Is there any Biblical objection to homeschooling your children?  Didn't Jesus teach that we should go out into the world and spread His word? How can we do that if we only interact with other christians?

Sincerely,
John Q. Public School

Dear John Q. Public School,

Public school, homeschooling, co-ops, etc. are all Biblically permissible.  Each parent must make their own decision as to what is best for their child(ren) (Eph 6:1-4).  Homeschooling is not synonymous with avoiding interaction with the world.  Just as public schooling is not synonymous with feeding your children to the world.  Each family must make the decisions that are best for them, using wisdom to discern between good and evil for their children (Heb 5:14).

Is it Biblically wrong for a married couple (with no fertility issues or anything like that) to simply choose not to have kids?  I know in the Old Testament that God said to be fruitful and multiply; is anything like this found in the New Testament?

Sincerely,
Just The Two Of Us

Dear Just The Two Of Us,

No, it isn’t a sin.  Although there is some debate over whether the command to be fruitful and multiply – which was given to Adam and Eve (Gen 1:22) and also to Noah’s family (Gen 9:1) – still applies, it is generally understood that this command does not apply to us today.  The world has been “replenished” from the days of Noah, and the concept of multiplying to fill the earth is not addressed in the New Testament.  Although the most common pattern will always be for married couples to have children, it is not a sin for a couple to have no children.

Is it wrong for a woman to lead a prayer when men are present?  Specifically at a large family gathering before a meal?

Sincerely,
Giving Thanks

Dear Giving Thanks,

God makes it clear that a woman is not supposed to have authority over a man (1 Tim 2:12).  This command does not apply to every area of life, but it does specifically apply to the spiritual realm.  In the worship service, women are forbidden from any leadership position (1 Cor 14:34-35).  Leading a prayer is most definitely a spiritual leadership position.  Yes, it would be wrong for a woman to lead a prayer when christian men are present.

While having a discussion, someone said that if you ask for forgiveness for your sins and transgressions, God will only forgive you one time.  My belief is that even if you live your whole life sinning – and at the end, if you ask and believe, God will forgive you, and you will go to heaven.  Who's right?

Sincerely,
Limitless Forgiveness

Dear Limitless Forgiveness,

God will forgive you more than one time.  John says that as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with Jesus, and He cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7).  The apostle John also said that if we confess our sins, we will be forgiven (1 Jn 1:9).  The number of times a christian will do that in their lifetime is without number.  Of course, these verses apply to those who already have become christians.  If you have not yet become a christian, there is more to it than simply confessing your sins.

In the book of Acts, we see what it takes to become a christian.  When Peter was asked by the Jews what they needed to do to be saved (Acts 2:37), Peter told them they needed to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38).  Everyone who wants to become a christian must be baptized to be saved (Mk 16:16, 1 Pet 3:21).  After repenting of your sins (‘repent’ means ‘change your mind’), the lost person is fully immersed in water and buried with Christ through baptism (Rom 6:4).  Once someone is baptized for forgiveness of their sins, they are a christian.  Then the continual cleansing described in First John would apply.

Please explain how there are different races in the world when we are all supposed to be born from Adam and Eve?

Sincerely,
Ethnic Diversity

Dear Ethnic Diversity,

We all came from Adam and Eve (Gen 3:20).  Eventually, mankind was scattered across the whole earth after the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:9).  Different races were created as these scattered groups became more isolated.  This is very similar to how you see parents and children looking alike – they share noticeable physical traits because they are closely related.  The groups that were scattered from the Tower of Babel were isolated by their language differences, and therefore only married amongst their specific language group.  This isolated intermarrying created distinct physical characteristics that differentiated one group from another (i.e. skin color, eye shape, face shape, hair color).  The different races of the world are nothing more than large family groups created after the Tower of Babel.