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Questions Jump to: Questions answered : : Ask a question Subject: JudaismQuestion: According to Jewish law, a child born to a Jewish mother or an adult who has converted to Judaism is considered a Jew. I would like to find out if a jew is considered the same according to christianity of otherwise? It's great to know people are looking on our website from so far away! So thanks for your question. There's a simple answer: the only way to become a Christian is to be born again! This is something Jesus explained to a Jewish religious leader - the conversation with Nicodemus is recorded in John chapter 3. You are not a Christian because your parents are Christians; and to put it the other way round, you can be born again as a Christian whatever religion your parents are. That's what is so great about it! Everyone starts from the same place. My parents were Christians; my wife's were not. Now we are both born again we are both Christians, with equal standing before God. But one important thing to say - because Christianity grew out of Judaism, it is important to say you don't have to stop being Jewish to become a Christian. Messianic Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah, and so becoming a Christian is a fulfilment of their Jewish faith and identity. I'm not a Jew, so this is difficult for me to explain fully. I have some very good Jewish friends who are Christians, and I love listening to them on this topic. You could always check out www. jewsforjesus. org if you want to know more. Subject: Heaven Question: When my dad died in 1990 I'm not sure he believed in God. If he didn't does that mean that in your opinion he definitely won't be going to heaven? The first point is that the Bible says that God, the judge of all the world, will do what is right. I'm glad that eternal judgement is in the hands of a loving God, the one and the only one, qualified to do it and get it right. Second, you have to ask the question whether a loving God would force people who didn't want to be with him when they were alive to be with him when they are dead. Third, I think the Bible teaches very clearly that for those who want to be with God, heaven is a great place. Its teaching about the alternative is far less clear. Missing out on fellowship with God is undoubtedly tragic compared to the possibilities and realities of God's presence in heaven - but some of the language used suggests nothingness rather than permanent suffering. My personal view is that hell is only a description of the awfulness of missing out on heaven, not a description of a physical reality. but go back to point 1 - in the end part of trusting God is trusting him with this question as well. Subject: Sex Question: Cyber Sex is a good way to relieve sexual tension, without having physical sex outside of marriage? What does Kairos think of it in this respect? Sex is a great gift from God - and in our culture it is a great topic of conversation as well! Here's a simple and serious answer to your question: if we believe that sex is a gift from God, then it's also true that his guidelines are the best way to enjoy his gift. Kairos believes that sexual fulfilment should be sought and found within faithful heterosexual Christian marriage. That's the best way to enjoy sex and to protect people from the emotional damage that can follow departure from this principle. Anything less is not the best - and in some cases is actually wrong or harmful. Using internet pornography is potentially damaging of personality, dehumanises to a greater or lesser extent those who make it, those who appear in it and those who use it. A wholesome fulfilling relationship with a real person is more satisfying for all concerned! It's worth noting too that self-control is among the fruit of the spirit described in the Bible. Most people only have a problem with what you call sexual tension if they allow themselves to believe that it might be a problem. We know we all fail to live up to God's standards, and there are always consequences. Kairos isn't full of perfect people - but people who have met with Jesus and want to - with his help - live in God's world God's way. Subject: Homosexuality Question: A few of my friends that are not christians have been asking me to explain about the gay/lesbian issue. They have the view that gay people cannot help the way they feel and are born with that sexual preferance. Therefore how can these people change, and why should they change? Evangelical Christians face the difficulty that the Bible says nothing about sexual orientation; that concept did not exist at the time it was written. So some would argue that what is said to be wrong in the Bible is 'unnatural' behaviour - i. e. men and women who are heterosexual engaging in homosexual behaviour. This would fit with the positive argument of the Bible that sexual activity should be the privilege of one couple united in marriage - in which case, homosexual behaviour would be unfaithful behaviour, adultery with someone of the same sex. There is still discussion as to whether sexual orientation is genetic or learned behaviour. Are you born gay or do you learn to be gay? The same question applies to heterosexual orientation, of course. Most evangelical Christians take the view that whether you are gay or straight, sexual fulfilment is reserved for marriage between one man and one woman. So unmarried heterosexual people have to exercise restraint just as much as homosexual people. The difference is that heterosexual individuals have the possibility of sexual fulfilment through marriage; homosexual people do not. That's why many of them argue that evangelical Christianity is therefore homophobic. It is worth saying, however, that many single Christian people live fulfilled lives without ever having sexual activity. Our society tends to assume that this is impossible or unhealthy; Christians would disagree. There is another answer on this topic on the web site; please look there for further information. But no answer is complete without emphasising that the Bible very clearly teaches that whether gay or straight all human beings are made in the image of God, are loved and valued by God, and should be treated as such by Christians. Subject: Vampires Question: Are vampires true and which country do they live in? I wonder why you want to know about vampires - and why you have asked a church for the answer? Vampires come from a very long and deep strain of myth and legend, that became a powerful strain of gothic horror writing. The most famous vampire novel is Dracula, written in the nineteenth century by Bram Stoker. He reinforced the idea that vampires came from Transylvania - an area now in modern Romania. Many psychologists would suggest that the myth of the vampire is to do with people's fascination with blood - the source of life, and yet a sign of death. The Christian church often talks about blood, and Christians from the early church was accused of drinking blood, because in the communion service the cup of wine is passed round after the words of Jesus have been said: 'this is my blood which is shed for you. ' Jesus lived in the Jewish tradition, where God had said that the blood of an animal should be sacrificed in order to see that the sins of the people were forgiven. Jesus said that he became the perfect sacrifice - once his blood had been shed on the cross, then there was no more need for sacrifice. Now we can ask him to forgive our sins, and he has promised that can be done because he died for us. So the blood of Jesus is a sign of death and also the source of our life - through faith, not by any physical act of drinking or anything similar. When our sins have been forgiven, and we have new life - then we don't need to be concerned with or frightened by, made-up stories about horrible creatures like vampires. Subject: Heaven Question: I totally believe in God and go to church just about every Sunday, but I would just like to know , if we and people we know go to Heaven, will we still know each other up there? All the evidence from the Bible would suggest the answer is 'Yes'. Jesus resurrection body was different but recognisable; and in Matthew 8:11 Jesus talks about people coming from east and west and sitting at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. It might just be reasonable to suppose that if you can recognise Abraham, he might recognise you! But more importantly, let's recognise we don't know or understand everything about heaven - but Christians have been promised that they will be with Jesus, and live the kind of life that God intended for his created human beings. That's good news! Subject: Stem cell research Question: What is the Christian view on stem cell research? It would be unfair to say that there is one Christian view of stem cell research. The concern that many Christians have, however, comes from the use of embryos - and cells taken from embryos - for research. This is because they believe that any embryo is a potential human being - and they should be treated as such, not just as material for research. One organisation that is reviewing all these developments from a Christian persepctive is CARE - their website is www. care. org. uk - and they have some helpful material there. Subject: Jesus' death Question: You say that "CHRIST"died for your sins . But my dear friend why you killed him yourself? Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins. The Bible teaches that it is the death of Jesus that makes it possible for people to have their sins forgiven and enter into new life, a new relationship with the living God. In a very deep sense every true Christian recognises their own responsibility for the death of Jesus, because their sins contributed to the sins of the world that Jesus died to forgive. The Bible also says that every person has to die to themselves to receive the new life that Jesus offers. Just as Jesus died and was raised from the dead to resurrection life, so every follower of Jesus has to die to themselves, so they too can receive this new life. But isn't it great that it is possible to know that your sins can be forgiven? Subject: Christianity Question: Why do you follow your inherited religion and not explore other ones, especially Islam, with full justice? Those who are seeking God should explore those religions that claim to reveal God - with full justice, as you say. Those who have found God through faith in his son Jesus Christ have no need to seek further. At Kairos there are those who were brought up as Christians - and many who were not. All have come to know God through faith in Jesus for themselves. In that sense no-one has inherited their religion. If you have not found it for yourself, you have not found it at all. I hope that if you are still seeking God you will explore the Christian faith - with full justice. God promises to reveal himself to those who ask with a pure heart. Subject: The Cross Question: Why did Jesus die apart from to save us? Human observers could offer all sorts of reasons: a pathologist would tell you it was because of the massive trauma created by a Roman flogging, reinforced by the effects of exposure and the impossible physical effort required to keep breathing when crucified a political scientist would tell you it was because of the occupying authorities' method of keeping the peace by following the lead of local leaders on non-essential matters - so when the Jewish leaders demanded the death of Jesus, Pilate thought it best to give in a lawyer would tell you that it was the result of a completely unjust and illegal set of trials that led to an unjust execution a revolutionary tactician might tell you it was because Jesus went about taking power completely the wrong way, and his followers bottled out when the time came to fight But the Bible is very clear - Jesus died to save people from their sins. He could have called a legion of angels to save him; but he lived as a human being, died without supernatural help - and then rose from the dead. Jesus death was always at the centre of God's plan to defeat sin, redeem the whole universe, and to restore people to their right relationships with God, the world and human beings. So I could ask you another question in return - have you accepted that Jesus died to save you? Because if you don't accept that for yourself, then you are not saved, and for you his death was in vain. Kairos is full of people who know that Jesus died for them - not because they deserved it any more than anyone else, but because they have committed their life to him. A famous old England test cricketer once said something like 'If Jesus Christ was prepared to die for me, then there is nothing that I can not be prepared to do for him. ' Subject: Christianity Question: Where did this religion begin? Kairos is a Christian church, and believes the historic Christian truths that Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose again from the dead. Christians believe that this faith is based on both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible, and dates back to the birth of the church in 30 AD. You asked where this religion began - in geographical terms you could say it began in Jerusalem; in theological terms, we believe it began in the heart and mind of God! Subject: Homosexuality Question: Do you welcome gay people to your church? What is your stance on gay relationships? At Kairos Church we welcome all people irrespective of their age, gender, or sexuality. There are no exclusions to anyone coming to church and we hope and intend that everyone would receive a warm welcome. We recognise that homosexuality is an area of great debate in the church in the UK at the moment. Kairos is a member of the Evangelical Alliance, and they recently published a booklet which explored what most evangelical Christians believe on this topic: in summary, that the Bible teaches that sexual fulfilment should be reserved for marriage between a man and a woman. This is, of course, the traditional teaching of the Christian church. More recently, the emphasis on sexual orientation has resulted in most evangelical Christians making a distinction between orientation and behaviour - being a heterosexual or a homosexual person is not wrong; it is sexual practice outside of marriage that is wrong. The booklet goes into much more detail than this, of course. It particularly emphasises that the Bible offers no excuse for offensive and any kind of unloving attitudes or actions towards people whatever their sexual orientation. Our aim at Kairos is not only to remain faithful to what the Bible teaches, but also to live out that teaching in friendship, kindness and compassion - the values of Jesus. Subject: Christianity Question: Where can i go to get the FULL story on christianity. I am very interested. . . I want to know everything. . what they believe. . . etc Answer: The best place to get the full story on Christianity is the Bible. Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God and their beliefs are based upon that. Sometimes the Bible can be difficult to read by yourself so I would suggest that you find a Bible that is written in modern language and start by reading one of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Another excellent way to explore Christianity is to do an Alpha Course. Alpha Courses are designed for people who want to know more about Christianity and they cover topics such as 'Who is Jesus?', 'Why did he die?', 'How does God guide us?' 'Why and how should I read the Bible?' There will probably be an Alpha Course running at a church near you right now. Check out their website at www. alphacourse. org Thirdly, there are some very good books which explain what Christians believe. One of which is called 'Questions of Life' by Nicky Gumbel and is used in conjunction with the Alpha Course. Your local Christian bookshop should be able to point you in the direction of some helpful reading materials. Subject: Existence of God Question: What proof is there of God's existence and non existence? Answer: I can offer you a few clues as to how Christians approach this question - but if you really want to explore for yourself, give yourself an hour to read Mark's gospel, or John's gospel, in the Bible. Then think about whether you should give yourself the treat of trying out an Alpha course, which is designed for people who want to ask the big questions about Christianity - there will almost certainly be one starting near you around now. There is a good book called 'Truth - could it be true' by Peter Hicks. It's got a chapter on God. Here's the highlights: 1. Proving the existence of God isn't the same as proving Christianity is true - but if there is no God, then Christianity isn't true. 2. What sort of proof do you want? If God is a thing, then you need the same kind of proof that you accept for things. We believe some things exist even though we can't see them, or even observe them. Nuclear physicists tell us quarks exist, and most people believe them; nuclear physicists believe they exist because you can't make sense of the basic structure of matter without them. So one of the arguments for the existence of God is that you can't make sense of life and the universe without him. 3. All sorts of logical and philosophical arguments have been put forward (and they are summarised in the book) some people find them helpful, but many people feel they don't quite hit the spot. 4. If God is a person, and Christians say that they can experience him as a person, then to them that proves his existence. The problem is, it does not prove it to anyone else, because they have to have that experience for themselves. So in summary I would say that there are very good reasons why it is perfectly rational and sensible to say that I believe in the existence of God, but it is foolish to imagine that his existence can be proved by human logic; many philosophers and scientists believe in the existence of God - and many don't. The only answer is to explore the facts and the argumetns for yourself - and reach your own conclusion. Some people are willing to give God a chance, and begin their search by saying - 'God, if you are there, please help me to discover you for myself. ' I think it's worth a try! Subject: Kairos Question: What does the word KAIROS mean? Answer: The word kairos is one of two words that mean "time" in New Testament Greek. The other word, chronos, from which we get chronology, means any kind of time. The word Kairos means a special moment in time. If a lawyer developed a clinching argument at the perfect moment, that was kairos. If an archer loosed an arrow just right to hit a difficult target, that was kairos. The first Christians used the term to speak of the cross of Christ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Rom. 5:6 They also used it for the moment of conversion and the continued moments of responding to God I tell you, now is the time of Godıs favour, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 Because of God's perfect moment of salvation - the cross - we now live in the time of God's opportunity. Kairos time flows from the cross to the end of the age. That's why some Christians will use the phrase "this is a real Kairos moment". It means a moment pregnant with divine opportunity - for salvation, for spiritual growth and for the advance of God's mission of saving love. We see the present time as a moment of God's opportunity in Western Europe, when divine creativity is stirring Christians for the re-imagining of the church for the 21st century. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Islam and Christianity. Question: a friend of mine has converted to islam. i keep trying to tell her why Christianity is the truth faith but she is so wrappped up in islam she doesn't listen. could you please pray for her. her name is danielle. if you could also tell me what to tell her to convince her. thank you. Answer: Here are some suggestions that may help your friend. Of course you cannot argue someone into or out of their beliefs, but you can make a clear case for Jesus. The best approach will depend on your friend; 1) You could lend her a testimony book of someone who has converted from Islam to Christianity. The best I have come across is I Dared to Call him Father by Bilquis Sheikh 2) You could encourage her to read a Gospel - I would suggest Luke which was originally written to help Gentiles (non-Jews). 3) Islam sometimes confuses Christianity and the West. It's important to be clear that you are commending Jesus, not everything done in his name (or despite of his name). I don't think there ever has been a place that can be called a "Christian country", since response to Christ is voluntary and cannot be legislated. So-called Christian countries always have mixed motives. We commend Jesus, not the west. 4) While Christians reserve the word martyr for those who give up their lives under persecution for the sake of their faith, many Muslims describe suicide bombers as martyrs. You could explore the contrast between Jesus as the Prince of Peace and Mohammed as the founder of a warrior religion. 5) The most important thing is to show her love and respect so that the witness of your words is empowered by the witness of your manner. Sometimes there's no place for further discussion and serving love is the best way to commend Christ. 6) If she was interested enough, you could study Luke with her or take her to an Alpha course or something similar. 7) You could explore the difference between law and grace. Muslims take obeying God with great seriousness. Christianity teaches that God does for us what we couldn't do for ourselves, offering the free gift of being reconciled with God and adopted into the eternal family of love, not through what we do but through what Christ has done for us. 8) In the end it all comes down to Jesus. For the Muslim, he is a prophet, but no more than that and less significant that Mohammed. For the Christian, the only explanation of Jesus' life, teaching, miracles and resurrection is that he is God incarnate - God in human form. The Messiah promised to the Jews has come and he has died and been raised for the sake of the lost. A muslim ruler of Jerusalem bricked up the gate from the Temple Mount that looks towards the mount of Olives. This was the gate through which the Jews expected the Messiah to ride in glory. The bricking up came too late. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on palm Sunday, the messiah had come. But he didn't come as the military conqueror the Jews expected and that Mohammed became. Instead he came as the suffering servant, to die in our place. The cry of Jesus from the cross captures the priority of grace: not "Father, vindicate me as a martyr and bring your judgment on the infidel" but "Father forgive them, they know not what they are doing. "
Kairos attempts to answer as many questions as possible, but regrets that we cannot enter guarantee that all questions will be answered or provide detailed personal follow-up. Just email us your questions at web@kairos.org.uk |
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Kairos - Church for today - meeting at the John Innes Centre, Wimbledon, South London. |
