Description
Authors: Greg Palmer & Phil Shaw. 300 pages soft cover. Published by The Christadelphian October 2021.
In an age when the very existence of God is doubted, it is no surprise that the reliability of the Bible, which claims to be His word, is questioned. For Bible believers there is ample evidence to support its claims; although it contains statements and incidents that can be difficult to understand.
The book has Bible-based answers for 85 challenging questions about life, faith, and other aspects of godly living. The table of contents is well laid out to help the reader quickly find where a question may be dealt with. This is complemented by a 9 page scripture index. which also provides a useful navigation tool.
By way of example one of the questions "Must I Belong to an Ecclesia?" has the answer printed on pages 455 - 457 of The Christadelphian magazine for October 2021.
Click here to listen to a series of interviews on Wilderness Conversations with the authors.
BOOK REVIEW
HAVING DOUBTS does not mean that we lack faith. “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mk. 9:24) is a plea to which all may relate. As frail, mortal believers we should expect that we will sometimes struggle to understand the ways of God. As God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8,9).
When reading the Bible, we frequently encounter situations and incidents which perplex us. Where did the angels come from? Was it ‘fair’ that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Why did Bathsheba’s baby have to die after David’s adultery with her? Indeed, why was it necessary that our Lord suffer a harrowing death by crucifixion? These and many other questions have been pondered by faithful disciples since ancient times. Sadly, they have also been used by some to cast doubt upon the Bible and even call into question the righteousness of God.[1]
We should not be embarrassed when such questions arise, because in considering them we increase our faith in God and the Bible. That is the premise of the book Hard Questions? Real Answers! Written by Brother Greg Palmer and Brother Phil Shaw, the authors’ objective as stated in the foreword is “to provide simple, yet credible solutions so that faith might be supported and thinking realigned to the divine mind.” In pursuing this objective, they address a wide range of questions that occur to thoughtful Bible readers, including those in the previous paragraph, as well as many practical questions relating to our daily life as disciples of our Lord. In every case, the advice provided is based on the Bible. Where appropriate, the authors recognise that on some issues there is scope for more than one response depending on an individual’s conscience.
God rules!
Many of the conundrums with which men and women struggle arise from a failure to recognise God’s supremacy and authority and the reality of our mortal limitations. For that reason, the book commences by laying a foundation of key Bible principles regarding God and our relationship with Him. It then moves on to consider detailed questions grouped according to various themes. The first of these, appropriately, are questions relating to God. This is followed by a suite of queries relating to the Bible, including the basis for the canon of Scripture and the reliability of the text.
There is a brief chapter on questions about Israel. There may have been scope here for the authors to consider how we balance our interest in the revival of the State of Israel and its place in prophecy with our attitude towards the policies and actions of the Israeli government.
The chapter on questions relating to science is next. Obviously, it includes questions relating to evolutionary theory. Very wisely, the authors do not deal at great length with this topic because it is covered in detail in a range of other readily available and reliable publications.[2]
The largest part of the work is two lengthy chapters on questions relating to religion in principle and in practice. Some of these are questions believers often encounter from those to whom they preach, such as how we can be sure that our religion is the correct one and whether Christadelphians are just another cult. Others are issues with which we might grapple personally, such as ‘open fellowship’ and whether we have simply followed our parents in adopting the Christadelphian faith. There may have been potential under this heading to consider how we should interact and reach out to those in other Christadelphian fellowships.
Practical questions
The questions relating to religion in practice include many with which faithful brothers and sisters struggle, especially those who are young. The first of these considers why ecclesial membership is important. The authors note that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on attendance at, and commitment to, ecclesial meetings and cautions against assuming that online engagement with ecclesial life is adequate.
This chapter also discusses matters which vex many and create some tension in ecclesial life, including dress standards for meetings, head coverings for sisters, and prayers to Jesus. It also deals with matters of personal conduct, including the wearing of jewellery and tattoos. It was especially pleasing to see the authors’ response to the question of what our attitude should be towards protest movements and agitation on issues of social justice.
While this chapter covers a long list of important issues, there are others that would have been worthy of inclusion. One area that has been omitted is questions relating to the use of leisure time, including sports and hobbies, our choice of reading material and how we interact with social media. There may also have been value in addressing the question of trade union membership, the use of alcohol by believers and what our attitude should be to insurance.
Life and death
Two chapters deal with questions relating to life and death. Here the authors have enlisted the assistance of a brother who is a doctor in general practice to assist them in their handling of medically related aspects of these questions.
There is a very helpful discussion of depression and how and why it might affect believers. Those who have struggled in this regard will find the comments on this topic illuminating.
Important matters are also considered in relation to death. This includes a detailed biblical discussion of the subject of cremation, a topic about which many have strong views. The discussion of suicide is sensitive, empathetic and most insightful, as are the comments on euthanasia and voluntary assisted dying. In each case, the answers offered are solidly based on Scripture. This is one of the most challenging sections of the book.
Morality
Under the heading of moral and ethics the authors consider firstly questions about the Bible’s handling of slavery, polygamy and concubinage and God’s command that Israel exterminate the Canaanites. These matters have been a source of criticism by sceptics, and they also greatly trouble many modern believers. They also address some challenging passages in the Bible, such as 1 Kings 13 where, through the power of God, the unnamed prophet heals the hand of wicked King Jeroboam yet is slain later that day by God for what seems like a minor breach of etiquette. There is an unfortunate slip up in this chapter; the authors describe Jeroboam as Israel’s worst king, yet Scripture says that Israel’s worst king was Ahab (1 Kgs. 16:30; 21:25).
This chapter includes several questions regarding sexuality. These include the place of sexual desire in the life of a believer and the appropriateness of abortion. There is also a lengthy discussion of issues relating to homosexuality and other deviations from heterosexuality, and a consideration of questions relating to gender identity. As with the questions relating to death, the authors have called upon a qualified medical practitioner to assist them in framing is biblically based advice which is balanced, respectful and empathetic.
The topics covered under the heading of morals and ethics are handled very well, but it is a pity that other related issues are not addressed, including celibacy, contraception, masturbation, courtship and marriage. It is recognised, however, that at more than 300 pages the book is already fairly lengthy, and it is not possible to cover every question that might arise. Perhaps there is scope for a further volume to be prepared to address these and the other issues already mentioned that could have been considered.
Conclusion
Each chapter opens with citations from various authorities relevant to the theme. There are a couple of annoying errors is these extracts: pithy words from the pen of C. S. Lewis have unfortunately been misquoted; and, when quoting Benjamin Franklin, he is wrongly identified as an American president. Not every reader will agree with the approach taken to every passage referred to by the authors, and in the case of Deuteronomy 22:5 the authors themselves appear to interpret the verse in different ways when considering it in different contexts. But these are minor matters and do not detract from the overall value of the book.
Hard Questions? Real Answers! addresses questions of interest to most brothers and sisters. Many are questions with which they have wrestled in the past and may still be wrestling with today. The world seeks to influence us and cause us to question God’s ways. There are many challenging issues which can raise doubts for us and others. This book performs a valuable service in helping to ensure that the Bible informs our thinking on questions that may trouble us or may be asked by those to whom we preach. “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein” (Hos. 14:9).
Geoff Henstock
Tis review appeared in the Testimony in July 2022 and the Lampstand in September-October 2022