Six Big Questions...
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once wrote: ‘People keep forgetting to go right down to the foundations. They don't put the question marks down deep enough.’ Mission weeks create great opportunities to share the gospel with our friends, as well as leading to all sorts of tough questions. We need to be equipped, not to give easy answers, but to raise new, deeper questions for our friends, questions that drive them towards the truth.
To help you be prepared to answer common questions, we’ve selected some top resources from bethinking.org. Bethinking is put together by UCCF to equip students to answer the toughest questions with the best answers.
For each topic below you’ll find a short resource (for when you’re pressed for time), followed by a longer resource (if you have time to dig a bit deeper). You can also explore bethinking.org yourself, where you’ll find many more excellent resources.
General
Why should we bother asking and answering questions? The Bible calls us to ‘always be prepared to give an answer’ (1 Peter 3:15). This talk will get you excited about why and how we need to give an answer for our faith:
- Are you ready to give an answer? by Dave Gobbett (Talk 30 mins / Article 21 mins)
1. Why does God allow suffering?
Pain and suffering are everywhere we look, leaving people questioning whether God is all good and all powerful. These resources will help you handle this sensitive issue with care.
- Answering questions about suffering by Christopher Ash (Article, 5 mins)
- If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world? by Tim Keller (Talk, 40 mins)
2. How can you say there’s only one way?
Claiming that there is only one way to be saved is deeply offensive to many people today. But contradictory religions can’t lead to the same place; here are some resources to get discussion started.
- Don't all religions lead to God? by Amy Orr-Ewing (Article, 4 mins)
- How can there be just one true religion? by Tim Keller (Talk, 40 mins)
3. Who is Jesus?
People have tons of questions about Jesus. Some doubt he even existed, or that he wasn’t who he claimed to be. These resources explore the evidence for Jesus and how we can know who He really is.
- Was Jesus a real person? (Video, 5 mins)
- Ancient evidence for Jesus from non-Christian sources by Michael Gleghorn (Article, 10 min)
- Good, bad or mad - Who is Jesus really? by Orlando Saer (Talk, 10 min)
4. Can I trust the Bible?
So often people dismiss the Bible out of hand as a book of fairy stories. These resources will get you thinking through the historical reliability of the New Testament.
- Can we trust John’s Gospel? (Video, 3 min)
- The historicity of the New Testament by JP Moreland (Article, 55 mins – but you can skim it!)
5. Has Science disproved God?
Often people pit ‘science’ and ‘religion’ against each other as though they were irreconcilable enemies. These resources will help you give people food for thought on this tough issue.
- Christianity and Science by Nick Cuthbert (Article, 2 mins)
- How could any thinking person choose God over science? by Andrew Wilson (Talk, 30 mins)
6. Isn’t truth a matter of preference?
In a ‘post-truth’ world of fake news and ‘alternative facts’, these resources will help you point to such a thing as real, objective truth.
- “That’s true for you but not for me” by Paul Copan (Article, 4 mins)
- Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves? by Tim Keller (Talk, 40 mins)
Are these your questions? We believe in a God who is big enough to take any questions we might throw at Him. We'd love to help you explore those questions: check out bethinking.org or connect with us on social media and we will send some suggestions your way.
