Crowd Sourced Questions: Life and Church

We wanted to know what questions people are really asking.  For about two months, we asked our people to turn in their own questions and to poll their friends.  I even put my writing class students to work on this through homework assignments.  Today, we'll try to answer as many questions as possible in a rapid-fire two minute answer format.  

Previously, I posted the first two sets of questions: Questions about Theology and Questions about the Bible.   Here is the final set: Questions about Life and Church.

Feel free to offer up your own answers or questions in the comment section.  I'll try to post the audio of our Q and A time after we do it.  But for now, it may be helpful just to take a little refresher course on what questions people are actually asking - not just what questions do we think others should ask.

 Why are there so many denominations? Is this bad? Just preferences?

Should Christians drink alcohol?

Does God really expect people to wait until marriage to have sex?

What do we believe about women in ministry?

What about marriage roles? Should women submit to their husbands?

Why are Christians so judgmental or hypocritical?


I think the most profound question I have about anything is "Why did God create us?"  What purpose did we serve as part of his amazing creation?  I am baffled by that question and have no great answer for it.

What is the meaning of life?

Why has religion been one of the biggest causes of war and murder?  I have a hard time committing to a religion that has used the name of God to slaughter millions of innocent people all over the world

Do we really have to go to church to go to heaven or to have a meaningful relationship with God?

Why do Christians focus on the wrong things (abortion, gay marriage, etc) when there are so much more important issues that demand our time (starving children, AIDS, etc)?

Why do many Christians isolate themselves from the outside world - no secular music, no nonChristian friends, private schools, etc?

Why do so many Churches spend millions on their buildings when that money could be better used to help the community?

Why is so hard to tell if someone is a real Christian?

How do we know what God is calling us to do?

Why is are churches always asking for money?

Can God really do something meaningful in my life?

My largest question was how to forgive.  I am supposed to forgive all yet I can’t bring myself to forgive the men and women that would kill and maim U.S. soldiers.  I still cannot bring myself to say the words.  It is not up to me to forgive them.  That goes to someone else.  I am just a bitter veteran, who will most likely never forgive the things that were done.

If I only live once, why should I waste my life trying to help others?

Why do Christians compete with each other for standing within the church or between churches?

How did the whole "church" thing start?  Who decided to start worshiping God like the way the church does now?

What are your thoughts regarding the recent appointment of Pope Francis and some of his less than traditional approaches to leading the Catholic Church?

What traits make you a good Christian?

What makes you so sure of your faith?

Why are the preachers some of the biggest sinners of the church?  Personally, I would just like to know why does God allow our preachers to go do the things they do, and then allow them to come into the church on Sunday mornings preaching and faking the word.

Why don't Christians talk more about gluttony?  It's a huge problem in North America, but the church is mostly silent on this - even though the Bible isn't.  What's up with that?