No, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian. And yes, going to church can definitely be boring and irrelevant, if you think that walking into a church building will magically turn you into one. That’s like thinking you’ll become a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk when you walk into a grocery store! Ok. So, what is church? What’s the point? Why bother? And what about all the rotten stuff the church has done in the past and more recently? How do you square all that immoral, unjust, and indifferent behavior with what Christianity is supposed to be about? Great questions! Let’s go! Church-At Best Irrelevant-At Worst Morally Bankrupt-Do I Gotta Go to Be a ChristianDownload

Christians are always talking about how much God loves us and how good he is. So, where was he when my three year old was dying of cancer? If he’s so good why didn’t he answer me when I asked him to stop my pain? If God cares for this world why does he allow things like terrorism, war, famine and draught? He could just stop all of that. He’s God, right? If he’s the author and ruler of creation why all the devastating earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and storms that kill and destroy? I don’t know, if he exists he’s really not that great—either he doesn’t care what happens here or he just likes to play games with us. So, I’m not really sure he exists or that I even want him to exist. Let’s be honest, this is tough—how do you square a good God with suffering? How Do You Square a Good God with SufferingDownload

Say the word “Bible” and you get a bunch of different reactions as varied as the people who respond. “I hate it when people say, ‘The Bible says.’” “You know, I’ve heard people quote stuff from there as if it’s the magic solution or answer to really serious problems or hard questions. It just comes off as lame.” “Wasn’t it written ages go—so, what’s it got to do with me today?” “Didn’t the church write it to control people?” “Isn’t it written in Latin?” “It’s hard to read, why bother?” “Isn’t it a bunch of rules for Christians?” “How’s it any different from the Quran, the Mormon Tablets, the Vedas, or any other religious text?” “What’s the big deal about the Bible anyway?” “Why should I read it?” “Why should I believe it?” “What is it?” Look, even Christians don’t always get what the Bible is. You’re not alone. So, what gives with this book? Listen up to find out! The Bible-What Is ItDownload

Did Jesus really die on a cross and then rise from the dead? Isn’t that some kind of spiritual metaphor? Maybe the church made it up to make Jesus look like some super-human teacher? Look, even if we say this really did happen…well, there’s even more problems. Why would God do such a thing to anybody? Why can’t God just forgive people? It just doesn’t seem right—seems kind of nasty and vindictive. Anyway, I thought Christianity was all about peace, love, and understanding. Look, I like Jesus, he’s cool, but I don’t see why I have to believe that he died on the cross and rose from the dead to believe what he teaches. So it goes. The scandal of the cross. Yep, you heard me—I agree—the cross is absolutely outrageous. And that’s precisely what makes it real and precisely what makes it God. What am I talking about? Listen up! The Cross- What’s with ThatDownload

Christianity is full of itself and Christians are arrogant because they claim to know everything about God. Really? I mean this is crazy. How can any one group not only claim to know God but also insist that everyone else is wrong. I mean there’s plenty of really good people who are Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, or just plain spiritual people who are open to all religions. You’re telling me they don’t know anything about God or spirituality? So it goes, the major criticism of Christianity—it’s exclusive, it’s snobby, so it’s got to be wrong. Look, I hear you. This is a serious critique and it deserves a serious response. So, listen up! Christianity—The Only True Religion-ReallyDownload

So, here we are—he best part of God’s story—get ready to be amazed! Jesus is about much more than rescuing souls so they can go to heaven when they die. He’s about rescuing the whole planet, literally all of creation, ushering in a whole new creation, a new world, a new people. Think of everything in Part II, The Garden, and all the good God wanted for his creation and turn it up twenty notches. This is exciting! This is a lot bigger than some take it or leave it, you do you and I’ll do me, pie in the sky spirituality. If it’s true, it’s got everything to do with well, everything and everybody. So, check it out!

After the Great Mess-Up, life goes on but it goes on without God at the center of it all. Culture advances but the good is mixed with the bad. And if we’re real, it’s pretty obvious that both history, in general, and our own personal stories reflect this. So, what does God do? Not only does he keep the universe spinning in all of its complexity, but he also sets about rescuing his beloved. Check out the story of Abraham and Israel and how their story fits in with God’s story and our own stories—it’s wild, it’s amazing, it’s God!

All of us, at the gut level, know that things are not what they should be. There’s something not quite right, something seriously broken in our world. How did we get from the amazing Garden to the world we live in? A serious question deserves a serious answer—check it out!

God is a person who longs to be in relationship with us. Made in God’s image, given an amazing mission to create culture and everything they need to flourish, humans are invited to live in God’s perfect goodness and peace as his beloved. Check out he beginning of God’s amazing story —God’s awesome intention for humanity and all of creation.

God is a person. We can know him. And just like we can learn any person’s story, we can learn his. Not only has he has given us his story, but he’s also invited us to participate in it with him. God’s story has been unfolding since the beginning of time and is still unfolding. It’s a story bigger than any other story but one within which everyone’s own personal story is given meaning and purpose, a point, a reason. God’s story has the power to rewrite those parts of our own personal stories that we find hurtful, shameful, or even unspeakable—giving any person’s story an amazing, death-defying ending. So, what’s this amazing story? Take a look!