The Question… Dear MessiahNYC, Should I go to church? From, Considering The Answer… Dear Considering, This is Steve Schlissel, pastor of Messiah’s Congregation, attempting to answer your good question. I hope you are true to your name, for an answer to your question requires “consider-able” work along at least three axes: You need to consider, … [Read more…]
The Question… I have looked in vain for a sound biblical teaching on giving. My local church teaches tithing as God’s way, although it is rarely explained why. Scriptures used to support the practice of tithing are all taken from the OT and it worries me that this teaching is not (explicitly?) taught in the … [Read more…]
The Question… I frequently hear God’s covenant with Adam referred to as both a covenant of life as well as a covenant of works. One OPC pastor we knew preferred to use covenant of life to covenant of works, since man has always been saved by God’s grace. I prefer to use covenant of life … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, If there are no Christian schools in a particular region, and if home schooling is not an option because both parents believe themselves inadequate for the task, is the local public school, though not ideal, a justifiable alternative for parents in such a case? Can churches rightly keep from church … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, We recently lost our mother and when we came to church, the first Sunday after our loss, one of the elders approached us and shook our hand. One of his first sentences to us was, ‘You shouldn’t grieve but have an intense desire to be with her in heaven.’ It … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, Is the church year (or liturgical calendar) biblical? Pondering El Paso, TX The Answer… Dear Pondering, The answer to this question depends on what is meant by “liturgical calendar” and what is meant by “biblical.” Let us deal with the latter question first. If by biblical one means, “Does God’s … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, I have two questions for you. First, what made you change from Judaism to Christian Reformed? Why not Pentecostal? Secondly, how can I explain infant baptism from Scripture. I myself believe in infant baptism but have a hard time explaining it to others. They always respond with the verse, Whoever … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, I have a few questions about infant baptism. I was raised up as a Pentecostal and now I am Christian Reformed. I have difficulties understanding a few areas. In Acts 2:38-39, it says, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ that your sins … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Pastor Schlissel, Re: church growth. Why do some congregations grow considerably faster than others? Locally I have asked that question a number of times. The standard response is as follows: People like to visit a church where they will hear what they want to hear. They have itching ears! Truly Reformed ministers … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, Our minister is opposed to the public reading of the Ten Commandments each Lord’s Day in a worship service. Should we be concerned? Fretting in Philadelphia The Answer… Dear Fretting, Your son does not come down to dinner. Should you be concerned? Well, it all depends on why he doesn’t … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, Would you please address the topic of birth control? Do Scriptural principles teach that it is always categorically wrong for Christians to practice any birth control? Permanent forms of birth control? Is it a denial of the Lordship of Christ to say: “Lord, I love the children you have given … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, My church seems to be more introverted than outgoing. Any growth it experiences seems to come from either the birth of children (and may God be praised for that), or from other Reformed people moving into the area. There seems to be no desire to share the Gospel with the … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, I belong to a Reformed church in the western United States. A friend of mine in the church has decided to homeschool his children, as my wife and I also do. Homeschooling has become more common in Reformed churches, as you probably know. Perhaps this has occasioned the difficulty I … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, What is the Christian position regarding civil disobedience? Is there ever justification to engage in civil disobedience? My question arose while thinking of Hitler’s extermination of Jews and others during WWII. For the most part, the German people seemed to acquiesce in Hitler’s atrocities. Only a few dared to show … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, In this day of death, tension, and increased trouble in the Middle East, it seems appropriate to ask for your take on Acts 3:23, especially as it relates to: widespread international support of Israel retaining its “own land”, the Palestinian demand that they become caretakers of Jerusalem (if not all … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, We confess in the Heidelberg Catechism that the baptism of our covenant children seals to them the washing away of sins through Christ’s blood and Spirit. We also confess that God preserves His elect. How is it then that some of God’s children reject Him and break covenant? Can God … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel Is it all right for a Christian to become a vegetarian? Green in Ontario The Answer… Dear Green, In the winter I’d expect to hear from Blue in Ontario, so I’m glad that at least you’re warm enough to be green. Speaking of green, the comedian Jackie Mason has a … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, We enjoy reading your articles. We hope you can help us with a theological question. Why do Reformed churches believe that the office of apostle no longer exists? We can’t find a scripture that says “no more apostles.” Ned & Diane Cox (Received via e-mail) The Answer… Dear Ned and … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, I’m a Christian woman in my 40’s and have yet to be married. Do you think it is biblical for single women to adopt? After telling fellow-Christians of my desire to adopt a child, I’ve met with different responses than I had anticipated. I thought adoption was a great mercy. … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, In Acts 3:23 it states that “every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” What is the meaning of the phrase “be utterly destroyed from among the people?” AK MI The Answer… Dear Brother AK, The phrase, “will be utterly destroyed,” is … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, We read the history of Israel in the Bible with great sadness. From Joshua and Judges on, they fell away so often. Sometimes it seemed as if the Church in the Old Testament would not continue to exist. But even after the Bible was completed, the Jews suffered: during the … [Read more…]
The Question… Dear Rev. Schlissel, In what way has our television culture changed the church (the Christian community; Christians)? And, secondly, what do you perceive to be the Internet’s long-range impact on the Christian community since it is seemingly becoming (has become?) the communications tool du jure of our culture today and for the foreseeable … [Read more…]