Although I was raised in a Christian home, God did not save me until his particular “fullness of time” for me, which came when I was 46 years old. I had been trained as an engineer and worked in the computer industry with a measure of success that allowed me to ‘retire’ in 2001. With a new focus on making the most of my time, now committed to spreading the gospel, I returned to school and completed a degree in biblical counseling and another degree in theology.
In 2009 I was three years into my first senior pastor (aka “only pastor”) position in a small country church. My desire was to disciple the people to strengthen their confidence in sharing Christ. Many Christians hesitate to share Christ because they feel they don’t know enough, and as our church talked about that issue, someone mentioned GotQuestions.
When I looked at the site, I liked what I saw. So many questions were answered, and I saw this ministry as an invaluable tool for believers, not only to find answers to their questions but to build confidence in their evangelism efforts. I noticed the “serve with us” tab at the bottom of the page, clicked on it, and the rest, as they say, is history.
By my count, I have answered 444 questions as of October 15. Some of my favorites are, “What is love?” “When exactly did Jesus pay for sin?” and, “Why is God’s election not favoritism?” But the one that best describes our modern thinking was “What were Jesus’ credentials for teaching?”
I strive to be a good, accurate, and biblical theologian, so I most enjoy answering the “hard” questions about the Christian faith. Many people mistakenly view God as “a really, really, big, expression of us.” But God is completely “other” from us in how he plans and works (Isaiah 55:8), even though we are created in his image (Genesis 1:26). So people are often surprised by the things God does, often thinking that God is somehow unfair, intolerant, or unloving.
But that could not be farther from the truth as every redeemed Christian knows. The incredible beauty of our faith is that the infinite, self-existing, and perfectly holy Creator has chosen to reveal himself to his creatures, even as we wallow in our sin. Apologetics is the discipline of explaining biblical teaching and defending its truth. Theodicy is defending God’s goodness against the question of his sovereignty and the existence of evil in the world. Both are important skills, and I enjoy contributing to the effort by GotQuestions to advance the Kingdom of God by providing sound, biblical answers to the questions people are asking today. Knowing that I have helped someone understand the Bible better is what keeps me going. It has been my pleasure to serve and continue to serve in this ministry.
