The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock was left at my house by a friend. It’s a book full of those “would you” questions that offer two extremes (like, “If you could have a million dollars to keep, or twenty million to give away, which would you choose?”), and then look for your answer.

I was browsing it this morning and came across this question:

“If God appeared to you in a series of vivid and moving dreams and told you to leave everything behind, travel alone to the Red Sea and become a fisherman, what would you do? What if you were told to sacrifice your child?”

These are obvious allusions to things that happened, in some way, to biblical figures. From reading the scriptures, we know what our ‘correct’ answers should be.

But, would I? I don’t know. Would you?

Above anything else, I’m a Christian. More important than any other aspect of my life is that God has given me grace in Jesus Christ. My life, in spite of all its imperfections, can never be the same. For all intents and purposes, I cannot divide my faith in Christ from any other aspect of my life. If my life were water, Jesus would be the spout that delivers it to my glass.In fact, Jesus would be the glass also.

But, along with that comes a challenging tension that I have not yet understood or learned to balance. Though I’ve heard quite a lot of ideas—none really seem to be the whole answer.

See, I am also an artist and a business man (if those two can indeed coexist). My art is photography, and my business is in the wedding and portrait industry. Both of these are highly social in nature. As a photographer, both artistically and professionally, my ‘survival’ relies on making and maintaining connections with people wherever I meet them. If those connections do not exist, neither can my business or my art.

But that is also true of my faith. I am called to be a witness to the world of God’s grace in my life. When I meet someone, speak to someone, engage with someone in virtually any capacity, this fact cannot, does not, escape my mind.

How do these two live in tension with one another? How do I run a business and create art that glorifies God without driving away those with whom I hope to engage? I have yet to hear a simple answer.

  Today, as I sat with friends, I learned for the first time how to use Twitter to grow my business. It’s a remarkable tool that puts you immediately in touch with a vast number of people talking about all kinds of interesting things. Of course, you probably knew that already. I admit, I’m joining the caravan a bit late.

After learning to use the networking tool, it took no time at all for me to discover that, here too, I would face this challenge. A major element of Twitter is simply connecting with people over everyday endeavors. Where you’re going, what you’re doing, who you’re reading.

For me, those things are almost always connected to, if not wrapped up in, my faith. If I use the tool as most do, then I keep a world of potential clients, and more importantly potential believers, at arms length. Much like wearing a t-shirt that says, “Beware, I’m a Christian”. At the end of that day I’m engaging only other Christians and doing business almost exclusively with them.

But, on the flip side, if I don’t vocalize the ins-and-outs of my faith, I essentially deny the very foundation of virtually everything I do.

It’s a conundrum to say the very, very least. I haven’t yet found a satisfying answer to these questions. But I’m eager to hear the thoughts of friends who find their own ways to strike this tension on a personal and professional basis every day.

1 Peter 3:15 is a verse most Christians are relatively familiar with. I’ve written about it too. But what I think Christians are less accustomed to hearing is the end of that verse and the verse that follows it.

1 Peter 3:15-16:

“…In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”

It seems to me that many Christians are ready with an answer for the hope they have in Christ, but they’re not ready to give it with gentleness and respect. It seems more often to me that they are given in arrogance and impatience, as though their faith were something entirely of themselves.

Yet the fact of the matter is that if we have faith in Christ it is not because we are somehow superior to those who do not, but because we have received grace thus far to believe.

Of course, this bit in 1 Peter is written to people who would be slanderously accused for their faith and therefore a confident answer was important. And since the accusations would likely be very aggressive, obviously it was important to remind them that they shouldn’t respond with aggression, but with respect and gentleness.

Questions about our faith may not come with the same aggression today as it did then, but I think the exhortation to gentleness and respect stands as just as important.

RC Sproul & Albert Mohler respond to a question about the seeker sensitive church with brilliant clarity and cutting truth. This video is worth watching.

I originally watched this video on the Reformed Theology blog here.

I was reading in Like today and Jesus was asked an interesting question by one of his listeners.

Luke 13:24

"Lord, will those who are saved be few?”

At first reading, I think this seems like a really reasonable question. But upon closer examination, the questioner’s motives become clearer. Jesus’ responds in the following verses:

"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ “

The questioner wasn’t asking a hollow question. He was reading the back of the lottery card for his chances of winning. He was wondering whether devotion to Jesus would pay off.

Jesus is clear in his answer. He says that the time is now to believe. The question of whether or not many will be saved or few is irrelevant. The question is whether or not he will enter through the narrow gate while there is still time.

There was a Nightline Faceoff over the question of whether or not the devil is real. It featured thinkers from across the spectrum—including Mark Driscoll.

Most of the debate was fine. However, when the microphone was opened for audience participation, it became difficult to listen to. I’ve included a 55 second snippet from a question coming from a young woman, a Christian, in the audience. The question is unimportant. The digression is striking.

Give the clip a listen.
[podcast]http://www.petruzzo.com/sub_william/wp-content/uploads/nightline-argument.mp3[/podcast]

The Indian voice is new age philosopher Deepak Chopra—an unbeliever. Yet even still, his question to her is almost shattering.

“Is [Jesus] in so much trouble that you need to rescue him?”

Well, is he?

Tonight while reading, this scripture caught my attention. it did not go and did not became quite clear.

Proverbs 18:1 says:

“He who separates himself seeks his own desire,
     he quarrels against all sound wisdom.”

“Separates himself” from what? The world, from people, from God, from true wisdom? It’s unclear. The varying translations confuse things further and no two commentators seem to agree.

I guess I will wait patiently for this one.