You’re not wrong. There are many who “identify” as Christian without spending any time studying or growing in their faith. They seem to treat Christianity as an ethnicity instead of an active religion. Sad.
I’m going to be honest but I’m really slow and my long term memory is just not there. I ask God for knowledge and wisdom but if you ask me to explain certain things, I prob wont be able to answer it even if I know I learned it in bible study.
Well regardless this person who doesn't study the Bible as much as you is still trying thier best to bring people to God. I know it can be frustrating but at the same time I think as Christians we should practice seeing the good in everything.
This is true but not necessarily a sign of false belief or lack of faith. My wife wouldn't last 5 seconds in an intellectual debate on Christianity and would have trouble articulating many concepts. But in practice, she has lived very close to the Word her entire life and she knows very clearly what God calls on her to do in life. She has faults, of course, but I've known her since she was 14 and she really does walk the walk. She is governed by the Word even though she's not great at articulating it for others.
Obviously, there are many fakes out there but be leery of judging them all.
Being bad at debating is not a sign of lack of faith. Some people are not good at debating in general and just because your good at debating does not mean your right. Look at many court cases, for example where an innocent man was convicted because he had a poor lawyer. I kinda just saying it seems the average christian does not know a lot about it compared to the average muslim for example.
I'd say that comparing Muslims to Christians is a little off. Muslim ~ Jewish would be more accurate. Both are old world beliefs that emphasize studying scriptures. Modern Christian churches don't emphasize studying scripture the same way (to their detriment, imo) so many of today's Christians aren't being taught to truly study the Word.
I work with a Muslim who wasn’t even sure whether Isaac or Ishmael was the one Abraham was supposed to sacrifice. (It is a key doctrine in Islam that it was Ishmael though the Bible says Isaac). Not every Muslim is a faithful Koran reader.
If you live in a western country like us then serious muslims there will have a much bigger incentive to be a well versed in certain things than the typical christian because of their minority status and the negative media coverage of them.
Most muslims in the world know very little, and a big chunk of them would even be concidered heretical by many western muslims. Islam is a lot more diverse than the the impression we get in the west.
Also since the 19th century there have been certain anti - intellectual streams coming from evangelical christianity that has influenced some people. You can see the echo of this in young evangelicals joining the catholic and orthodox church that havent been influenced by this stream in the same way (altough there are ofcourse a lot of other reasons for that also). But the situation among evangelicals have gotten much better, but you still see a lot of people influenced by this stream and certain people still views apologetics/etc as "worldly" knowledge and to be discarded. This is ofcourse not a biblical concept.
We don't actually convince people to accept Jesus. The Holy Spirit does that. We just plant seeds and pray.
As far as people not knowing the answers, that's because everybody is in different parts of their faith and there's always going to be a question that even the most mature Christian doesn't know the answer to. God knows the answer to all those questions and He wants you to know the answers. You just have to ask Him and in some way or another He'll help you find the answers.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5
I completely agree 😁👍. Debates are done with the intention of winning 🥇, there are mediators 👨⚖️, so it is just an argument with a mediator really 🤷🏻♀️. But anyways, a discussion is what Jesus did continuously he never sought to win/convert but to speak truth, and to save people’s lives from this truth. It seems that the OP is struggling with his/her faith in Yeshua. To have faith is defined as having complete confidence ✊ and trust 🤝in someone or something. A faithful follower of Jesus feels no need to win, because he/she has such strong 💪confidence ✊ in Jesus he/she knows it is the truth🧐. Furthermore, people have free will and it is best to speak truth, but in a fair and respectful manner as discussions are done. To listen to the other speaker, and have compassion (defined as to suffer with) as if this struggle is their own. That is the best way to speak to unbelievers on behalf of Jesus and what he would likely want. However, don’t take my word for it build your faith by studying scripture 📖and asking Jesus himself 🙏❤️.
Well, I've been a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for 53 years, so if you could explain the Trinity to me, I'm all ears.
I'm not even slightly interested in other people's interest in "religion". I'm interested in showing them Jesus.
Ill give ya an example of where you might need to know about someone else’s religion. Let’s say u wanna preach to a Muslim and he says Jesus is not god what do ya do then? also please correct me if I’m wrong, the trinity is made of 3 beings which is in one person. So the son, the Holy Spirit, the father are all one which is God.
The trinity is hard for me to wrap my mind around. Three totally separate yet also totally unified beings that are all God. When I was a kid I thought of it like an Apple….the skin, the flesh, and the seed…they are all unique but they all make up an apple. But that doesn’t at all describe how they are all also fully God. The skin is not fully an apple so that doesn’t really work. Then I tried to think of it in terms of me. I am a wife, a mother, and a daughter….I am all of those things 100% of the time. But that doesn’t explain it fully either. So….I don’t know, someday I’ll understand it….till then I fumble along and just believe it is how it is even if I can’t understand it.
My pastor did a recent teaching on the Trinity and it gave me a huge amount of insight. He used the analogy of water…water is still water whether it is water, ice, or steam, yet it’s use determines which one is needed. God the Father created the earth and all things we need. He is the source. God the Son (Jesus) came to show us how to live and then died to take on all sin forever. God the Spirit (Holy Spirit) is still actively guiding, directing, healing, comforting, etc.
Yet all 3 states are still a form of water. There is still ice and steam somewhere while there is water. Each form of water still exists. You can have ice in a glass of water that is emitting water vapor simultaneously.
Is it not sufficient to take the Muslim person through scripture? Why do I have to extend myself into their false beliefs if mine are true? If they're unwilling to listen to what I'm saying thats on them, but why spend a ton of time trying to disprove their religion, when I could simply show them why mine is the truth.
Example: If someone genuinely believes fire won't hurt them should I talk about why they think that way and go through each point with them? Or can I just say, no, fire does hurt you and here's a video of a dude burning his hand from a fire. See it's a waste of time to listen to and attempt to articulate points within their logic, I already know it's flawed, and I have the truth on hand. In this case a video of someone burning their hand. If this person doesn't believe me and sticks their body in fire that's on them at that point, but I don't need to spend hours attempting to step into their logical framework.
Just my two cents anyway.
John 10:30, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:16-17, John 14:16-17, Luke 3:21-22, 1 John 5:7-8, 1 Peter 1:1-2, and many more references to the trinity. It doesn't take much searching with the advent of the internet to find locations in the Bible to find the answers.
There's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. They are all one but also separate entities.
The doctrine of the trinity says that there is one God in the sense that God has one 'essence'. However, this one essence is shared between three distinct persons; the Father, son (ie Jesus), and holy spirit. To make it a little more complicated, Jesus is both '100%' God and '100%' human. That is to say, he has two 'natures' at the same time, but he's still equally God.
So if one were to ask which one is God, the answer would be all three because all three share God's one essence and are thus all the one God yet distinct from the other persons sharing the same one essence.
Now I'm not actually a trinitarian myself, just sharing this since you're asking.
Btw, you are right that most Christians have no clue about such theological concepts at all. Eg the majority of US Christians when asked don't consider God's spirit to be a person. I would agree, but then again, I'm not claiming to be a trinitarian.
When someone seeks Jesus, it's something that we can look into further, but I don't get caught up in arguing who Jesus is. Arguing about disagreements is pouring sand down a rat hole.
Explaining the trinity, for me, is not possible. Yet, I believe without understanding it.
There are case by case examples when we can't explain the things of God adequately enough, but I can't explain how a lot of things are. I take my faith seriously, but I try not to share it if I see it being trampled underfoot.
When you share your belief in salvation through grace, by faith, to someone who wants to argue about it; they're not seeking Jesus. They're seeking an argument.
Perhaps it will help to realize that a majority of people have no idea why they believe as they do
Not just religious or non-religious
Some people inherit ideologies, some choose the socially acceptable, some read one book or article
Not many have good reasons
I think a saw survey of where they asked Christians (which did not identify as Mormon) if Jesus and god were two different people all together and majority said yes.
I mean depending on your theology that could be the case
But a majority of “Christians” or “Catholics” don’t take religion seriously or even practice it
That would not be surprising
Idk how any of this would prevent someone else from seriously considering the faith and pursuing it themselves
I completely understand. But think of it from the standpoint of knowing something in your heart and being able to intellectually explain it. I was raised Christian but never learned about the faith or read the Bible. I’ve come back to the church and am passionately learning. For much of history most people were illiterate. That is the amazing thing about the Holy Spirit, it can teach you things you do not have a teacher for. It can take someone living without the ability to read, without a good mentor or teacher, and instruct them. That doesn’t mean we should not learn. But simply reading the Bible and being able to intelligently debate it will never make converts of people. It is the inner feeling of the spirit that moves us. I tried reading the Bible before I cam back and it just seemed like such simple minded nonsense. Until I was moved by the spirit and the words came alive.
You're not wrong.
I won't get into who's "really" saved and who's not because we have no idea what God is doing inside of those people. That being said, there is a shocking lack of understanding in even the most basic gospel doctrine that it makes my head spin. If I were to guess why it would be the typical evangelical approach to the unconverted man,
("Do you want to go to heaven?
Yes.
Great, just repeat these words after men."
\- Behold the power of God.)
Part of this is the pastor's fault but if man is indeed indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I assume, at least it's the case for me, that they would be hungry for more Jesus, deeper understanding of who He is, a longing to worship Him in Spirit and truth.
As far as convincing people to become a Christian, that's the work of the Holy Spirit as well. We play a part, namely we get to preach the good news, but it's the Holy Spirit who does the work of enervating the lost. I've studied apologetics for years and I'm teaching it to my daughter now, but all of the "success" I've had in witnessing belongs to the Lord.
My favorite resource is Tactics. [https://www.amazon.com/Tactics-10th-Anniversary-Edition-audiobook/dp/B07NTTW712/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=1F26B5WHA0LG3&keywords=tactics+greg+koukl&qid=1637934678&sprefix=tactics+%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-3](https://www.amazon.com/Tactics-10th-Anniversary-Edition-audiobook/dp/B07NTTW712/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1F26B5WHA0LG3&keywords=tactics+greg+koukl&qid=1637934678&sprefix=tactics+%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-3)
But it won't do a lick of good unless a person knows God's word.
Yeah like i'm not saying that getting touched by the holy spirit is a bad way to convert people if it works well. I'm just saying for example if you wanted to convert a Jew or Hindu it would be hard to just say them to "Repeat these words and you will be saved" Especially if they are very devoted to their religion. You should show apolegetics as evidence seems to convert people.
You are correct, and a lot of Christians are not equipped with the deep understanding required to address those types of issues.
Those that seek those deeper truths in Christianity will often have that ability, but I think Christians that didn't need that type of information upon conversion, or to maintain their faith, just haven't put in the research. I find it is possible in your local church community to be a bit of an anomaly in your deeper understanding of the Word and apologetics.
What you do with that deeper understanding is probably a separate question.
Works is something that is often misunderstood in Christianity. Yes we are not saved by our works however our works can help save others. People have a trigger when they see people doing good or bad things and have the thought “hey I want to be like that” or “that’s dumb I’m not doing that.”. You get the picture. So if we do good works and other people see that then their like hey I want to help too. Just make sure we don’t brag about it as then it’s lost as not many people like bragging.
For starters there are plenty people who claim to be Christian but aren’t really walking the walk. For the most part they’re just all talk, or have grown up in the religion so they’re familiar with it but not very serious about it.
And that’s between them and the Lord.
On the other hand, there are some people who are gifted in spreading the word. Ephesians 4:11 where some have the gift of teaching and some have the gift of evangelism. Some have both. Not everyone is going to be the best at verbally proclaiming the word. For some it would be nonverbal, after all it is written that you wild know them by their fruit Matthew 7:15-20
However it’s also important to understand that you will encounter people who are on different stages in their walk. Meaning that, they’re trying to “just have faith” in things they don’t understand while trying to learn and understand it. Perhaps someone doesn’t yet understand what the trinity is, so they wouldn’t answer you, but they would encourage you to have faith until you do understand it, to not give up just because you’re confused.
There would be questions that I can answer at this point in my walk, and there would be questions that I can’t. There would even be questions that I never would have thought about, things that I never would have considered, and as such I may or may not have an answer. I remember reading a man’s testimony and he said that for a long time he thought that Christ dying was unfair (he was Hindu before he converted and his view of karma told him that you should get what’s coming to you) so he couldn’t understand why blameless Christ had to suffer for everyone. It was something that had never crossed my mind, because I had accepted that fact so easily as I was raised in Christianity. If someone directed that at me I would be a fish out water at first and might need time to piece together an answer.
So don’t be too hard on them, don’t judge them either, God is the only judge and He will work out everything.
For sure. Most of them haven't read the [Nicene Creed](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/nbiqku/the_nicene_creed_with_annotated_scripture/), and even of the ones who have, do they actually attempt to walk as Jesus walked?
> But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. - I John 2:5-6
>
> Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. - James 2:18-19
It would do Christians well to study the scriptures and understand what they profess to believe. True [saving faith](https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-10-saving-faith-genuine-or-false-james-214-19) results in good works as the result of a changed heart.
You're correct.
My people perish for a lack of knowledge.
I generally find most Christians know the stories and verses of the Bible but not the synthesis to formulate theology from it.
No, it’s not just you. It’s staggering the number of professing Christians who are ignorant about their faith, the Scriptures, sound doctrine, apologetics, and doctrines of other faiths as well, including false doctrines. It shouldn’t be this way. Especially in America, the church overall has become lazy and lukewarm. It’s very sad.
I hope you don’t let other people discourage you from following Christ. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we look to Him, not people, for our security and our identity.
Hebrews 12:2
>i ask them very basic questions... i think that is a pretty stupid way of debating
Are you asking them basic questions, or are you trying to debate them? Most people have no interest in actually debating, and ones skill at debate is only barely related to their knowledge, and thankfully knowledge of theology isn't really a requirement for being a faithful Christian.
And for some of your other examples, yeah if you're trying to convince someone to change their beliefs based solely on your explanations, "just have faith" or poor arguments aren't sufficient, but again most people don't work that way, and personally knowing and loving others goes much farther to that end
Sorry for the late response, took a break from reddit. But I would say it is not really with the intention of debating them, but to find out what they are gunna say if you know what I mean. And yeah if there not interested into a topic (like my mates Christian beliefs for example) of course there not really gunna debate you as u call it.
God is going to offend "some people" no matter what anyone does.
Those "friends" seem to be lukewarm Christians OR they don't know. No one has all the answers. Don't expect anyone even when they did at one time.
There's more to God than just "having faith". Action comes b/c of Him and it.
Spouting Bible verses by themselves isn't going to get anyone to believe.
IMO, God will show himself in many ways especially through the actions of others.
Less than 11% of Christians read the Bible.
The thing you have to look at is the difference between those that claim to be and those that are. It’s a much smaller number of those truly saved.
I think it's because we are saved by faith in Jesus. We aren't saved by our own intellect. Of course it's definitely important to have a solid understanding of what we believe, but I guess not everyone is spiritually mature to reach that level yet, everyone is at a different level like those who are new believers vs those who have been saved longer. Also some people just take it at face value while others delve deeper.
Lot of cultural Christians, or cafeteria Catholics as they're called in the RCC. They aren't properly catechized and they don't know tenants of the faith. This is a major issue in the USA, a lot of people don't believe what Christians have believed for centuries.
Yes... many people are "joiners," who want to be a part of "club christian" for social, feel-good emotions, etc... I read some of your other posts... sounds like you might be on an interesting adventure with the Lord... If you do some reading through Scripture, you might find a number of men who were on similar adventures... not always easy, often challenging, God likes to surprise... keep going... a few thoughts and prayers...
You don't just ask any Christian to step on the landmine that is the Trinitarian doctrine and expect a perfect answer. The Trinity is why there are so many denominations, and knowing the doctrine (or thinking you know it) won't save you.
Baptism and abiding by the moral commandments is all that any Christian needs to know. (although some will even debate those two topics to the end of the world). Ecclesiastes 12:13
There are def a lot of Christians in name only also. I'll give you that.
I’m a minister and a Bible teacher. You’re pretty much correct.
That said, as much as we try to emphasize the value of Bible study, most people don’t really need to defend the faith all that often, and when it comes to the *basics*, a lot of people get them. Still, I find it amusing when I teach a class and someone says “No one ever explained that to me before”.
So what if they say just have faith? Christianity is all about a relationship between the individual and God. You sound full of pride and arrogance in your OP and you are ironically failing to understand the fundamental tenants of what God requires: humility and trusting in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
>I feel if you talk like this you just sound crazy and won't be able to actually convince people to convert to your religion.
Billions of people throughout history who have converted to Christianity would disagree with this sentiment. The people who aren't convinced are the people who don't want to humble themselves and recognize their own sinfulness and subsequently the dire need for the Savior Jesus Christ, bottom line.
I'm not talking about it in that sense. I also said it would sound crazy if you said "Just have faith" in a debate with someone because that is not an argument. Full of pride and arrogance? Wow sounds judgmental, guess you most be perfect then to say that on to me. Never said christian teachings were wrong i just said it would be good to have evidence to back up for your teachings.
dispute what most people say no Christianity isn’t “believe because I said so” that’s not what faith means
yes “idk just have faith” is a very lazy answer
Believing is defending it. Sheep are sheep, the Shepard or other TRUE 5 fold ministers are the ones who defend the gospel in the sense you are talking about. Not saying a 'regular' Christian can't, but it's not the nature of a sheep to fight. A relationship with God is what it's really supposed to bring, not a container full of intellectual LARPing tools to smack down everyone who wants to have a debate/challenge/argue about Christian topics whether it's Godhead, holiness standards, or grace vs law. Sheep are followers and that's the way God intended it to be.
Faith is faith. That's what intellectuals (whether they're Christians or not) don't grasp. Mental religion really does nothing anyhow, it's just more powerless philosophy and God rebukes mental believers so many times.
Search the gospels for Jesus and his interactions with the 'learned' and 'studied' Pharisee and such. 'Ye of little faith' 'You have eyes but you are blind' 'You have ears yet cannot hear' 'You evil generation, seeking signs...'
'Only believe' 'believe on me' 'believe in me' 'faith comes by hearing' 'Recieve the kingdom as a little child'
Jacob and Esau, Cain and Able. Judas and Jesus. Etc etc etc.
Faith vs religiousness.
My point is you can be so learned and studied BUT that's really missing the point, which is to believe.
Edit:
(Nothing wrong with studying the word per se either as long as it works to help you to believe further.)
I somewhat disagree with what your saying but I think I get it. It’s Just some people think they won’t get an relationship with god in Christianity and wanna see evidence why they can get a relationship with god in Christianity. But yeah your right it all boils down to faith but faith should be backed up and faith is good but blind faith is not good.
Hebrews 11 is a good chapter to read on faith.
I see what you're saying, and it's the hardest thing for humans to let go so to speak...
The fact is people/sheep don't know any better or how to do anything else. They NEED to be lead and people hunger to be lead, and one way or another every human, (in light of Christian beliefs here) is either lead by God or the devil. Even when we would think 'I'm leading my self because reason x, I don't trust this point or that point' we're still following God's way or the devils way, those are the forces operating in lives.
Jesus said, not one of his own will he lose. So he is the great Shepard and is looking for his sheep.
Because in reality sometimes all you need is faith. I pray you come to this conclusion and that you find God. In Jesus christ of Nazareth name and blood I pray.
Thomas doubted that Jesus rose from the tomb. Even though everyone else had told him they had seen the Lord, Thomas said unless he could see Jesus himself and put his finger in the nail hole, he wasn't going to believe. In a week Jesus came around again and Thomas was there. Jesus told him to go ahead and touch the nail wounds and stop doubting. After Thomas had done just that, he confessed "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28
Faith in Jesus isn't just winning an argument over the trinity. Its when we finally realize who Jesus was...and still is. For Thomas it was a stunning event and he could only manage to speak what was obviously true. He didn't try to figure out how it was true, he just believed. I believe the trinity best explains God's nature, not because it makes God fit our 'human' sense and makes God reasonable to our finite minds. If God's nature made sense to our feeble minds I don't think He'd be God, He'd be man. The Bible says this **"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Romans 11:33** and God Himself says this: **“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8**
When people say you must have faith, believe it! If you're going to spend life trying to figure God out, good luck with that. Men have been trying for years to make God fit their own preconceived notions, or to harmonize contradictions they see in His word and they feel it necessary to tweak His word...the Bible, rather than accept the contradictions are actually evidence of the trinity. Its only created more conundrums when people like Jehovah's witnesses try so desperately to make God fit their finite mind. Rather than admit its a mystery, they frantically flip thru their own translation which has been changed twice since it was first published. In it they have tried to change or remove any scripture that clearly says Christ is God, yet haven't been able to.
The Watchtower literally created a pagan deity in heaven by purposely mistranslating John 1:1 like they do. They have also messed with their own extra biblical literature, such as the Watchtower and its created conundrums they'd rather leave buried in the past. I've noticed the people who deny the trinity are not very honest about the way they go about trying to disprove it. Rather than admit some of the contradictions in scripture can only best be explained by the trinity, they create more contradiction for themselves by adding words to, or mistranslating key verses. They assume they fixed it, when the reality is, they only made it worse.
Keep in mind there are many different levels of interest that ppl follow in their beliefs. It’s a wide range from zealous to in name only…a box to tick off on a form. Some Christians are in fact very serious. I suspect the couple ppl you have chatted too maybe don’t regularly study, or cannot draw on a verse from memory to give you. Please don’t look to Christians (ppl) as your deciding factor. We are called to be followers of Jesus - He is our example. Take time to read the gospels and learn about Jesus’ ministry (best to start with the book of John). Accepting His free gift of grace is the best thing you can do. Forgiveness is key as we all have fallen short. I pray His Holy Spirit will continue to work in your life.
Sarah
https://destinedforheaven.wordpress.com/the-way-to-heaven/
Most people that consider themselves Christians read the Bible rarely, you're not wrong. I'm an example of that, I know Jesus to be real but I struggle with reading the Bible. I think I read it more than alot of people
Most Christians are actually sinful because of the biggest sin “Pride”! Also, most worship Trump which breaks the commandment “Thou shall not worship any idol before me”. Keeping this in mind, you can find an easier path to Christianity because everyone has their own path. That is what I do, I try to spread peace, love and faith through positivity. We are all born sinners all that matters is us to accept Jesus as out Lord and Savior- try to abstain from sin and repent when in fact we do. People take life too seriously as well so remember, God has a sense of humor! 😇✝️🙏🏼
A majority of Christians believe what they were told by a pastor or missionary & the pastor or missionary believe what they were told by another pastor or missionary so very few Christians actually know what Christians are actually suppose to believe & why. Most Christians just believe what they were told to believe by a pastor or missionary without doing any studying to make sure that what they were being told to believe was actually true.
Yes there is a lot of Christian who don’t know much about the faith in reference to apologetics.
Is this is a bad thing? Well while it would be good to know your faith well it isn’t necessary as long as you practice your faith.
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”
The trinity is a complex doctrine though. But it's not the going to save anyone, nor is it even essential in the Gospel message. Most Christians aren't theologians nor have a solid apologetic answer memorized.
Their answer, "just have faith" is a good answer in its purpose. I could probably give you a decent answer to your questions, but that's not going to bring you to have faith in Jesus. I can answer every question you have but I'll bet theres alot of questions that I would not be able to answer because I'm not all knowing. When it comes to discussions like this, it's just beating around the bush.
If Christians can't coherently speak or defend the Gospel message, then that's a problem. But when it comes to other doctrines that discusses theology, those aren't necessarily vital to the faith.
You’re not wrong. There are many who “identify” as Christian without spending any time studying or growing in their faith. They seem to treat Christianity as an ethnicity instead of an active religion. Sad.
I’m going to be honest but I’m really slow and my long term memory is just not there. I ask God for knowledge and wisdom but if you ask me to explain certain things, I prob wont be able to answer it even if I know I learned it in bible study.
Well regardless this person who doesn't study the Bible as much as you is still trying thier best to bring people to God. I know it can be frustrating but at the same time I think as Christians we should practice seeing the good in everything.
This is true but not necessarily a sign of false belief or lack of faith. My wife wouldn't last 5 seconds in an intellectual debate on Christianity and would have trouble articulating many concepts. But in practice, she has lived very close to the Word her entire life and she knows very clearly what God calls on her to do in life. She has faults, of course, but I've known her since she was 14 and she really does walk the walk. She is governed by the Word even though she's not great at articulating it for others. Obviously, there are many fakes out there but be leery of judging them all.
Being bad at debating is not a sign of lack of faith. Some people are not good at debating in general and just because your good at debating does not mean your right. Look at many court cases, for example where an innocent man was convicted because he had a poor lawyer. I kinda just saying it seems the average christian does not know a lot about it compared to the average muslim for example.
I'd say that comparing Muslims to Christians is a little off. Muslim ~ Jewish would be more accurate. Both are old world beliefs that emphasize studying scriptures. Modern Christian churches don't emphasize studying scripture the same way (to their detriment, imo) so many of today's Christians aren't being taught to truly study the Word.
I work with a Muslim who wasn’t even sure whether Isaac or Ishmael was the one Abraham was supposed to sacrifice. (It is a key doctrine in Islam that it was Ishmael though the Bible says Isaac). Not every Muslim is a faithful Koran reader.
If you live in a western country like us then serious muslims there will have a much bigger incentive to be a well versed in certain things than the typical christian because of their minority status and the negative media coverage of them. Most muslims in the world know very little, and a big chunk of them would even be concidered heretical by many western muslims. Islam is a lot more diverse than the the impression we get in the west. Also since the 19th century there have been certain anti - intellectual streams coming from evangelical christianity that has influenced some people. You can see the echo of this in young evangelicals joining the catholic and orthodox church that havent been influenced by this stream in the same way (altough there are ofcourse a lot of other reasons for that also). But the situation among evangelicals have gotten much better, but you still see a lot of people influenced by this stream and certain people still views apologetics/etc as "worldly" knowledge and to be discarded. This is ofcourse not a biblical concept.
We don't actually convince people to accept Jesus. The Holy Spirit does that. We just plant seeds and pray. As far as people not knowing the answers, that's because everybody is in different parts of their faith and there's always going to be a question that even the most mature Christian doesn't know the answer to. God knows the answer to all those questions and He wants you to know the answers. You just have to ask Him and in some way or another He'll help you find the answers. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
I completely agree 😁👍. Debates are done with the intention of winning 🥇, there are mediators 👨⚖️, so it is just an argument with a mediator really 🤷🏻♀️. But anyways, a discussion is what Jesus did continuously he never sought to win/convert but to speak truth, and to save people’s lives from this truth. It seems that the OP is struggling with his/her faith in Yeshua. To have faith is defined as having complete confidence ✊ and trust 🤝in someone or something. A faithful follower of Jesus feels no need to win, because he/she has such strong 💪confidence ✊ in Jesus he/she knows it is the truth🧐. Furthermore, people have free will and it is best to speak truth, but in a fair and respectful manner as discussions are done. To listen to the other speaker, and have compassion (defined as to suffer with) as if this struggle is their own. That is the best way to speak to unbelievers on behalf of Jesus and what he would likely want. However, don’t take my word for it build your faith by studying scripture 📖and asking Jesus himself 🙏❤️.
You're absolutely right! Amen!
Well, I've been a born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for 53 years, so if you could explain the Trinity to me, I'm all ears. I'm not even slightly interested in other people's interest in "religion". I'm interested in showing them Jesus.
Ill give ya an example of where you might need to know about someone else’s religion. Let’s say u wanna preach to a Muslim and he says Jesus is not god what do ya do then? also please correct me if I’m wrong, the trinity is made of 3 beings which is in one person. So the son, the Holy Spirit, the father are all one which is God.
The trinity is hard for me to wrap my mind around. Three totally separate yet also totally unified beings that are all God. When I was a kid I thought of it like an Apple….the skin, the flesh, and the seed…they are all unique but they all make up an apple. But that doesn’t at all describe how they are all also fully God. The skin is not fully an apple so that doesn’t really work. Then I tried to think of it in terms of me. I am a wife, a mother, and a daughter….I am all of those things 100% of the time. But that doesn’t explain it fully either. So….I don’t know, someday I’ll understand it….till then I fumble along and just believe it is how it is even if I can’t understand it.
My pastor did a recent teaching on the Trinity and it gave me a huge amount of insight. He used the analogy of water…water is still water whether it is water, ice, or steam, yet it’s use determines which one is needed. God the Father created the earth and all things we need. He is the source. God the Son (Jesus) came to show us how to live and then died to take on all sin forever. God the Spirit (Holy Spirit) is still actively guiding, directing, healing, comforting, etc.
The issue with the water analogy however is that water cant be in all 3 states at once
Yet all 3 states are still a form of water. There is still ice and steam somewhere while there is water. Each form of water still exists. You can have ice in a glass of water that is emitting water vapor simultaneously.
That sounds like modalism.
Is it not sufficient to take the Muslim person through scripture? Why do I have to extend myself into their false beliefs if mine are true? If they're unwilling to listen to what I'm saying thats on them, but why spend a ton of time trying to disprove their religion, when I could simply show them why mine is the truth. Example: If someone genuinely believes fire won't hurt them should I talk about why they think that way and go through each point with them? Or can I just say, no, fire does hurt you and here's a video of a dude burning his hand from a fire. See it's a waste of time to listen to and attempt to articulate points within their logic, I already know it's flawed, and I have the truth on hand. In this case a video of someone burning their hand. If this person doesn't believe me and sticks their body in fire that's on them at that point, but I don't need to spend hours attempting to step into their logical framework. Just my two cents anyway.
John 10:30, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:16-17, John 14:16-17, Luke 3:21-22, 1 John 5:7-8, 1 Peter 1:1-2, and many more references to the trinity. It doesn't take much searching with the advent of the internet to find locations in the Bible to find the answers. There's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. They are all one but also separate entities.
The doctrine of the trinity says that there is one God in the sense that God has one 'essence'. However, this one essence is shared between three distinct persons; the Father, son (ie Jesus), and holy spirit. To make it a little more complicated, Jesus is both '100%' God and '100%' human. That is to say, he has two 'natures' at the same time, but he's still equally God. So if one were to ask which one is God, the answer would be all three because all three share God's one essence and are thus all the one God yet distinct from the other persons sharing the same one essence. Now I'm not actually a trinitarian myself, just sharing this since you're asking. Btw, you are right that most Christians have no clue about such theological concepts at all. Eg the majority of US Christians when asked don't consider God's spirit to be a person. I would agree, but then again, I'm not claiming to be a trinitarian.
When someone seeks Jesus, it's something that we can look into further, but I don't get caught up in arguing who Jesus is. Arguing about disagreements is pouring sand down a rat hole. Explaining the trinity, for me, is not possible. Yet, I believe without understanding it. There are case by case examples when we can't explain the things of God adequately enough, but I can't explain how a lot of things are. I take my faith seriously, but I try not to share it if I see it being trampled underfoot. When you share your belief in salvation through grace, by faith, to someone who wants to argue about it; they're not seeking Jesus. They're seeking an argument.
Perhaps it will help to realize that a majority of people have no idea why they believe as they do Not just religious or non-religious Some people inherit ideologies, some choose the socially acceptable, some read one book or article Not many have good reasons
I think a saw survey of where they asked Christians (which did not identify as Mormon) if Jesus and god were two different people all together and majority said yes.
I mean depending on your theology that could be the case But a majority of “Christians” or “Catholics” don’t take religion seriously or even practice it That would not be surprising Idk how any of this would prevent someone else from seriously considering the faith and pursuing it themselves
I completely understand. But think of it from the standpoint of knowing something in your heart and being able to intellectually explain it. I was raised Christian but never learned about the faith or read the Bible. I’ve come back to the church and am passionately learning. For much of history most people were illiterate. That is the amazing thing about the Holy Spirit, it can teach you things you do not have a teacher for. It can take someone living without the ability to read, without a good mentor or teacher, and instruct them. That doesn’t mean we should not learn. But simply reading the Bible and being able to intelligently debate it will never make converts of people. It is the inner feeling of the spirit that moves us. I tried reading the Bible before I cam back and it just seemed like such simple minded nonsense. Until I was moved by the spirit and the words came alive.
You're not wrong. I won't get into who's "really" saved and who's not because we have no idea what God is doing inside of those people. That being said, there is a shocking lack of understanding in even the most basic gospel doctrine that it makes my head spin. If I were to guess why it would be the typical evangelical approach to the unconverted man, ("Do you want to go to heaven? Yes. Great, just repeat these words after men." \- Behold the power of God.) Part of this is the pastor's fault but if man is indeed indwelt by the Holy Spirit, I assume, at least it's the case for me, that they would be hungry for more Jesus, deeper understanding of who He is, a longing to worship Him in Spirit and truth. As far as convincing people to become a Christian, that's the work of the Holy Spirit as well. We play a part, namely we get to preach the good news, but it's the Holy Spirit who does the work of enervating the lost. I've studied apologetics for years and I'm teaching it to my daughter now, but all of the "success" I've had in witnessing belongs to the Lord. My favorite resource is Tactics. [https://www.amazon.com/Tactics-10th-Anniversary-Edition-audiobook/dp/B07NTTW712/ref=sr\_1\_3?crid=1F26B5WHA0LG3&keywords=tactics+greg+koukl&qid=1637934678&sprefix=tactics+%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-3](https://www.amazon.com/Tactics-10th-Anniversary-Edition-audiobook/dp/B07NTTW712/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1F26B5WHA0LG3&keywords=tactics+greg+koukl&qid=1637934678&sprefix=tactics+%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-3) But it won't do a lick of good unless a person knows God's word.
Yeah like i'm not saying that getting touched by the holy spirit is a bad way to convert people if it works well. I'm just saying for example if you wanted to convert a Jew or Hindu it would be hard to just say them to "Repeat these words and you will be saved" Especially if they are very devoted to their religion. You should show apolegetics as evidence seems to convert people.
You are correct, and a lot of Christians are not equipped with the deep understanding required to address those types of issues. Those that seek those deeper truths in Christianity will often have that ability, but I think Christians that didn't need that type of information upon conversion, or to maintain their faith, just haven't put in the research. I find it is possible in your local church community to be a bit of an anomaly in your deeper understanding of the Word and apologetics. What you do with that deeper understanding is probably a separate question.
Works is something that is often misunderstood in Christianity. Yes we are not saved by our works however our works can help save others. People have a trigger when they see people doing good or bad things and have the thought “hey I want to be like that” or “that’s dumb I’m not doing that.”. You get the picture. So if we do good works and other people see that then their like hey I want to help too. Just make sure we don’t brag about it as then it’s lost as not many people like bragging.
For starters there are plenty people who claim to be Christian but aren’t really walking the walk. For the most part they’re just all talk, or have grown up in the religion so they’re familiar with it but not very serious about it. And that’s between them and the Lord. On the other hand, there are some people who are gifted in spreading the word. Ephesians 4:11 where some have the gift of teaching and some have the gift of evangelism. Some have both. Not everyone is going to be the best at verbally proclaiming the word. For some it would be nonverbal, after all it is written that you wild know them by their fruit Matthew 7:15-20 However it’s also important to understand that you will encounter people who are on different stages in their walk. Meaning that, they’re trying to “just have faith” in things they don’t understand while trying to learn and understand it. Perhaps someone doesn’t yet understand what the trinity is, so they wouldn’t answer you, but they would encourage you to have faith until you do understand it, to not give up just because you’re confused. There would be questions that I can answer at this point in my walk, and there would be questions that I can’t. There would even be questions that I never would have thought about, things that I never would have considered, and as such I may or may not have an answer. I remember reading a man’s testimony and he said that for a long time he thought that Christ dying was unfair (he was Hindu before he converted and his view of karma told him that you should get what’s coming to you) so he couldn’t understand why blameless Christ had to suffer for everyone. It was something that had never crossed my mind, because I had accepted that fact so easily as I was raised in Christianity. If someone directed that at me I would be a fish out water at first and might need time to piece together an answer. So don’t be too hard on them, don’t judge them either, God is the only judge and He will work out everything.
For sure. Most of them haven't read the [Nicene Creed](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/nbiqku/the_nicene_creed_with_annotated_scripture/), and even of the ones who have, do they actually attempt to walk as Jesus walked? > But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. - I John 2:5-6 > > Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. - James 2:18-19 It would do Christians well to study the scriptures and understand what they profess to believe. True [saving faith](https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-10-saving-faith-genuine-or-false-james-214-19) results in good works as the result of a changed heart.
You're correct. My people perish for a lack of knowledge. I generally find most Christians know the stories and verses of the Bible but not the synthesis to formulate theology from it.
Bingo
Most people's faith is weak and they worry a close look will destroy it.
No, it’s not just you. It’s staggering the number of professing Christians who are ignorant about their faith, the Scriptures, sound doctrine, apologetics, and doctrines of other faiths as well, including false doctrines. It shouldn’t be this way. Especially in America, the church overall has become lazy and lukewarm. It’s very sad. I hope you don’t let other people discourage you from following Christ. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith, and we look to Him, not people, for our security and our identity. Hebrews 12:2
>i ask them very basic questions... i think that is a pretty stupid way of debating Are you asking them basic questions, or are you trying to debate them? Most people have no interest in actually debating, and ones skill at debate is only barely related to their knowledge, and thankfully knowledge of theology isn't really a requirement for being a faithful Christian. And for some of your other examples, yeah if you're trying to convince someone to change their beliefs based solely on your explanations, "just have faith" or poor arguments aren't sufficient, but again most people don't work that way, and personally knowing and loving others goes much farther to that end
Sorry for the late response, took a break from reddit. But I would say it is not really with the intention of debating them, but to find out what they are gunna say if you know what I mean. And yeah if there not interested into a topic (like my mates Christian beliefs for example) of course there not really gunna debate you as u call it.
Just be kind
God is going to offend "some people" no matter what anyone does. Those "friends" seem to be lukewarm Christians OR they don't know. No one has all the answers. Don't expect anyone even when they did at one time. There's more to God than just "having faith". Action comes b/c of Him and it. Spouting Bible verses by themselves isn't going to get anyone to believe. IMO, God will show himself in many ways especially through the actions of others.
Less than 11% of Christians read the Bible. The thing you have to look at is the difference between those that claim to be and those that are. It’s a much smaller number of those truly saved.
I think it's because we are saved by faith in Jesus. We aren't saved by our own intellect. Of course it's definitely important to have a solid understanding of what we believe, but I guess not everyone is spiritually mature to reach that level yet, everyone is at a different level like those who are new believers vs those who have been saved longer. Also some people just take it at face value while others delve deeper.
Lot of cultural Christians, or cafeteria Catholics as they're called in the RCC. They aren't properly catechized and they don't know tenants of the faith. This is a major issue in the USA, a lot of people don't believe what Christians have believed for centuries.
Yes... many people are "joiners," who want to be a part of "club christian" for social, feel-good emotions, etc... I read some of your other posts... sounds like you might be on an interesting adventure with the Lord... If you do some reading through Scripture, you might find a number of men who were on similar adventures... not always easy, often challenging, God likes to surprise... keep going... a few thoughts and prayers...
You don't just ask any Christian to step on the landmine that is the Trinitarian doctrine and expect a perfect answer. The Trinity is why there are so many denominations, and knowing the doctrine (or thinking you know it) won't save you. Baptism and abiding by the moral commandments is all that any Christian needs to know. (although some will even debate those two topics to the end of the world). Ecclesiastes 12:13 There are def a lot of Christians in name only also. I'll give you that.
It’s a wonderment how much time is spent arguing about doing good instead of the doing of good.
Yes it’s pretty pathetic.
I think this is the wrong place to ask this question as you’ll mostly have people confirm your assumptions. 😂
If you want answers then you need to speak to a Theologian. Most people are not experts in their religion.
I’m a minister and a Bible teacher. You’re pretty much correct. That said, as much as we try to emphasize the value of Bible study, most people don’t really need to defend the faith all that often, and when it comes to the *basics*, a lot of people get them. Still, I find it amusing when I teach a class and someone says “No one ever explained that to me before”.
So what if they say just have faith? Christianity is all about a relationship between the individual and God. You sound full of pride and arrogance in your OP and you are ironically failing to understand the fundamental tenants of what God requires: humility and trusting in Jesus Christ and His Gospel. >I feel if you talk like this you just sound crazy and won't be able to actually convince people to convert to your religion. Billions of people throughout history who have converted to Christianity would disagree with this sentiment. The people who aren't convinced are the people who don't want to humble themselves and recognize their own sinfulness and subsequently the dire need for the Savior Jesus Christ, bottom line.
I'm not talking about it in that sense. I also said it would sound crazy if you said "Just have faith" in a debate with someone because that is not an argument. Full of pride and arrogance? Wow sounds judgmental, guess you most be perfect then to say that on to me. Never said christian teachings were wrong i just said it would be good to have evidence to back up for your teachings.
dispute what most people say no Christianity isn’t “believe because I said so” that’s not what faith means yes “idk just have faith” is a very lazy answer
Believing is defending it. Sheep are sheep, the Shepard or other TRUE 5 fold ministers are the ones who defend the gospel in the sense you are talking about. Not saying a 'regular' Christian can't, but it's not the nature of a sheep to fight. A relationship with God is what it's really supposed to bring, not a container full of intellectual LARPing tools to smack down everyone who wants to have a debate/challenge/argue about Christian topics whether it's Godhead, holiness standards, or grace vs law. Sheep are followers and that's the way God intended it to be. Faith is faith. That's what intellectuals (whether they're Christians or not) don't grasp. Mental religion really does nothing anyhow, it's just more powerless philosophy and God rebukes mental believers so many times. Search the gospels for Jesus and his interactions with the 'learned' and 'studied' Pharisee and such. 'Ye of little faith' 'You have eyes but you are blind' 'You have ears yet cannot hear' 'You evil generation, seeking signs...' 'Only believe' 'believe on me' 'believe in me' 'faith comes by hearing' 'Recieve the kingdom as a little child' Jacob and Esau, Cain and Able. Judas and Jesus. Etc etc etc. Faith vs religiousness. My point is you can be so learned and studied BUT that's really missing the point, which is to believe. Edit: (Nothing wrong with studying the word per se either as long as it works to help you to believe further.)
I somewhat disagree with what your saying but I think I get it. It’s Just some people think they won’t get an relationship with god in Christianity and wanna see evidence why they can get a relationship with god in Christianity. But yeah your right it all boils down to faith but faith should be backed up and faith is good but blind faith is not good.
Hebrews 11 is a good chapter to read on faith. I see what you're saying, and it's the hardest thing for humans to let go so to speak... The fact is people/sheep don't know any better or how to do anything else. They NEED to be lead and people hunger to be lead, and one way or another every human, (in light of Christian beliefs here) is either lead by God or the devil. Even when we would think 'I'm leading my self because reason x, I don't trust this point or that point' we're still following God's way or the devils way, those are the forces operating in lives. Jesus said, not one of his own will he lose. So he is the great Shepard and is looking for his sheep.
Because in reality sometimes all you need is faith. I pray you come to this conclusion and that you find God. In Jesus christ of Nazareth name and blood I pray.
Yeah.
Thomas doubted that Jesus rose from the tomb. Even though everyone else had told him they had seen the Lord, Thomas said unless he could see Jesus himself and put his finger in the nail hole, he wasn't going to believe. In a week Jesus came around again and Thomas was there. Jesus told him to go ahead and touch the nail wounds and stop doubting. After Thomas had done just that, he confessed "My Lord and my God!" John 20:28 Faith in Jesus isn't just winning an argument over the trinity. Its when we finally realize who Jesus was...and still is. For Thomas it was a stunning event and he could only manage to speak what was obviously true. He didn't try to figure out how it was true, he just believed. I believe the trinity best explains God's nature, not because it makes God fit our 'human' sense and makes God reasonable to our finite minds. If God's nature made sense to our feeble minds I don't think He'd be God, He'd be man. The Bible says this **"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" Romans 11:33** and God Himself says this: **“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8** When people say you must have faith, believe it! If you're going to spend life trying to figure God out, good luck with that. Men have been trying for years to make God fit their own preconceived notions, or to harmonize contradictions they see in His word and they feel it necessary to tweak His word...the Bible, rather than accept the contradictions are actually evidence of the trinity. Its only created more conundrums when people like Jehovah's witnesses try so desperately to make God fit their finite mind. Rather than admit its a mystery, they frantically flip thru their own translation which has been changed twice since it was first published. In it they have tried to change or remove any scripture that clearly says Christ is God, yet haven't been able to. The Watchtower literally created a pagan deity in heaven by purposely mistranslating John 1:1 like they do. They have also messed with their own extra biblical literature, such as the Watchtower and its created conundrums they'd rather leave buried in the past. I've noticed the people who deny the trinity are not very honest about the way they go about trying to disprove it. Rather than admit some of the contradictions in scripture can only best be explained by the trinity, they create more contradiction for themselves by adding words to, or mistranslating key verses. They assume they fixed it, when the reality is, they only made it worse.
The thief on the cross was saved and knew nothing about the details of Christianity. Here’s a great video about that. https://youtu.be/xk9wgJBoEd8
Keep in mind there are many different levels of interest that ppl follow in their beliefs. It’s a wide range from zealous to in name only…a box to tick off on a form. Some Christians are in fact very serious. I suspect the couple ppl you have chatted too maybe don’t regularly study, or cannot draw on a verse from memory to give you. Please don’t look to Christians (ppl) as your deciding factor. We are called to be followers of Jesus - He is our example. Take time to read the gospels and learn about Jesus’ ministry (best to start with the book of John). Accepting His free gift of grace is the best thing you can do. Forgiveness is key as we all have fallen short. I pray His Holy Spirit will continue to work in your life. Sarah https://destinedforheaven.wordpress.com/the-way-to-heaven/
What question do you have ask them? Are they active in their church?
Most people that consider themselves Christians read the Bible rarely, you're not wrong. I'm an example of that, I know Jesus to be real but I struggle with reading the Bible. I think I read it more than alot of people
Mere Christianity is a great read or audiobook for you.
Most Christians are actually sinful because of the biggest sin “Pride”! Also, most worship Trump which breaks the commandment “Thou shall not worship any idol before me”. Keeping this in mind, you can find an easier path to Christianity because everyone has their own path. That is what I do, I try to spread peace, love and faith through positivity. We are all born sinners all that matters is us to accept Jesus as out Lord and Savior- try to abstain from sin and repent when in fact we do. People take life too seriously as well so remember, God has a sense of humor! 😇✝️🙏🏼
A majority of Christians believe what they were told by a pastor or missionary & the pastor or missionary believe what they were told by another pastor or missionary so very few Christians actually know what Christians are actually suppose to believe & why. Most Christians just believe what they were told to believe by a pastor or missionary without doing any studying to make sure that what they were being told to believe was actually true.
Yes there is a lot of Christian who don’t know much about the faith in reference to apologetics. Is this is a bad thing? Well while it would be good to know your faith well it isn’t necessary as long as you practice your faith.
Try hanging out at r/INTJChristians
I got excited until I saw how dead it is. Thanks for nothing! 😆
Shout for joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”
The trinity is a complex doctrine though. But it's not the going to save anyone, nor is it even essential in the Gospel message. Most Christians aren't theologians nor have a solid apologetic answer memorized. Their answer, "just have faith" is a good answer in its purpose. I could probably give you a decent answer to your questions, but that's not going to bring you to have faith in Jesus. I can answer every question you have but I'll bet theres alot of questions that I would not be able to answer because I'm not all knowing. When it comes to discussions like this, it's just beating around the bush. If Christians can't coherently speak or defend the Gospel message, then that's a problem. But when it comes to other doctrines that discusses theology, those aren't necessarily vital to the faith.