Do you have questions about Christianity?

At the tender age of 19, my faith was almost destroyed by the professor of my Old Testament class. His constant barrage of "facts" about the origins of the stories and books of the Bible was systematically eroding my faith in the Bible as the Word of God. I felt utterly helpless, unable to answer his question, much less defend my faith. In desperation, I poured out my anguish to an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship worker named Joe Whitchurch. He handed me the book, "More Evidence that Demands a Verdict," and it was as though it had been written for my class. It is no understatement to say that book, and the man who just happened to have purchased it that same day on his way to meet with us, and was willing to part with it for the sake of a desperate student, saved my life that day. My debt to Josh McDowell for writing the book, and Joe Whitchurch for parting with it (even before he had a chance to read it for himself) for saving my faith can never be repaid. What I could do, however, was turn around and provide that same gift to other believers. Unfortunately, at 19 I still did not know enough to help others, and try as I might, my lack of answers prevented me from being able to save the faith of some of my fellow students in that same class.

I determined then and there that no one would ever damage the faith of another believer while I was in the room, and so I dedicated the remainder of my life to studying every nuance of Christianity, as well as all the evidence for the validity of this faith. In keeping with that, I gained a passing knowledge of Hebrew, and learned to read and write New Testament (Koine) Greek. I read every article I could find relating to creation and evolution, archaeology, church history, textual criticism, philosophy, doctrine, theology, ministry, culture, and translation. I read most of the published portions of every manuscript of the Bible (both Old and New Testament) in Greek from the first 500 years of Christianity. To better understand the issues involved in translation, I produced my own translations of the Gospel According to John and the Letter to the Philippians, as well as large portions of several other books of the New Testament.

Over the years I have had the privilege of answering hundreds of questions from believers and unbelievers alike seeking to better understand what the Bible says, and along with that, what Christianity teaches on almost every conceivable topic. Now, as the Teaching and Discipleship Pastor at Living Promise Church [Update: As of March, 2015, I am the Senior Pastor at Trinity Episcopal Church in Flushing], one of my jobs is to do exactly what I have been doing for decades: answer the questions of all who seek to understand the Bible and draw closer to our Lord and God, Jesus Christ.

And that is the purpose of this blog: to share with all of you the many questions I have received over the years, as well as any new ones I get along the way, and my answers to those questions. I do not claim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to be able to answer every question. There are things about God that I do not understand any better than any other believer, but I'm completely comfortable with that. As my beloved father-in-law used to say, "If I could understand everything about God, I would be equal with Him." What I can do, however, is lay out the evidence for Christianity, explain the seemingly convoluted history of textual research that has resulted in our modern Bibles (as well as explaining the apparent differences between some translations in certain verses), simplify complex doctrines, and expand upon some of the extraordinarily subtle aspects of the Greek that often cannot be translated into English.

Hopefully, in the process I can help you live a bolder walk with the Lord, gain a more vibrant and strengthened faith, and pursue your purpose and ministry with more confidence and conviction than ever before.

Even if you are not sure about this whole "God" thing, maybe I can still answer some of your questions, settle your fears, or give you things to think about that you had not considered before. And who knows, maybe even help you find the God that really is there.