It seems like more and more Christians in the public eye are coming out as atheists or agnostics. Most recently, it is was Jon Steingard of the Christian band Hawk Nelson who announced “I no longer believe in God.” The big questions he has about God were ones that many of us have often asked:
- If God is all loving, and all powerful, why is there evil in the world? Can he not do anything about it? Does he choose not to?
- “Why does God say not to kill, but then instruct Israel to turn around and kill men women and children to take the promised land?
- Why does Jesus have to die (more killing) for our sins ?
These are great questions and it’s extremely important to ask them! Many, perhaps most, Christians struggle understanding & believing the foundational tenets of their faith.
It’s tragic that even though Jesus welcomed questions, most Christian communities do not. Questioning Christians usually anesthetize their doubts, becoming fearful and ashamed for even having them. As those unanswered questions simmer, it only takes time for them to boil over.
We have good news for all you question-askers…you are more than welcome in a Story-Formed Life group experience! What makes us different from other studies or courses is that our Facilitators encourage Participants to ask the big-bad-scary questions and they lead the group through a Midrash (Hebrew term: to seek the meaning) to find the answers to those in God’s story. This is a powerful exploration of the Story of the Bible and the Christian faith for both the questioning-seeker and the mature-believer alike. It is specifically designed to expose & increase each Participant’s faith. (Interested in an SFL group experience? Find out more here.)
Jesus welcomed people who were struggling in their faith, and was often criticized for doing so. Jesus was never afraid of questions, neither should we. May there never be another believer who leaves the faith because they don’t have sufficient answers to their questions.
(See The Christian Post original article entitled “‘I no longer believe in God,’ declares Jon Steingard of Christian band Hawk Nelson” written by Anugrah Kumar here)