Faith & Suffering
One of the most often cited reasons for questioning the existence (or at least the goodness) of God is the exposure of suffering in the world. It's often posited as some variation of: “If God exists, why is there so much suffering in the world? It must mean He's either not powerful enough to stop it or not good enough to care about it.” The faith of many has been shipwrecked on the rocks of this argument.
And too often, the response of Christians has been rather dismissive, offering little more than trite answers or appeals to simply just “trust God more” in lieu of wrestling with the tragic reality that pain, injustice, and evil do permeate our world. Fortunately, God is not silent on this issue, even if His followers have been, at times. The Bible offers insight into the problem and hope through its answer, if we're willing to authentically engage the conversation.
#Faith #Suffering #Hope #WeDon’tTalkAboutThat
Message Series Description:
It's been said, over and over, that it's impolite to talk about religion or politics. And it seems that, as time has marched along, other topics have been added to that list: sexuality, racism, mental health, and more. These topics all tend to devolve into heated arguments, ad hominem attacks, and outright vitriol ... unless everyone already agrees on the issue! And the church has tragically leaned into this cultural phenomenon.
Instead of talking about these sometimes controversial or volatile topics with nuance, grace, and truth, the church has often slipped into a position of simply not addressing them, talking about them in an un-Jesus-like way, or (even worse) getting it flat out wrong when it's discussed. And when this happens, obstacles and offenses are piled onto the gospel, making it that much harder for people to encounter Jesus and to accept His good news.
But there is a better way, a way that holds tightly and rightly to truth, while effervescing with grace and compassion. This way IS the way of Jesus. And it is what we need to do rather than simply say, "We don't talk about that." This weekend we'll begin that conversation.
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