.  Many of them have carried such a large financial burden that they end up spending too much time asking for money.  Many churches are in a similar spot. They have large buildings and large capital expenses and feel pressured to encourage their membership to remember to give.  I think we could say that most of these ministries are well intentioned but each ministry should be evaluated by how much they are doing to make a difference in the world. Think about it.

The Conversation Continues...

Some time back a member of one of my former congregations submitted the following questions to me and asked that I respond. This person said that these are the kinds of questions that they are regularly asked about the Christian faith. My assumption is that all of us hear these kinds of questions from time to time, so I want to share both the questions and my brief answers with you. The answers are not entirely complete because the issues that were raised are complicated and require a certain amount of background in Biblical/Christian concepts that not everyone has. Let’s just say that it’s a start.

1. Why are there bad things in this world if God is such a caring, loving God?

We live in a broken world…nothing is the way God created it (or intended it to be) including the people who populate the world.  There are things that we call “bad” (like natural disasters) that are really “neutral” (not bad or good.)  They are a consequence of what we know as “natural law.”  There are rules that govern the way the world works and sometimes we can be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Why would God let us be in the wrong place at the wrong time?  Because He loves us enough to give us a free will.  If we are being asked to choose to love God then we must have the freedom to choose to not love God.  If we are being called to trust God then we must have the freedom to not trust God.  If God were to step in every time we made a poor decision then he would (in effect) take away our right to choose.

In the same way, our freedom to choose to do right means that we have the freedom to do wrong and much of the suffering that we see in the world is a direct result of people choosing to do the wrong thing.  Our greed and our hatred create indescribable suffering in the world.  It is our fault.  God came to the world (in the presence of Jesus) to change us and consequently change the world.

The conversation continues...