How to scare people with your doctrine! (Part. 1)

Here is the first part of a recent article from wayofthemasterradio.com which I find interesting and I respond to below. Some of these questions are good and some are out right ludacris (my responses are in Orange:

Questions that will save you a lot of Sundays [pdf]
Looking for a good church? Church-shopping can be a long and painful process. To shorten your search, call the pastor of the church before you visit and ask the
following questions. This might save you a lot of Sundays.

1. What is man’s biggest problem, sin or self esteem? Seeker sensitive and felt-needs churches focus on man’s hurts and problems. The Bible says that man’s biggest problem is sin.

I agree here for the most part, although I would argue that man's biggest problem is a separation from God in general and not just "sin"

2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life? Repent and trust is the Biblical answer. If the word “repent” is never used, say, “Thank you.”

Actually Luke 10:25-28 says simply:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" “What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live"

Then Jesus goes on to explain about how everyone is our neighbor etc. etc.

John 6:53-54 explains that we need communion to inherit eternal life.

John 8:51 says that those who obey the words of Christ will "never see death."

John 12:25-26 talks about self-denial and servanthood will have eternal life

And those are just the scriptures where Jesus mentions "eternal life" directly. I find it interesting that the author of this list chose to emphasize REPENTANCE above all...

3. How do you deliver the salvation message? Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says. Does he encourage people to simply say a prayer? Does he tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts? The salvation message should include: God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, God’s response (hell), God’s kindness (Jesus on a cross), man’s response (repentance and faith).

I could go on for hours on the "salvation message"... "Ask the pastor to describe specifically what he says" does that mean that we need to have a scripted "salvation message" for the heathens and the unchurched? Is there a magic word? Do you think that the right words will woo them over to the Jesus side? And how do you think that conversation will go with said pastor?

I love the 5 "universal" steps to salvation... Jesus was right in the middle of planning his nationwide book tour when that darn crucifixon ruined that idea...

I would say that this question, itself, in our modern context, tends to indicate/emphasize ‘the age to come’, or focus only on the eternal. It seems, at times, like some of us would be content to just lock ourselves up in our churches and wait for Jesus instead of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. Jesus didn't tell us to "go and make disciples of all nations" so that we could all sit around idle until the "rapture".

4. How hard is it to become a Christian?The “formula” is
simple, doing it is not. It is not easy to believe.

This is one subject that I'm torn on... If by "formula" they mean the steps outlined in #3 then you know what I think about that situation. Otherwise, I think this is the first one they have on the right track. I agree its simple to make a decision to follow Christ but the act of following Christ is a long, tough journey.

5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and
judgment? Balance is key. This should not be the only emphasis, but
it should be a regular emphasis.

Right, balance is key... If Jesus were here today in our time, I wonder if we would be more likely to see Him standing with a megaphone on the corner , telling people about the fire and pain that awaits them, emphasizing sin, righteousness & judgement or would we see Him passing the jacket He was wearing to the homeless, crippled man on the corner, with no thought of thanks, and offering to buy the man a meal as He cultivated a relationship with him. I believe that Christ loved people first and addressed sin, righteousness & judgement on a personal level with them.

Which is more of an honest response from a person of free will?… 1. To “convert” to Christianity out of fear of Hell. Thus reducing the loving relationship we were CREATED for, to a shallow, eternal quid pro quo agreement. 2. To SHOW them the love of Christ, to let them know that they are a special and unique creation of God, and that God LOVES them so much that He came in human form to suffer through the same temptations and struggles as the rest of us so that all who believe in Him, and follow His word (and repentance is necessary for that to happen) will spend eternity in the presence of God.

Stay tuned to part 2 of our series...