Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Everyone doubts something at some time. A lot of people, normal people with normal lives, have real doubts about God and the way He does things. Even those who believe in God, face doubts of various kinds. You may be surprised to learn what the Bible says God does with doubters. Discover where many of our doubts come from, how they relate to the hang ups we have with God and how doubt can become life-changing faith.

Many people struggle with the Bible. Noted author Mark Twain once said, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” But, is the Bible scientifically and historically accurate? Some feel it’s culturally repressive. This talk will offer an intellectually honest and spiritually compassion look at the Bible.

Few subjects confuse more people about God and the Bible than why he ordered the killing of children and other innocent people in the Old Testament. God seems to be a mean bully in the Old Testament and Jesus meek and mild in the New Testament. Does a person need to reject one to embrace another? Is there any rational reason, whatsoever, that God would have order such brutality? This talk will address this very difficult subject with an invitation to not let something that doesn’t make sense, cause you to lose heart.

It can be hard to understand how a loving God could send people to a place of torment for all of eternity. Why would He allow such a place to exist? Or why can’t it at least be temporary punishment until those souls in hell repent? In this message, we’ll deal with those questions and a few others related to hell. Our hope is that as you hear this message, you’ll not just have some questions about hell answered, but you’ll also discover the unchanging, sacrificial grace and justice of God.

Lots of people in our world complain that Christians are all judgmental, self-righteous, non-inclusive hypocrites and in many cases they’re right. The surprising revelation this talk brings out is that hypocrisy isn’t a Christian problem it’s a human race one. What do we do when we consistently can’t live up to God’s standards or if we don’t believe in God, our own standards? Watch for the surprising answer.

There are few God Hangups in our Western culture that can compete with the frustration many people feel over what they see as God discriminating against people with different sexual orientations. Christians are viewed as repressive, homophobic and opposed to reality. <h3>Further Reading:</h3> <a class="shadow-button" href="http://www.redeemer.com/redeemer-report/article/the_bible_and_same_sex_relationships_a_review_article" target="_blank">The Bible and Same Sex Relationships: A Review Article</a>

Our God Hangups series has addressed many key hangups and questions people have but there is no way we could possibly cover them all. Watch as our panel of respected leaders addresses many more of your questions. (Left to right: Pastor Mike Hintz, Pastor Les Beauchamp, Pastor Myron Pierce, Dr. Deb Hoffman)

Mental illness and suicide are two of the most painful and confusing realities in our broken world. Both carry stigmas that only add to the pain, heartache and loss. But, God is there to help, heal and release hope. Most people don’t know but there are examples of mental illness and even suicide in the Bible. In this talk Pastor Les Beauchamp addresses the painful realities and gives a clear pathway to hope and healing.