What about all the other religions?  The world population fast approaches 8 billion people.  That’s a lot of men, women, and children calling planet earth home.  Of that nearly 8 billion, 2.3 billion identify as Christian.  That’s about one quarter of all humanity.  What about everyone else?  Is it the height of arrogance to question the eternal destination of nearly 6 billion people simply because they don’t call a crucified first century Jewish carpenter their “Lord”?  What happens to all of them? Throughout the summer at Christ United Methodist Church in Gastonia, NC, we’re asking some BIG questions!  Here is our Sunday Rewind for July 24, 2016.  We ask the big question, “What about all the other religions?” As a pastor and Christ-follower, I offer[…]

  Judgmental and Hypocritical, two words no one likes being called.  We ask big questions this summer at Christ UMC in Gastonia, NC.  This is a fair question, one we must address.  Here is our Sunday Rewind for July 17, 2016.  We ask the big question, “Why is the church so judgmental and full of hypocrites?” Okay…I confess that no one at my church asked this question.  Chances are that no one actively attending a church thinks their church is judgmental.   Few people actively attending a church thinks their church is full of hypocrites.  No, we’d leave and attend churches we considered more loving and authentic.  Few people at any church would say such things.  No, this question comes from outside the church. Many[…]

  Why do bad things happen?  We all have questions, big God questions.  Throughout the summer at Christ United Methodist Church in Gastonia, NC, we’re asking some big questions!  Here is our Sunday Rewind for July 10, 2016.  We ask the big question, “How Can a Loving God Let Bad Things Happen to Good People?” Is there a bigger question?  We ask it a number of different ways.  “Why, God?”  How Could God…?”  “I don’t deserve______.  What do I do now?”  This question robs our sleep and haunts our dreams.  It makes us angry and even bitter.  We cry out to God.  Some even give up on God.  We beg for justice, for fairness, and wonder why _______ happened to us.  We try our best to[…]