"Hard Questions" with John Weber

What is “hard questions”?

Hard questions is a theology study group that started at the beginning of J. Term 2006 at Gustavus. Its full name is "Hard Questions Christians don't want to Ask" and, as its name suggests, we explore the controversial topics of Christianity.

Why this genre of study?

Most Christians believe what they believe because their minister believes it, because it was what they were taught, or because it's what makes the most comfortable. Hard Questions takes the position that all viewpoints are welcome, particularly the skeptical viewpoint, but at the end of the day only the Bible's viewpoint matters. This framework is where the very controversy comes from. There are scores of difficult texts in the Bible for the modern reader. In our culture some of them seem unethical, some seem to conflict with other passages of Scripture, some seem false, some seem mythical, and some seem offensive. What Hard Questions tries to do is answer the question "how would the Bible itself answer these difficult questions"?
The other main reason Hard Questions exists is to try to study Biblical controversies that most people would rather avoid. While avoidance bypasses the difficulties altogether, it also costs the reader the richness of so much that the Bible offers. A better understanding of these questions, the mysteries they raise, and their answers, gives us a better understanding of God. Jesus said in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." When we better understand the depth of the riches of God we engage our mind in worship, something God made it to do but which we seldom give it a chance to do.

Do you find college students are afraid to really challenge the Scriptures?

Skeptical college students are eager to challenge the Scriptures. But faithful evangelical Christian students can be timid. They may not express outright fear but their very unwillingness to explore these issues suggests that that fear is present at least subconsciously. This is good and bad at the same time. It's good when we see students' devotion and faithfulness. But time and time again the same students interact with skeptical peers all the time and want to be able to give an answer for why they believe but are not ready to do so.

We hear all kinds of statistics of young people coming into college as believers and losing their faith somewhere along the way. What do you attribute as the main reason or reasons for this?

First I'd say being bombarded by seemingly irrefutable "facts" from critical college profs, other students, popular media, and culture. These "facts" include ideas like Jesus never said he was divine but instead was really a traveling teacher of wisdom, the supernatural does not exist, all paths lead to God, God does not exist, Christianity's past is full of bloodshed as witnessed in the Crusades and the Inquisition, and "you have to turn off your mind to be a Christian". Second, not finding fellowship and encouragement with other Christians. In other words trying to live the Christian life as an isolated island. Last students are drawn away by other passions. Being increasingly exposed to other viewpoints and other demands on their time they start sharing the throne of their life with academic pursuits, graduation and career, social and/or political causes, and relationships. Everything I said in the previous sentence is a good pursuit in its own right. However when they begin competing with the greatest love of their hearts, which should be God, they unintentionally turn a good thing into a god itself. It's a very sad thing to see college alums that were once passionate for God but are living spiritually bankrupt lives.

Can you give some sort of demographic or description of the “hard questions” attendee(s) at Gustavus?

Hard questions attendees are as varied as Gustavus itself. Usually most students have a curious or intellectual bent to them. But beyond that it's really hard to characterize them.

What are some Scripture passages that you’ve had to really wrestle with?

In 1 Samuel 15 God seems to say he changes his mind and yet he doesn't change his mind. In Matthew 13:14 Jesus says that the purpose of parables is so "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." How should one understand original sin and Romans 5? How should one respond to Psalm 69 and others like it where David asks God to bring judgment against his enemies? Can a Christian's salvation be lost according to Hebrews 6?

Perhaps there are some reading this interview who like the concept of “hard questions”. What advice would you give them on starting their own “hard questions” group?

First I would suggest some very practical resources. Online there are excellent apologetics resources including carm.org, probe.org, apologeticsindex.org, leaderu.com, and str.org. In print I would suggest "Bible Doctrine" by Wayne Grudem and "Hard Sayings of Jesus" by F. F. Bruce. A very useful Bible commentary website such as studylight.org can be helpful. Using these resources I would begin to try to answer several of the questions already posed in this interview. Additional questions that always seem to come up include free will and predestination, how did we get the Bible, responding to relativism, and do all paths lead to God? Many of these websites and books offer good information on answering hard questions about Christianity.