The pastor of my church (Crosspoint Fellowship of Greenville) has asked the congregation to begin thinking of some very challenging theological questions this week.

Next Wednesday night, we are having a "Stump the Chump" night. Everyone is supposed to bring their questions and ask our pastor and a few of his friends from seminary.

All that being said, I've come up with a couple, but nothing all that good.

Anybody have some good ones? I'd like to really give these guys a challenge and create some good discussion with those who will be there.

Ask them about marriage/divorce/remarriage as it pertains to Matt. 19:9 & Matt 5:32...

Excellent question in light of rampant divorce in the world today.

[This message has been edited by 77 (edited 4/22/2005 9:11p).]

Ask him to explain the sons of God mating with the women on earth...

Genesis 6:1: When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
2: the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.
3: Then the LORD said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."
4: The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.

Oooh better yet -- where did Cain's wife come from???

I thought it was only 1 pair of each animal on the ark?

Genesis 6:19: And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.



Genesis 7:2: Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate;

3: and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth.

Matthew 2:23: And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Which prophet said that in which book?

Yes ask about divorce, the Bible states that if a man grants a certificate of divorce to his wife then he makes her an adulteress. Does this mean that she is held guilty no matter what?

Also ask where all the small laws came from..about cleanliness and such, and why they are in some cases biased against women

Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 NIV

"If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives."

One of the reasons I don't believe EVERY word in the Bible. Just does not fit spiritual truth.




[This message has been edited by Ishmael-Ag (edited 4/23/2005 6:27a).]

Ishmael-Ag,

It has been the view of most of the church for nearly 2000 years that those OT civil laws like you quoted were part of the OT Law dealing with the theocracy of Israel, because there are several NT verses that speak of the abrogation, of those as well as the ceremonial laws, as they were fulfilled in Christ, and with his coming. Why should you therefore not believe all of the scriptures when verses like that do not bind the NT believer, but expired with that theocratic nation?

Yes -- they were "real" laws, but like Notafraid said -- Jesus Christ did away with those things.

Cue Bracy.

If Adam and Even were created perfect(without flaw) then why did they both make a defective decision to eat the fruit?

Why does God forbid human sacrifice and then base His entire plan of redemption of man on the sacrifice of the ulitmate human, His Son?

Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau?

Why did God grant a prophet the right to call wild bears to kill children that were making fun of his bald head? Sounds a bit serious?

Considering that Samson was, at best, an inconstent, carnal, disobedient, Nazarite, why did God grant him supernatural power, even in his rampant and evil days?

In American, why do many Christians, and many Christian churches, have a list of OK, understandable sins, and another list of sins that are really bad, and should be avoided? For example, adultry is really, really bad, but gluttony is no big deal. Divorce is really, really, bad, but idolatrous self worship is OK....little lies are OK, rampant commercialism and spending is the American way, even though scripture teaches our responsiblity in giving....etc.

Most eunichs were created at or near birth, but God forbid them entry into the temple, why?

In the Gulfcoast region of Texas, why so many skeeters? Is it a result of the fall?

Thank you Notafraid and 77-I knew I could count on some "enlightenment". Old dogs can learn new tricks.

If people who have never heard the word of God aren't accountable, why didn't the apostles keep their mouth shut so none of us would be accountable (and damned).

Acts 17:30 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

Assuming the great flood really did happen, did Noah make specific stops when unloading the animals? For instance, did Noah sail to Australia to unload the kangaroos and did he then sail all the way to South America to unload all the llamas? How bout those lemurs that are found only in Madagascar? Did he make a stop there? And I'm assuming he made a special trip to china to unload the pandas there.

And while we're on the subject, since Noah and his sons were the only men left on the planet, where did the blacks, orientals, aboriginals, and peoples of other races come from?

your assuming noah was white?

B Blessed
R U S S

On a similar note... why is the Noah and the Ark scene a common depiction on nursery room walls and kid's coloring books, as though it's just a cute little story? It's a story about massive amounts of death!

How could Jonah stay alive in the belly of the whale for 3 days without being slimed in the whale's gastic juices....

texasag73: Because it sure made an impression on the citizens of Ninevah when he showed up covered with gastric juices and smelling to high heaven!

T73, I have oftentimes wondered the same thing. If acid can disolve raw meat, then it ought to do a number on a little Jewish guy.

It says in Jonah 1:17And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

The Hebrew word there for appointed is translated ‘Manah’ , and it can also mean “prepared”. One possible interpretation is that the Lord made a special great fish specifically for this task, or that HE caused a certain great fish to not produce the acid that would have destroyed his body, but preserved Him even as He preserved some of His own from fiery furnaces, or from pits full of hungry lions by shutting their mouths…

[This message has been edited by Notafraid (edited 4/23/2005 8:26p).]

From my limited internet research, most whales have several stomachs. The first and largest stomach does not secrete acid or digestive enzymes. The first stomach crushes the food. However, if the animal is used to eating soft things like fish and squid, then the stomach might not be strong enough to crush a human. So that part of it is feasible.

The part I would be worried about is the lack of oxygen.

I think one of the things that we assume is that he *lived* in the belly of the fish. If it is truly a “type of Christ”, three days under the power of death, then there is no reason that He did not die in that belly, was spit out, and resurrected from the dead… Just another potential interpretation…

[This message has been edited by Notafraid (edited 4/23/2005 10:10p).]

I just realized something-you're going to miss Aggie softball against tu on ESPN2 Wed. night. Now that is truely a dedicated Christian.

I still have some reforming to do (after Wed. of course).

quote:

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Matthew 2:23: And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Which prophet said that in which book?

---

That one is pretty easy. "Nazarene" was slang for despised.

quote:

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Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

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Notafraid~

The standard lexicon does not even list "prepared" as an option for "manah." Furthermore, in the Piel, "masah" means "appoint" or "ordain."

B Blessed

R U S S

Pretty much the whole book of Leviticus is a hoot.

You might ask him what makes the particular way that your congregation is taught to worship an imaginary being the absolute truth, and the way the others do the same, absolutely wrong?

Ask why the book of Enoch should not be canonical. There's some fascinating stuff about the time of Noah there, related to 73's suggestion, and most important it was quoted as a source Christians could look to in the New Testament.

Brotherruss,

Sorry, I was just looking at Strongs Number 04487. They translated it 5 times in the KJV of the bible to prepare.


http://www.studylight.org/isb/view.cgi?number=04487

You are right though, they could have been mistaken of the original use of it.



[This message has been edited by Notafraid (edited 4/26/2005 12:39p).]

Why is it that one can get sick and die from receiving Communion unworthily if it is only a memorial service?

1 Corinthians 11:28: Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29: For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
30: That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.


Texasag73

[This message has been edited by texasag73 (edited 4/26/2005 8:08p).]