SENIOR THEOLOGY EXAM 4

Our concerns are: 1. Show how you think a matter through.

  1. Show a basis for your conclusions in Biblical truth.
  2. Present your personal position.
  3. Show how to provide pastoral help in different situations.

The Adult Bible Class invites you to come for a “Question Box”on Sunday morning. They want to know:

  1. “I’ve had Jehovah Witnesses at the door lately. They tell me the Trinity is not in the Bible, and Jesus is not equal to God; that only God is God. Is the Trinity in the Bible?
  2. I read in TIME magazine that the fastest growing denomination is the Assemblies of God and they teach that every Christian should be ‘baptized in the Spirit’ later, after they become Christians. Why don’t we teach that?
  3. “A woman in our Bible study is really enthusiastic about Rabbi Kushner’s books. I was confused when he said that God was helpless to do anything about some tragedies that happen. Is that the right way to look at God?”
  4. “My brother’s pastor says a Christian can’t believe in evolution, and then my son showed me a place in our encyclopedia (which we bought through Meijer’s) where it calls the creation stories in Genesis ‘myths’. What should I tell him about evolution?”
  5. “My neighbor says her church is trying to make women feel more included in the church, so they call the Holy Spirit ‘she’, and try not to call Jesus the ’Son' or God the ‘Father’. What do you think of that?”
  6. “I’m just so sick of talk about ‘born again Christians’. I hope you don’t ever use that kind of talk in your sermons. I think all those people are hypocrites.”
  7. “We had Mormon missionary boys stop by- very polite and clean-cut. One said at the end: ’Mrs. Van Noord, I want to give you my testimony. I know the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. God has revealed that to me.’ That sounded just like what Rev. Smith said: ‘I know the Bible is the Word of God because the Holy Spirit has revealed it to me.’ Who is right?”
  8. “I heard a TV preacher say you would never catch him telling a congregation they were sinners. I like him, but it seems to me that you sometimes tell us we are sinners. What do you think of his approach?”
  9. “We studied the Holy Spirit for two months this winter and didn’t agree whether certain gifts of the Spirit are still present in the world. Someone said John Calvin didn’t think all the gifts are still around. Which view are RCA members supposed to hold?”
  10. “I didn’t grow up in the Reformed Church, but I was taught that you place your faith in Christ and then you are ‘born again’ or ‘regenerated’. But someone here said they didn’t think the RCA believes that way. What does the Bible teach?”
  11. “ I can’t believe a loving God would send anyone to hell forever. How could that be possible?”