Is that preacher in the videos really going to keep this up all year?     Our preacher tried this, and he fizzled out after three posts.  I'm impressed.  I hope it is worth all the time and effort.  Why not just have a video of him reading the Word?  It's nice to have a quick summary.  Do you think it gives people the feeling they are studying, but they won't dive into the Word themselves?

Sincerely,
Daily Cupper

Dear Daily Cupper,

Yes, we will keep it up all year!  The goal isn’t for people to just watch the videos as a replacement for reading the chapters; the videos are to help explain the chapters as you read them.  We don’t want you to feel like you are studying; we want you to study!  So don’t worry; we’ll be there with our Bibles and coffee every morning.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost three years.  We're doing pretty much everything right... no fornication, growing closer together and with God, improving each other's character, and so forth.  I fully plan on having a pastor marry the two of us.  Now my question is... since a pastor will be marrying us, is it wrong for the two of us to get married outside of a church, like in a park or a beach instead?

Sincerely,
Not Going To The Chapel

Dear Not Going To The Chapel,

It is perfectly fine if you get married in a park, at the beach, in a tree house, etc.  Furthermore, it isn’t even important that a religious leader officiate your wedding.  The Bible never specifies the details of wedding ceremonies.  Each culture and family is left to dictate its own traditions and arrangements.  Just be sure to obey the laws regarding legal marriage in whatever part of the world you live (Tit 3:1, Rom 13:1-3).  Your marriage would be just as legitimate if you were married by a Justice of the Peace.  Whatever legal road you take to marriage, just remember that your vows are before God.

Why do the Catholics call their pastor “Father” when in the Holy Bible Jesus tells us in Mathew 23:9, “Do not call anyone on Earth your Father”????  Thank You.

Sincerely,
Not A “Father” Figure

Dear Not A “Father” Figure,

The Catholics say it because the Catholics are wrong.  Matt 23:9 commands us to never give people the position of father other than the Father in heaven.  The Catholic church also calls their religious leaders ‘priests’ when the Bible clearly states that all christians are priests (1 Pet 2:9).  They also reserve the title of ‘saint’ for only the most pious of Catholics… all christians are saints (1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 13:13).  The word ‘saint’ simply means ‘someone set apart for a special purpose’.  Throughout the millennia, the Catholic church has added these doctrines of men and turned its back on the Scriptures.  We are commanded to never add or subtract from God’s Word, or we will be condemned (Rev 22:18-19, Gal 1:8).  The Catholic church has done that very thing.

Is it a sin to work on Sundays?  I think it may be Saturdays that are the 7th day of the week.  I am thinking that this is an older requirement before Jesus, but I am not sure.  As always, thanks for the help, and I hope you all are doing well!  God Bless!

Sincerely,
Hard Worker

Dear Hard Worker,

You are thinking of Saturdays, and it is an older requirement.  The Jews were not allowed to work on the Sabbath (Ex 20:10).  This rule was so strict that a man was once stoned for collecting firewood on Saturday (Num 15:32-36).  However, this was a Jewish command, not a Christian one.  In the New Testament, we are not required to keep the Sabbath holy (Col 2:16).  Christians do not have a particular day that they must abstain from work.  It is important that the church congregate on Sundays to take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7), worship, and take up a collection (1 Cor 16:1-2).  We are warned against forsaking the assembly (Heb 10:24-25), but that doesn’t mean that it is a sin for christians to work on Sunday.  Sunday is the Lord's day (Rev 1:10), a day dedicated to worship, but it isn't necessary to forgo all physical labor.

I am not very religious.  I'm a science major, and my mind tends to go with science over religion.  But I enjoy church and the community and family feeling it gives.  I love choir and have been singing forever and would like to sing for a church.  I love how church helps people and makes it easier to get involved.  The problem is that I do not enjoy the sermon part of going to church.  Are there churches out there that have all the qualities I want without the long, drawn-out sermon that I cannot get my head into?  A place that is, essentially, church with all things (God included) but without so much pressure to believe in one thing?  A place where I can still believe in God but let it be okay that I am very skeptical?  I go once in a while but can't continue because I very much dislike the sermon.  I don't like the praying or the feeling that I have to join in.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Quasi-Christian

Dear Quasi-Christian,

You should decide whether you are going to believe in God or not.  You state that you want to go somewhere where you can “believe in God but let it be okay that I am very skeptical.”  That is a self-contradicting statement.  It is akin to saying, “I’d like to be hot… but still cold” (which in the end, makes you lukewarm – Rev 3:16).  It is unfortunate that we live in a world that teaches us that religion is mostly about how it makes us feel – this is false.  Religion only has meaning when it is based upon conviction; otherwise, we might as well just join a club or other social organization.

We would challenge you that you don’t have to choose religion over science – we certainly didn’t.  The battle isn’t between God and science; it is between evolutionists and preachers.  God, His Bible, and science are in perfect harmony.  There are mountains of scientific evidence that God exists and that evolution is false.  We would highly recommend that you read the posts in our EVIDENCES category of the archives.  We would also recommend that you spend some time reading books like Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, Case For A Creator by Lee Strobel, and Has God Spoken? by A.O. Schnabel.  We would also recommend the website www.answersingenesis.org and the movie "Expelled" by Ben Stein.  Take the time to make serious inquiry into this subject – it is the most important topic you will ever research!

The reason you don’t like the sermons is because you don’t think they apply to you.  You are skeptical that the Bible is really from God.  If the Bible isn’t from God, you shouldn’t waste your time with the church (1 Cor 15:13-14).  If the Bible is from God, you need the sermons to help mold and teach you.  If God really is, you need to become the person God intends for you to be… if not, forget the “church thing”.