VALLEY VINE Valley Presbyterian Church
March 2017
Volume 62, Number 2 Internal questions, which come from believers, are a spur to spiritual growth. Mark 9:24 underlines the promise and possibility of honestly facing our doubts and questions—“I believe, Lord, help me with my unbelief.” Most of us have questions for God about things we don’t understand. As we ask our questions and seek answers in scripture and deliberation, we are equipping ourselves to help others with their questions.
Dear friends, Christian faith is strong and robust. A great deal of that strength rests on our tradition of openness to questions and issues. Rather than adopt a coercive approach that tells adherents to blindly trust ecclesial authority, authentic Christian communities, from the very beginning, have faced challenging questions that arise from within or from without. Outside questions, which are generated by critics, skeptics, or cynics, have been publicly addressed by Christian writers and apologists. Apologetics, from the word Apologia, meaning defense, is the art of showing the reasonableness of belief, so that followers and inquirers can trust that faith does not require a sacrifice of the intellect. Jesus was never threatened by questions but saw them as opportunities for dialogue and growth.
So you are going to help me construct our post-Easter sermon series by sharing your deepest questions about faith and life. During March, we will be collecting questions in a variety of ways. You can put your written questions in our question box at the back of worship. You can write me a letter or send me an email at davidj@vpc.church. You can ask your question directly to any member of staff. Or you can go online at vpc.church/questions and post it. Each week, we’ll deal with a serious and important question from one of our members or visitors. Faith and reason are both gifts of God! Genuine faith is always seeking deeper understanding. Let’s wade together into the deep end in search of the truths that strengthen our confidence in God’s goodness and grace. I can’t wait to see what is on your mind! Blessings,
vpc.church/easter Valley Presbyterian Church 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-5342 Phone: 480-991-6424 Fax: 480-991-6427 Email: church@vpc.church Website: vpc.church