Questions You Never Thought You Could Ask in Church

The podcast is going to be going on hiatus for a short time as we reformat, reassess, and build something new! Big things coming! What does the word "hope" really mean to Christians? Are dreams from Satan or God? Does God create people with birth defects? Was the second day of creation good? Why didn't God call it good? What is the difference between Joy and Happy, and how can that manifest itself in our lives?

Randy is back from missionary work in Europe, reaching out to one-percenters in the motorcycle world. Hear his stories about the questions these believers and non-believers are asking. On top of that, some questions on how to treat refugees in light of Jesus, how sanctification works, why God doesn’t make us perfect, seeing God, and how can we know whether the Bible is true.

Is Easter actually a pagan holiday? Well, Steve’s version is as he expounds about God’s hidden Easter egg. (We pray for Steve.) Here’s more: If Luke wasn’t an eyewitness, is his Gospel as reliable? Are Bible people buried in Hebron? What do Protestants say about purgatory? What’s the difference between people before and after the flood? And the marijuana question comes up again.

Did John actually see visions of heaven? Does the spirit world interface with people today? How do we know when it’s legit? Did God form the Muslim nation, is the Muslim and Christian God the same? Are the days of creation a template for when Jesus is coming? A little dash of Leviticus and lot of talk on prayer completes today’s show!

Steve and Andrew use ChatGPT to fill the third chair in Dave’s absence. They use it as a barometer to see what AI knows about Christianity, culture, and everything in between. What keeps people out of churches? What questions do people have about Christianity? How has social media and technology changed the landscape for churches? And does AI know how to define Greek words?

Follow up questions to last week's discussion on graphic media content. Does God use a carrot or stick to lead people to repentance? Did Jesus abolish the Law or fulfill it, and what does that mean? What the heck is a Jot and Tittle?

It’s episode 100 and we went for 100 questions in less than an hour. How many did we hit? We don’t know. We’re saying 137, but it’s a guess. Thanks for helping bring us to 100. We’re looking forward to the next century!

What scroll did Jesus read? Which did Augustine use? What does Jesus mean by “rooms in heaven?” Who were the dead people busting out of tombs at the resurrection? What should a Christian couple do when one wants more kids than the other? And is FOF a gay-affirming church?

Dave is back and questions come flying on Leviticus and Old Testament commands. Here’s a few: Wait, is the Sabbath a Saturday? Are the 10 Commandments ranked in order of importance? I thought it was a Sunday! Why does God command blood sacrifice in the OT? Where did it come from? I’m reading Leviticus. Was it just a bloody mess at the Tabernacle? How does the OT law work? Does it list things we can’t do and then we can do everything else? What about sex toys? I’m a Christian and so is my wife. My wife often doesn’t orgasm. Is it okay to use a vibrator? How do I figure out right and wrong when the Bible doesn’t talk about it?

The "He Gets Us" Campaign has sparked some recent controversy and public debate following a couple Super Bowl commercials that they paid for and were shown during the Super Bowl. Steve, Andrew, Kent and Randy discuss the good, the bad, the potential, and the public response to the commercials and the overall movement. Is it a waste of money? Is it a watered-down version of Jesus? Is it too far left, or too far right, or both? Can extra-biblical stories and forms of media still be impactful to the Kingdom? Is it heresy or genius? Does Jesus need to be re-branded? Learn more about the campaign at www.hegetsus.com

When did Christians start using Christmas trees? I’m trying to read the whole Bible for the first time. What makes an animal clean or unclean? And how come no one ever tells us there were seven pairs of clean animals and one pair of unclean instead of just two-by-two? Will there be food in heaven? Sleep? Sex? Will Judgment Day happen before the New Heaven and Earth, or at the same time? Is Job a true story, or just fiction? Why does Jesus speak in parables? Why is the Catholic Church changing the words in the creed?

Most people think of the 1% as the wealthiest in terms of wealth inequality. But bikers have used this term for decades to refer to outlaw motorcycle clubs. Randy Birchfield with SparkPlugMinistries.com joins the show today and shares his experience ministering to the one-percenter community.

Questions come rolling in today on bits of the Bible: How can I learn more about that scary passage in Hebrews 6? I’m reading Genesis 1-4 and confused on so many details. Help! What’s going on with Jesus and the thief on the cross in Luke 23? I can’t square the end of Ezekiel and the new Jerusalem. What’s going on? And what happened between Noah and Ham?

It’s our last episode of 2022! Are angels male and female? Do they have gender? Was Mary born without sin? Who is the woman in Revelation 12? I struggle with original sin in infants. How can something pure and innocent be sinful? What is original sin? When Jesus says he comes to bring life in John 10, is he saying we should be Epicurean?

What’s with all the dead bodies coming out of the grave at Jesus’s crucifixion? Is the resurrection zombies? What’s the “better resurrection” about in Hebrews 11? Is December 25 the day Jesus was born? What do Protestants have against religious art and stained glass windows? How do we balance confidence and humility?

Wait, we got a question on paper? In John 8 Jesus writes with his finger on the ground. What’s more important: What he wrote or how he wrote? Which is right: Immanuel or Emmanuel? What the heck does Amen mean? I heard that the Bible uses feminine language for God’s Spirit. Is he feminine? Why 8 candles in a menorah? And some questions demanding future episodes: Is the Bible corrupt from a telephone game? Are all religions the same? And why were Christians so harsh to my lesbian friend?

I was raised Catholic and taught to pray to saints and angels. What do Lutherans teach about that? Do you think Peter was crucified upside down because he was unsure of his redemption? Please explain the fall and original sin. All religions teach the same thing about God, don’t they? What are deaconesses and elders? Am I sinning if I don’t have kids? Does God still communicate in visions and dreams?

Andrew wants to know about scary passages that say sinners won’t go to heaven. Other questions pile in on how to make sense of Jesus being God and human, whether there are rewards in heaven based on what we do in this life, and how to hear God’s voice. Is it God? The devil? Schizophrenia? Help!

Steve is back from Arizona. Dave is late, and Andrew braces for a solo run. But the show must go on! Any thoughts on predestination and free will? How do Lutheranism and Calvinism stack up against each other? What does it mean to “fear the Lord”? Are you premillennial, postmillennial, or amillennial? And what about pre-trib or post-trib?

Questions about the nature of God came streaming in. How come he lets dictators destroy his creation? What’s divine impassibility, and does God change? How should I address God? By all different titles? By each person in the Trinity? How do I get that euphoric feeling with God back? What’s the difference between soul and spirit?