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Bible text & interpretation
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12/01
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"If you sin, will the Holy Spirit depart from the body
and after asking for the forgiveness then will the Holy Spirit return
to the body?"
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1/02
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"Can you explain Psalm 104:30 ... 'When you send your
Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth'?"
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2/02
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"Did Lucifer (Satan) sin against God before Earth was
created or after? Can you give me some Bible verses related to this?"
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5/02
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"What translation of the Bible do you recommend?"
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11/02
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"The Bible has been translated so many times, how can we
be sure the Bible we have today is accurate?"
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5/03
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"I got an Email that says the Garden of Eden was in
the part of the world that is now Iraq. Is that true!?"
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9/03
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"Does God ever change His mind?"
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3/04
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"Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene?" [Responding to The Da
Vinci Code, by Dan Brown] (Also see 6/14)
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7/04
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"Did Jesus suffer in hell?" (follow-up to a question
about The Passion of the Christ)
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9/04
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"People talk about John 3:16. Why do they fail to go on
to verse 19 and the rest of the chapter?"
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1/05
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"You talk about Paul's letters as though Paul himself
wrote them. I had the impression from LCMS doctrine that Paul and all
other writers
are simply acting as stenographers for God."
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4/05
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"How do deaf churches deal with the stories and
prophecies about healing of deaf people in the Bible?"
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6/06
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"Is the Gospel of Judas true?"
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9/06
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"What is happening in Israel?!"
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10/06
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"What happened to the Ark of the
Covenant?"
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11/06
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"In the story of Daniel in the
lion's den, Daniel said his prayers in public (Dan. 6.10). Was he wrong
for doing that?"
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1/07
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"I really don't know much about the
Bible. I
was never really taught it when I was growing up. Is there a
way I
can start learning now?"
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4/07
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"The lost tomb of Jesus?"
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| 1/08 |
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"What
does begotten
mean -- as in John 3:16, only
begotten Son?" |
| 9/08 |
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"Why
did God put the Tree
of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden?" |
| 10/08 |
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....the
other tree -- the Tree of Life. |
| 11/08 |
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"Pastor,
last
month you said that the Torah is the first
five books of the Bible. I was taught that Torah
means Law.
What is the connection?" |
| 1/09 |
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"Sometimes I read about a brother of Jesus. Is that
true? Or did someone just make that up?" |
| 5/09 |
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"I don't believe the Bible, because half the people who
wrote it were liars, adulterers, or murderers." |
| 6/09 |
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"Who made God? Where did He come from?" |
| 9/09 |
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What should be the correct sign for "Moses?" |
| 11/09 |
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"Does the Bible say anything about dinosaurs?" (also 7/14) |
| 1/10 |
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"Was
Job a historical or fictional person?" |
| 2/10 |
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"How
were people in the Old Testament saved?" |
| 10/10 |
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"Luke
14.26 puzzles me. What does it mean?" |
| 12/10 |
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"The genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke appear to
be different. Why?" |
| 2/11 |
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"When
did Jesus receive the Holy Spirit? I believe that
the Holy
Spirit was always with Jesus, because He is God. My friend
says
that Jesus received the Holy Spirit as a human." |
| 5/11 |
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Will Israel ever be destroyed? |
| 6/11 |
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Was Jesus baptize when he was a baby? Or was it the
first time when John the Baptist baptized Him? |
| 9/11 |
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If the Bible calls Jesus "the Son of God," why do you
say that Jesus is God? |
| 2/12 |
| Did snakes have legs in the Garden of Eden? |
| 3/12 |
| God promised the land of Israel to the Jews in the Old Testament. Does that promise still apply today? |
| 11/12 |
| In Genesis 2.26, God said, "Let us make man in our likeness." Who is "us" and "our"? |
| 3/13 |
| God
told Adam, "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not
eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis
2:17 ESV) Adam and Eve ate the fruit, but they didn't die
like God said they would. They lived a very long time. |
| 7/13 |
| What did you think about "The Bible" TV series? |
| 1/14 |
| The First Commandment says, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Are there really other gods? |
| 2/14 |
| What does "throwing lots" mean? What are lots? |
| 9/14 |
| "Why did God permit polygamy in the Bible?" |
| 10/14 |
| Can the six days of Creation in Genesis represent long periods of time? |
| 3/15 |
| "My
question is about the Trinity. I understand about God the Father
and the Son, Jesus Christ. My problem is with the Third Person, the
Holy Spirit. I really don't know much about Him." |
| 4/15 |
| Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that may seem right to man. But in the end, it leads to death." What does that mean? |
| 5/15 |
| "My question is about Acts 16:16-19. Can the devil really predict the future? I thought only God knows the future." |
| 4/16 |
| Jesus
said, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God
alone."(Matthew 19:17) If Jesus Christ is true God, why did He
say that? |
| 5/16 |
| When did Jesus realize that he was God and that his mission was to suffer and die on the cross? |
| 7/16 |
| Why do Catholic Bibles have 81 books? Our Bible has only 66 books. Did our church delete some books of the Bible? |
| 11/16 |
| "I don't like to read the Old Testament because it is too violent." |
| 1/17 |
| Does the Bible say anything about when a baby becomes a real "person"? |
| 5/17 |
| "How did people in the Bible live so long?" |
7/17
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"Who chose the books included in the Bible?"
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3/18
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"Which movies about Jesus follow the Bible?" |
6/18
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Jesus said, "If anyone
comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and
children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he
cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26 ESV) Why did He say that?
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Heaven, angels, end of the world |
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3/02
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"When we go to heaven, will we understand the reason why
things
happened the way they did on earth?"
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4/02
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"What does your church teach about the Rapture?"
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10/02
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"Do you think that a good person who does not believe in
Jesus still can go to heaven?"
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1/03
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"What is your position on reincarnation?"
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4/03
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"When we die, do we go immediately to heaven? Or do we
'sleep' until Jesus comes again?"
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| 7/03 |
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"What is your
opinion about guardian angels?" |
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10/03
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"Do you believe in ghosts?"
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3/05
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"What does the Bible mean when it refers to 'heaven?'"
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7/06
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"Do animals have souls? Can they go
to heaven when they die?"
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7/07
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"Is there difference between a
person's soul
and spirit?"
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| 2/08 |
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"What
is heaven like? What will we do there?" |
| 3/08 |
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"Why
does the Bible say that we will receive rewards in
heaven? I thought we are saved by grace, not by works, and
that heaven is a place of equality." |
| 4/09 |
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"When Jesus comes again, and our bodies rise to life,
will we have the same bodies that we have now? Or will we get new
bodies?" |
| 7/11 |
| "How can a loving God send people to hell?" |
| 5/12 |
| "The Bible says that God will make 'a new heaven.' Why? What's wrong with the first heaven?" |
| 3/16 |
| What does the Apostles' Creed means when it says, "Jesus descended into hell"? |
| 3/17 |
| "When we see Jesus in heaven, will He still have nail scars in His hands?" |
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Church teaching & practice; Christian life |
9/02
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Describing God*
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| 2/03 |
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"The Ten
Commandments say 'Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.' So why
does your church break this Commandment by worshipping on Sunday
instead?" |
| 6/03 |
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"In your Lutheran
worship, why do you say some of the same things every Sunday? Why don't
you use more
of your time teaching the Bible?" |
| 2/04 |
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"How do you Sign
the word 'Grace'?" |
| 6/05 |
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"What do Lutherans
teach about Free Will?" |
| 7/05 |
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"I have trouble
telling my atheist and agnostic friends about Jesus. How can I tell
them without being offensive?" |
| 11/05 |
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Evolution* |
1/06
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"If God never changes His mind,
then why pray?"
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2/06
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"For a person to be saved, do we
need to accept Jesus only as Savior? ...or as Savior AND
Lord?"
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4/06
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"Do Lutherans teach that we must be
'born again?' "
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5/06
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"The newspaper said that doctors
tested prayer and they said prayer doesn't work."
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2/07
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"I don't like to say, 'Goodbye.' I
prefer to
say, 'See you later.' "
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6/07
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"Deaf or Death?"
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9/07
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What is the "Church"?*
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10/07
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"I attended the Lutheran School for
the Deaf, but they didn't teach me about Martin Luther. Why?"
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| 2/09 |
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"Why do you baptize babies?" |
| 3/09 |
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"I go to church every week. So why
do I need to also read the Bible at home?" |
| 7/09 |
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"Who was Jerome, and what role did he have in compiling
the Bible?" |
| 10/09 |
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"How do you respond to Martin Luther's anti-Semitic
statements?" |
| 3/10 |
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"Why
did God allow the earthquake in Haiti?" |
| 5/10 |
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"Why
doesn't our church permit women to be pastors?"* |
| 6/10 |
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"In
the Beginning..." * |
| 7/10 |
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"What
is your opinion about blessing animals?" |
| 3/11 |
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St. Augustine on Deafness |
| 10/11 |
| "What does the FISH symbol mean?" |
| 11/11 |
| "Different religions call God by different names, but they all worship the same God, right?" |
| 1/12 |
| "What do you feel when you say the words that change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ?" |
| 6/12 |
| "Does Christ/Deaf meet in an ELCA church?" |
| 7/12 |
| "What does INRI mean?" |
| 9/12 |
| "Why didn't God protect the theater shooting victims?" |
| 5/13 |
| "What is a "Jesuit'?" |
| 6/13 |
| "The Power of an Invitation" |
| 3/14 |
| "A Christian pastor became an atheist!?" |
11/14
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| "Pray for persecuted Christians"
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| 1/15 |
| "What is the purpose of fasting?" (2 parts) |
| 6/15 |
| "Does God have a sense of humor?" |
| 7/15 |
| "I have a friend who was re-baptized. Is that okay?" |
| 9/15 |
| "Why does the Apostles' Creed say Jesus descended into hell?" |
10/15
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"What does CONCORDIA mean?"
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| 11/15 |
| What does the Bible say about lawsuits? |
| 12/15 |
| "Why do you believe in God?" |
| 2/16 |
| "Your
story last month about the jail inmates puzzles me. I always
thought that people must ask God for forgiveness and believe in Jesus
Christ before getting into heaven. Am I missing something?" |
| 9/16 |
| "I pray and read the Bible at home, and I watch preachers on TV. So why do I need to also attend church?" |
9/17
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"Do Catholics still believe in Purgatory?"
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1/18
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"What do you think of Chick Tracts?"
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Culture (Social & Moral Issues)
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6/02
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Assisted Suicide*
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7/02
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"What is your position on cloning and stem cell
research?"
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9/02
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"I have read about the Lutheran Church's conflict over
the interfaith prayer service in New York after 9/11. What is
happening?"
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| 3/03 |
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"Christians are
brainwashed!" |
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11/03
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"Is gambling a sin? What about the lottery?"
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1/04
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"Is investing in the stock market the same as gambling?"
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3/04
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Response to the popular book, The Da Vinci
Code by Dan Brown
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4/04
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"What is your opinion about TV evangelists? Is it true
they always want money and do they use it for the good cause? What
about Robert Schuler?"
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| 5/04 |
| "What do you think about The Passion of the
Christ movie?" |
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6/04
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"Tolerance" (re: same-sex marriage)*
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11/04
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"It appears that St. Paul permitted slavery in the New
Testament. Would he condone it today?"
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| 2/05 |
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"What is difference
between marriage, common-law marriage, and living together?"
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5/05
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LCMS policy on terminating artificial life support.
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| 9/05 |
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"What does the
Bible say about different races of people?" |
| 10/05 |
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"Racism &
Deafness" |
3/06
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"I understand that Martin Luther
supported the persecution of the Anabaptists. Has the LCMS
ever issued an apology for this persecution?"
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3/07
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Response to editorial on Noah
Markham (in-vitro fertilization & embryonic stem cell
research)*
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11/07
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"Is smoking a sin? What about
drinking alcohol?"
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| 4/08 |
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"Should
Christian parents allow cochlear implants in their deaf children?"
(two parts) |
| 5/08 |
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"Pastor,
how do you answer a vegetarian who says that killing animals
for food is immoral?" (two parts) |
| 9/10 |
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"What
is your opinion about cremation vs. burial? Does the Bible
have anything to say about it?" |
| 11/10 |
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"Does
God accept a marriage that was officiated by someone who is not a
legitimately ordained minister? What about marriage by a
Justice
of the Peace?" |
| 1/11 |
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"What if the 'handicap' is deafness?" (re: a popular
justification for abortion) |
| 1/13 |
| "What about pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest?" (re: a popular
justification for abortion) |
| 2/13 |
| "What should we look for in a candidate? Does the Bible has any particular method of looking at this?" |
| 10/13 |
| "Sometimes on Sunday morning, when we confess our sins in the worship service, I can't think of any sins I need to confess." |
| 9/14 |
| "Why did God permit polygamy in the Bible?" |
| 10/16 |
| "My husband is having an affair. I don't know what to do!" |
| 1/17 |
| Does the Bible say anything about when a baby becomes a real "person"? |
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Holiday topics |
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Christmas |
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12/02
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"Is Jesus' birthday really December 25?"
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12/03
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"Christmas Myths"
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12/04
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"If the Bible condemns astrology, then why did God lead
the Wise Men with a star?"
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12/05
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"Who is 'Kris Kringle?'"
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12/06
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"What do the gifts from the Wise
Men represent?"
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12/07
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"Where did the Three Wise Men come
from?"
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| 12/08 |
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"An
atheist Christmas message?" |
| 12/09 |
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"Xmas?" |
| 12/10 |
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"The genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke appear to
be different. Why?" |
| 12/11 |
| More about the Wise Men |
| 12/12 |
| "I
am curious about the worship customs of the Magi (Wise Men). We
know they 'bowed down and worshiped Him.' How exactly did they
'worship' Him?" |
| 12/13 |
| "What was the star of Bethlehem?" |
| 12/14 |
| What does "mas" in "Christmas" mean? Is it from the Catholic Mass? |
12/17
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What is the connection between Hanukkah and Christmas?
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Good
Friday / Easter |
| 4/11 |
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"Why were the two robbers who were crucified with Jesus
held up with ropes, while Jesus was nailed to the cross?" |
| 4/13 |
| Origin and meaning of the word "Easter" |
| 5/14 |
| "Which holiday is more important: Christmas or Easter?" |
| 3/16 |
| Why is the Friday before Easter called "Good Friday"? Is the crucifixion of Jesus "good"? |
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Halloween |
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10/03
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"Do you believe in ghosts?"
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10/04
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"What is your opinion about Halloween?"
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