Mark Mittelberg - The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask: (With Answers)

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The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask ( With Answers)

Copyright 2010 by Mark Mittelberg. All rights reserved.

Cover photo of notes copyright by Sergey Galushko/iStockphoto. All rights reserved.

Author photo copyright by Gary Payne. All rights reserved.

Cover designed by Tobias Outerwear for Books

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc.,

7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920,

www.alivecommunications.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, second edition, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. (Some quotations may be from the NLT, first edition, copyright 1996.) Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible , King James Version.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mittelberg, Mark.

The questions Christians hope no one will ask : (with answers) / Mark Mittelberg.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-4143-1591-1 (sc)

1. Apologetics. I. Title.

BT1103.M58193 2010

239.7dc22 2010031769

To Emma Jean and Matthew, who have grown up in a world that seems to have more questions than answers, but who have learned to seek and to follow the Truth

Foreword

Have you ever experienced spiritual vertigoa queasy sense of disorientation, confusion, and even panic that can overtake us when a critic challenges the core of our faith in a way that we cannot answer?

I first experienced that phenomenon when I was a young Christian and volunteered at our church to respond to questions submitted on cards at our weekend services. One Sunday I got an inquiry from a twelve-year-old girl who said she just wanted to know more about Jesus.

When I called her, she invited Leslie and me to her home to talk with her and her father about Christ. Aw, isnt that cute? I said to Leslie as I hung up the phone. This is gonna be fun!

But as her father ushered us into their apartment, I glanced at the coffee table and saw stacks of heavyweight books. It turns out her dad is a scientist who had spent years studying scholarly articles and weighty tomes attacking the foundations of Christianity.

Over a dinner of pizza and soft drinks, he peppered me for hours with tough objections to the reliability of the New Testament and the divinity of Jesus. While I was able to answer some of his questions, he kept raising issues that I had never even considered. Before long my head was starting to spinand I began to experience spiritual vertigo.

Heres my prediction: if youve never felt this sort of divine disequilibrium, the chances are you willand soon, because challenges to the Christian faith are coming fast and furious in best-selling books, popular magazines, college classrooms, television documentaries, and on the Internet. Your family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues may be influenced by what these skeptics are sayingand they may very well come to you with their doubts and concerns.

Fortunately, there is an antidote for spiritual vertigo. In fact, youre holding it in your hands! Mark Mittelbergs excellent new book, The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask , will equip you to define and defend your faith in the face of a variety of intimidating objections. Reading Marks insightful and practical guide will heighten your sense of confidence and, as a friend of mine likes to say, load your lips with answers to the tricky questions that many Christians fear theyll be asked.

When 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to defend our faithwell, here is the kind of preparation that all of us need. Marks topics include such foundational issues as the existence of God, science versus Christianity, and the reliability of the Bible, but they also cover touchy social topics such as abortion and homosexuality. Marks analysis is always cogent, his answers are always thorough and accurate, and his heart is always inclined toward people sincerely seeking the truth about God.

For more than twenty-three years, Mark and I have been ministry associates and close friends. Weve stood together in front of thousands of people, including skeptics, to answer any and all questions. Weve staged debates between atheists and Christians. Weve trained people on how to share Christ with others and deal with the common objections theyre likely to hear. Some say were joined at the brain. If thats true, then Im the one who has benefited more!

Through it all, Ive consistently been impressed by Marks theological acumen, his gift for articulating clear and compelling answers to the toughest of questions, and his authenticity and personal integrity. You wont find a better teacher to help train you to confidently yet humbly engage in conversations with spiritual seekers.

What happened with the scientist who plunged me into spiritual vertigo so many years ago? Youve raised a lot of good issues, I said at the conclusion of the evening. But I suspect that after two thousand years, you havent come up with the objection thats finally going to topple Christianity. Let me investigate as honestly as I can and get back to you.

And sure enough, as I probed the thorny issues he had raised that night, I was able to find satisfying answers to each and every one of them. But frankly, that process would have been a whole lot easier if I had had the benefit of this invaluable new resource by Mark Mittelberg!

Lee Strobel, author

The Case for Christ and The Case for the Real Jesus

Acknowledgments

Deep thanks to the friends and family who helped and supported me through the writing of this book:

Heidi, Emma Jean, and Matthew, for your faithful encouragement and persistent prayersnot to mention coffee, energy drinks, and snacks at all hours of the day and night. I cant imagine a better family group than you guys!

Lee Strobel, for your friendship and ministry partnership now and over the years, including the endless flow of ideas, enthusiasm, advice, and editorial inputas well as conversational excursions into the worlds of cars, kids, and the latest NBA contest. Borrowing from the movie theme, I aint never had a friend like you!

Brad Mitchell, for your steadfast prayers, encouragement, and friendship through all of lifes ups and downs. I appreciate you immensely.

Several brilliant ministry colleagues: Gretchen Passantino Coburn, Chad Meister, Robert Bowman, Judson Poling, and Garry Poolewhose research and input brought significant shape to these chapters. Thanks also, Chad, for the extra editorial feedback; you are wise beyond your years.

My publishing partners at Tyndaleespecially Jon Farrar, Ron Beers, and Cara Petersonfor your creative direction, support, and patience throughout the writing of this book.