“Is everything that happens already determined by God, and it's going to happen no matter what we do? Or do we have the ability to carry out plans on our own, regardless of what God hoped would happen? I have a real struggle understanding this.”
“My high school biology teacher said the other day that we have to give up the idea that we human beings are anything special. We're just an accident on this planet, he said. As a Christian, I don't agree with this, but I didn't know what to say.”
“I'm already sick of all the political commercials and speeches we keep hearing. I don't have much use for politicians, and anyway I don't intend to vote this year. Even if I did, my vote wouldn't make any difference.”
“I've really made a mess of my life. I thought I could get by with ignoring things like right and wrong, and now I'm suffering the consequences. But here is my question: Why should I bother asking God for forgiveness? It won't change anything.”
“I've tried to read the Bible but it's just too big and I never was much of a reader. Why did God give us such a big book anyway?”
“Recently, I reconnected with an old Army buddy who was with me during the first Gulf war. He almost lost his life during one of the battles, and claimed it made him turn to God. But when I asked him if God still meant anything to him, he just laughed and said that was all in the past. What's happened to him?”
“How can I be more consistent in my life as a Christian? Almost every day, I start out with good intentions, but then something comes up and I end up acting the same way everyone else does.”
“I'd like to think God loves us (which you often say in your column), but how can I really know? I didn't grow up in a very loving home, and I've always struggled with the feeling I wasn't worthy of God's love.”
“I have asked God to give me the Holy Spirit, but how can I be sure He has? Maybe I don't understand why God promised to give the Holy Spirit to us.”
“I know the Bible says we won't know when Jesus will return to earth, but why did God keep it a secret? I've always been curious about Jesus' second coming, and I wish we knew more.”
“What do you think of contemporary Christian music? Our church is beginning to use it more and more, but to be honest I'm having a hard time getting used to it. My teenaged children like it, however.”
“I remember you saying once in your column that the Bible says all Christians are saints in God's eyes. But how can that be, since we obviously aren't perfect? I know God has forgiven me, but I think it would be presumptuous of me to call myself a saint.”