The Big Questions

Overview

Skeptics and seekers have many questions and doubts about Christianity’s central claims. Does God really exist? Aren’t science and the Bible in conflict? Why would a good God allow so much pain and suffering? Is the Bible reliable? Isn’t Christianity too narrow? How could a loving God send people to Hell? Did a dead man really rise from the grave? 

But it’s not just skeptics and seekers who ask these questions, is it? I think we could all readily admit to having the same questions and doubts from time to time. Thus, we want to spend the next six weeks asking some of the “big questions” we all have. We do so for two reasons. First, we want to strengthen our own faith, to have greater confidence in the gospel we profess. And second, we want to be able to engage the seeking and skeptical members of our oikos on these topics. I would guess many of us currently feel inadequate to answer these objections persuasively, so we likely shy away from these sorts of conversations. But, as Peter reminds us, we all need to be ready “to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Peter 3:15). 

In this Journey Section you will:

• Reflect on and ask hard questions
• Practice discussing difficult topics with people
• Encourage one another in the truth of the Bible

Author: Brandon Cooper

As a native of the Chicagoland area—born in Evanston, raised in Glenview—Brandon has a deep love of the culture and community of this city. He is the fourth of five children and is happy to have his entire family still living in the area. He attended the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), where he studied English Literature, before completing his Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an emphasis in Discipleship-Evangelism. He is the author of A Word to the Wise: Lessons from Proverbs for Young Adults. He and his wife served on the mission field in Bogotá, Colombia for seven years, giving him a deep passion for missions, Latin American culture, and the country where his first two children were born. Brandon and his wife, Amy, have four adorable daughters: Charis, Adiel, Ceely, and Brielle, and a son Callum. He loves literature and music and is an avid soccer enthusiast (Arsenal FC) and lifelong Chicago sports fan.