Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church

Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church

by Walter Henegar

Religion & Spirituality

The Sign of Immanuel

Matthew 1:23 declares that the birth of Jesus fulfilled a sign promised by Isaiah over 700 years before. Isaiah's original prophecy, however, was not a simple prediction of a future event. The same God who took on flesh in the person of Jesus was present with his untrusting people through centuries of perilous uncertainty. Isaiah's challenge to be "firm in faith" (v. 9) is our same challenge today. When our hearts are shaking, we steady ourselves in the heart of God, rejecting the temptation to “use God to run from God” and to seek help from any source but God.

Why Hell?

The doctrine of hell is repugnant to most people today, yet no one talked about it more than Jesus himself. In his parable-like picture of separating sheep and goats, Jesus shatters our stereotypes about his final judgment and presents a costly vision of how he both saves us and transforms us by grace. Along the way, he gives us some insight into what hell is like, why it exists, and what to do with it.

Q&R for Why Hell?

Five short responses clarifying the preacher's interpretation of the passage, about whether God can be present in hell, about why faith is the mechanism for salvation, about predestination, and about hopelessness... also three longer responses about how God can hold people accountable if they haven't heard the Gospel, about how there could be no sadness in heaven if people we love aren't there, and about a grab bag of questions generated by reading NT Wright and Karl Barth.

Is Christianity Good for Non-Christians?

Distorted versions of Christianity aren’t good for anyone, but true Christianity is. Jesus refuses to let Christians narrow the circle and scope of their love, but instead compels us to love our enemies, just as he loved us when we were his enemies. Even if non-Christians never believe, the generous, pursuing love of God through his people should always bless and benefit them.

What Difference Does God Make in Suffering?

God doesn't tell us why suffering exists, but Romans 8:28 does give us hope in the midst of it. Unfortunately, this verse has also been misused as a band-aid that overreaches and silences sufferers. In order to find its true comfort, we must see how "all things" includes the bitterest forms of suffering, how God uses bad things for good without calling them good, and how the cross of Jesus leads us through suffering, in love, to eternal glory.

Q&R for What Difference Does God Make in Suffering?

Questions about how God can be all-knowing, all-powerful and al-good; about distinctions in interpreting Romans 8:28; about inviting God into the journey of suffering with us; about knowing whether Christianity is true or prayers are answered; about where sin came from, and about free will in light of God's knowledge of the future.

Peace That Passes Understanding

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Is Sex Really That Big of a Deal?

Few teachings are more incomprehensible to the modern secular person than traditional Christian teaching on sex. The heart of Paul’s argument is that Christians have been “bought” with the blood of Jesus, therefore everything we do with our lives, including our bodies, should be aligned with his purposes. In fact, the bond created by human sexual intimacy is actually a shadow of the ultimate intimacy of being united to God by faith. This teaching stands in direct contradiction to the secular creed of absolute individual sovereignty. Yet while it flows from the Gospel of salvation by grace, it is still secondary to it. When we make secondary matters primary, we undermine both.

Q&R for Is Sex Really That Big of a Deal

Six short responses to questions about polygamy, homosexuality, gender dysphoria, marrying not-yet-believers and moral shades of gray; five longer responses about whether people out of sync with he Bible can actually be saved, about our denomination's statements about gay or same-sex attracted people, about flourishing single sexuality and about married and single people flourishing together in community.

Q&R for What's the Deal with Worship?

Questions about God's greatness as "unsearchable," about women in the church, about local & global outreach, about Christians justifying wealth, and how Christians experience the Holy Spirit.

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