I am curious about Mark 3:17.  It states that when Jesus was appointing the twelve to send them out to preach, He appointed James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges which means, "Sons of Thunder").  What does the original translation of "Sons of Thunder" mean?  Were James and John lively characters, or was there something boisterous about Zebedee?

Sincerely,
Weatherman

Dear Weatherman,

“Sons of Thunder” is a nickname Jesus gave to James and John… and a rather cool one at that!  Mk 3:17 states that Jesus ‘gave’ (literally ‘laid upon them’) the name ‘Boanerges’.  ‘Boanerges’ is an Aramaic translation for a Hebrew word which means, you guessed it, ‘sons of thunder’.  The nickname was given to them because of their character.  James and John were indeed known as lively and strong men.  Both were fishermen (Matt 4:21), which was a profession that required stout and strong men – definitely not for sissies.  These are the same two brothers that got so mad at a city that refused to accept Jesus that they wanted to send fire from heaven to destroy the city… thankfully Jesus rebuked them (Lk 9:53-55).  The Sons of Thunder were definitely known for being full of fire and zeal.

Is it okay for a man to act gay even if he isn't gay?

Sincerely,
Manly Man

Dear Manly Man,

No, it is not okay for a man to act homosexual or effeminate.  Ever.  The Bible clearly states that we are to avoid all appearances/forms of evil (1 Thess 5:22).  Homosexuality is a sin (Rom 1:26-27); christians should never look like they are sinning.  Contrary to popular media attention, christians do not hate homosexuals, nor does the Bible teach that we should hate anyone (Matt 5:43-45).  As the old saying goes, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner”.  Having said that, homosexuality is dead wrong and a godless lifestyle that will condemn one to hell (Rev 21:8).  Christians should be teaching and converting people from homosexuality, not imitating their behavior.

The Bible specifically says that it is wrong for a man to even act in an effeminate way (1 Cor 6:9).  Men should act like men, not women.  Women are naturally feminine, and men are naturally masculine - hence the words of Romans 1:26-27 that state that homosexuals “give up the natural use”.  It may seem comical when you see a man acting in a feminine way, but it isn’t funny – it’s sinful.

How many times on Sunday can I take the Lord’s Supper?

Sincerely,
Really Remembering

Dear Really Remembering,

The Bible never specifically addresses how many times on Sunday that Christians can take the Lord’s Supper, but the practical answer would be once (maybe twice) because it is a group activity, not an individual one.

The command to gather and take the Lord’s Supper is a congregational one.  The whole church comes together on Sunday to take it together (Acts 20:7).  It isn’t intended to be done by individual Christians at home or apart from the church.  Paul says that we are to take the Lord’s Supper when the church is gathered together, and the Corinthian Christians were rebuked for not doing it together (1 Cor 11:20).  It is a spiritual meal taken together as we collectively remember Christ’s death and proclaim it until His return (1 Cor 11:26).

With this in mind, most congregations only offer the Lord’s Supper once (or sometimes twice if they offer it at an evening service for those who weren’t able to make it in the morning).  Therefore, practically speaking, a Christian would never have more than one or two opportunities to partake of the communion each Sunday.

Some Christians feel that they need to take it twice if it is offered twice – this is their prerogative, and the Scriptures seem to give freedom for each individual to decide whether or not to partake again.  However, a Christian only needs to take the Lord’s Supper once on Sunday to fulfill the command.

A lot of my friends at school swear and try to pressure me into it, but I always tell them, “No.”  I don’t know how to kindly tell them I do not swear, and I don't want them to swear around me. Do you have any advice on this?

Sincerely, No Soap For My Mouth

Dear No Soap For My Mouth,

Good for you for standing up for God.It isn’t easy to do the right thing when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. The Bible says that a friend loves at all times (Pr 17:17). If someone is truly our friend, they won’t purposefully try and hurt us or make us do something that would upset our conscience. Tell your friends at school, “If you are really my friend, you won’t say things that upset me.You may be okay with swearing, but I’m not, and please be a friend and not swear around me.” If they are really your friends, they will stop (or at least try and stop). If they won’t, then they aren’t really what God calls a friend.

Are both cremation and burial acceptable per the Bible?  If we follow Jesus' example, shouldn't we all be entombed?

Sincerely, Ashes to Ashes

Dear Ashes to Ashes,

Both cremation and burial are acceptable Biblical practices. The Bible makes it clear that your body is merely a tent that is discarded at death (2 Cor 5:1-4). Peter recognized that at death we leave this ‘tent’ of a body behind (2 Pet 1:14). Ultimately, your physical body will return to dust and dirt (Gen 3:19).It may sound morbid, but cremation simply speeds along the natural process of decay that will occur to all bodies eventually.

Furthermore, we have at least one account of cremation occurring in the Old Testament. Saul and his sons were cremated after they died in battle (1 Sam 31:12). The men that cremated Saul and his sons were later commended by David for their behavior (2 Sam 2:5). That same verse in 2 Samuel shows that David considered cremation a form of burial.David’s endorsement of cremation as a godly practice is worth noting.

The Bible does not seem to place much focus on how someone is buried. God’s emphasis is upon how we live (Gal 2:20), not what is done with our body after we die.