2. Is Christianity true? “ By far, the hardest question I’ve ever been asked by a non- Christian friend was ‘how do you know it’s true? That some guy in the first century didn’t get bored and write a bunch of stuff?’ I really didn’t know how to answer him other than to say that that’s where our faith really comes in. I think, I said also that if you believe whole-heartedly that every word in the Bible is true, then you know that Christianity is not some made-up fantasy of a crazy religious nut. It’s still a very difficult question to be faced with though, because you can’t give any solid proof other than scripture, and if the person asking doesn’t believe that the Bible is a valid source, then what? Pray a lot I guess.”

3. The Hiddenness of God “A perfectly loving God would desire a personal relationship between himself and every human being. Since God has not taken reasonable steps to show himself and initiate that relationship, this is proof that he does not exist.”

4. Sovereignty / Responsibility “I agree, the problems of evil, exclusivity and pluralism are the common tough ones, but one of the hardest things to talk about is the doctrine of election with those who don’t understand. I had a non-Christian ask me about that once, how would you talk to a non- Christian about election? This kind of pairs the first two problems: how could a good God choose to send some people to hell? The problem of evil married to the problem of exclusivity.”

5. Justice “Why do finite sins result in infinite punishment (sorry–the answer ‘because they are sins against an infinite God’ is just a way of saying that God is infinitely vindictive.)”

6. Books: Grudem, Bible Doctrine Sires, Why Should Anyone Believe Anything at All? Names: J.P. Moreland, Norman Geisler, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel Web resources: Apologetics.org, C.S. Lewis Society online Minnesota Apologetics Project Relevantmagazine Discovery Institute: Center for Science and Culture

7. Sovereignty / Responsibility If God elects people for salvation by his sovereign will, what free will do we really have when it comes to salvation? If we don’t have a free will when it comes to our salvation, then God is playing us like pawns, choosing which of us to save and which of us to go to hell, right?