D&D Theology's "Ask About Christianity" Thread MKII

I like this explanation:

Essentially, you need to understand who God is and who Jesus is, what sin is, why Jesus died, and what that means for you. And then pray, thanking God and Jesus for their sacrifice, asking for forgiveness from sin, and asking for the Holy Spirit.

As for the preaching thing that you're talking about with Aula - I usually find that letting people know I'm Christian is enough. People who are interested ask questions, people who aren't don't. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't explain my faith to the people I love, but as long as they've understood it, it's up to them to decide whether they want to know any more or not.

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Thanks, great reply (will + rep when I recharge ). How do you do the part in bold, though? Read the Bible? Research Christianity generally? And how does one know that Christianity's claiming of what God is is the true interpretation (if he exists at all)?

Oh, cool

Yes to both! It's best to spend time researching all of this. There are lots of resources online. If you're in the UK and really interested you could go to an alpha course, or a Christianity Explored course. You might find these a little preachy but they are short courses that make Christianity really clear. Some people become Christian at the end, some don't, but you'll have a much better understanding of it. Reading the Bible is really helpful. If you're just starting to research, then you could try doing an reading plan designed for that - eg. Bible Introduction at bible.com (https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/167-bible-introduction/day/1) which will help you find some of the passages that deal with the major issues about Christianity. Or you might like to read one of the Gospels - Mark, for example - to see what the major stories about Jesus' life are, and what sort of things he taught about. And think about it all.

As for knowing - none of us know in the truest sense (because no one can really know when it comes to matters of religion), but we have faith, and we believe - and that's enough. Many of us have had prayers answered and so on that people who aren't Christian might say was coincidence, but that's a matter of opinion.

Thanks again Any Christian sites you'd recommend? I'm reading the Bible at the minute but I'm kind of short for time (work commitments) so am going over it quite quickly, is it better to do it slowly and then think it over? I tried a reading plan but it was taking a while, lol - I do read quite quickly

What's a Christianity Explored course? Is that one of the ones the churches run?

Hmm, OK

Hmm, can't think of any particular sites atm but others might have recommendations. I like Relevant Magazine for issues to do with Christianity in the modern world, but that tends to be aimed at established Christians, not people exploring the faith.

Yep CE is just like the Alpha course, same idea of short sessions with videos exploring different aspects of Christianity and aimed at people who are interested but aren't necessarily going to become Christians at the end of it.

Ah, OK I might read Relevant anyway, it'd be interesting to see how Christians approach life.

Do you reckon contacting a local church would be any good, or are they more tailored towards "established" Christians?

Not at all! All churches that I know of would be happy to talk to someone who is interested in exploring Christianity. Have a look at the websites of local churches (if you're interested in Church of England then look here http://www.achurchnearyou.com/ but there are lots of other denominations that might interest you too) and see if they have resources or contact details for enquiries. Or why not go along on a Sunday to see what a service is like? My church has services once every few months that are designed for people just wanting to find out more about Christianity. Not all do, but worth looking out for at least!

Thanks, might go along on a Sunday actually Is it OK to go on your own, though? Unfortunately, I barely have any Christian friends

Absolutely! I usually go alone. If you are nervous or not sure what you should be doing/where you should be sitting etc then just talk to someone on the way in - there are usually people by the doors to welcome people, so if you say to them that you've not been before and are just exploring the idea of Christianity they will explain how the service will work etc. Good luck! You may also like to join TSR's X Soc - we're a very friendly social group for Christians (of all denominations) and non-Christians. It's a great place for support, and just general chatter!

I'm honestly not trying to offend anyone here, but why are you guise often really patronising and my-way-is-better-than-your-way when it comes to matters of discussing religion?

Ah, OK I might read Relevant anyway, it'd be interesting to see how Christians approach life.

Do you reckon contacting a local church would be any good, or are they more tailored towards "established" Christians?

Hi. It depends where you live in the UK. Some local churches are spiritually as dead as a Dodo but ok as community centres, others are lively and going places, it depends what you are looking for.

If you are near London you could try Holy Trinity Brompton - they run the Alpha Course which is exploring Christianity without any commitment to stay at the church after. They also have a meeting every Sunday at St Pauls for people aged 14 - 30 years so loads of students go there (see HTB website for more info).

Hillsong is a great church too and they meet every Sunday at the Dominion Theatre Tottenham Court Road.

You could google churches in your area and find out what they do for each age group, for example if they have a student group then they might be more lively.

For me the main thing is that they are a good bible believing church who love God and are friendly and welcoming to new people and visitors.

Both of those churches are towards the modern evangelical wing of Christianity. It is worthwhile considering traditional churches, such as Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Both of those churches are towards the modern evangelical wing of Christianity. It is worthwhile considering traditional churches, such as Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Posted from TSR Mobile

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Or (for the sake of balance!) more traditional Anglican churches too.

Evangelic churches definitely don't represent all of the CofE

Always best to try out lots of different kinds to see what works best for you

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...How many different "main" denominations/types of churches are there I can try out?

Thank you + repped





Thanks How many different "main" denominations/types of churches are there I can try out? I've got Evangelical and Anglican on my list so far

Here is a church that is faithful to this, I hope you at least visit once to see the difference.

This is a Society dedicated to ecumenicalism. We are tolerant of all forms of Christianity in here. It's best not to assert that one type is best since we all have slightly different views on the subject.

It is particularly important that we welcome new Christians to the church with full honesty and openness. For that reason it would be remiss of me not to point out to Serendipitee that the Revival Fellowship to which you have linked has been accused of acting in improper ways - extorting money from members, making it almost impossible to leave the church, and ostracising former members. These stories may not necessarily be entirely accurate, I do not know - but please research this church carefully if you are considering it, Serendipitee.

PRSOM

I just realised that this is in Ask a Christian, not X Soc - hence my comments about the Society! Woops! But the main point still stands