Answers to Questions Listed by Topics Beginning with the Letter "E"
Unless otherwise noted, all answers were written by Jeff Hamilton.
Eating in the Church Building
- Can a hall used by a church for worship also be rented for a potluck by members?
- Can we have meals in the building since eating together is an expression of fellowship?
- Can't the building be used for things other than worship?
- If I don't participate in activities that are scripturally wrong, then will I be all right?
- If you can have fellowship with people who differ in one area, why can't you have fellowship with those who have kitchens and fellowship halls?
- Is it wrong for a church to organize meals?
- Is it wrong to have a fellowship building for dinners?
- Isn't a kitchen just an way to reach people with the gospel?
- Questions about the use of funds given to the church
- Since the church isn't the building, you can't make rules about how the building is used.
- Why is eating in the building an issue?
- "You shouldn't write against having kitchens and fellowship halls since these aren't important to salvation"
Ecclesiastes
Education
- Are lectureships scriptural?
- Did God invent algebra?
- How can I make my daughter interested in studying?
- How do I improve my concentration and ability to memorize?
- How do you handle assignments in class that have immoral content?
- I feel like a failure because I didn't go to college when I had the chance.
- I really want to study theology, but how do I know if that is what God wants me to do?
- I want to go to a good university, but my reputation as a student is poor.
- I want to go to college, but my dad won't let me. What should I do?
- Is it wrong to take classes from a university connected to a denomination?
- May Christians make use of denominationally sponsored preschools?
- Should corporal punishment be allowed in schools?
- What is the philosophy of true education?
- When I get busy in school, I lose sight of God. Is that wrong?
- Where have you studied?
- Were the apostles educated?
- Why has God withdrawn His favor and let me fail my last exam?
- You're too harsh on public schools
Elders
- Any advice for a new elder?
- Are elders responsible for the employment of preachers?
- Can a church be scriptural without elders?
- Can a man be both a preacher and an elder?
- Can a man still be an elder if his faithful children have died before him?
- Can a woman be a pastor?
- Could you explain Hebrews 13:17?
- Did Onesimus later become an elder?
- Do the elders keep secrets from the church?
- Do the elders and preachers constitute the church in decisions?
- Do you have other material on an elder's children being faithful?
- Do you have to submit to an unqualified elder?
- Does a Christian have the right to privately criticize an elder?
- Does an elder need to step down if one of his children falls away?
- Does divorce disqualify a man from being an elder?
- Does "faithful children" mean faithful to God or faithful to the parent?
- How do I deal with an arrogant leader?
- How do you deal with sin in the church when the elders disagree?
- How do you know when a passage is talking about older men in a congregation or the elders of a congregation?
- How old does a person need to be to become an elder?
- How tight of a reign should elders have over a preacher?
- If a congregation retains an elder who is a widower, should we leave?
- Is a church without elders not following the Scriptures?
- Is it right for a church to raise money for a preacher school or to have leaders instead of elders?
- May a church without elders appoint deacons?
- Must an elder have faithful children?
- Must elders have more than one child?
- Must elders have the consent of the congregation in order to serve?
- "Once a man's children grow up, he is no longer qualified to be an elder."
- Should a man who committed the same sin many times and is still fighting against it be in leadership position?
- Should a person leave a church that doesn't have elders or deacons?
- Should a repeated adulterer be dismissed from the ministry?
- Should a woman be on the committee to select elders?
- Should the current eldership select additional elders?
- Were elders limited to the age of miracles?
- What did Jesus expect of Peter when he said to feed his sheep?
- What do you do when the elders are not listening to the congregation?
- What happens if an elder's wife dies?
- What is meant by an elder being the husband of one wife?
- What is the function of a pastor?
- What qualifications does an elder need that a deacon does not?
- What should be done when there are couples in the church living together without being married?
- What would you tell an eldership who rejects a preacher because his wife wears a head covering?
- Who appoints elders?
- Who removes an elder from office?
- Would a preacher or elder be allowed who had children involved in sexual sins?
- You seem to have two articles giving two different positions on whether an elder's unfaithful child makes him disqualified. Which is it?
Elijah
- How was John the Baptist Elijah?
- What was the Lord's reasoning for showing Elijah the wind, earthquake and fire?
Emotionalism
Emotions
- Can you discuss "gut feelings?"
- How does the Holy Spirit testify to people today?
- Is the saying "follow your heart" wrong?
- I'm really scared of how my body responses to strong emotions.
Employment
- Are Christians commanded to physically labor?
- Can a Christian be a serious actor when so many movies have intimate scenes?
- Can a former murderer be forgiven and be able to work?
- Can being attracted to a coworker be dangerous when you are married?
- Do I become a doctor or run a shop?
- Do I have to work on Sundays if my boss demands it?
- Does everyone need to work?
- Does the Bible say anything about retiring?
- Ever since I committed adultery and lost my marriage, it seems like I've been stuck.
- How do I handle what is quickly becoming an adulterous office affair?
- How do I know if God wants me to marry this girl or what career I should take?
- How do you pick a job when so many can involve sinful things?
- I really want to be a Christian, but I keep sinning. What should I do?
- I want to do something bad to the people who cost me my job.
- If you can't work due to illness, should you not eat?
- Is a five day work week contrary to God's design?
- Is it better to accept unfair wages or stay unemployed in hopes of better wages?
- Is it wrong for my employer to demand more hours from me?
- Is it wrong to leave out some of my employment history on a resume?
- Is it wrong to work in a Catholic hospital or work for a company that produces sexual themed movies?
- Is saying that I'm not available on Sundays and Wednesday nights keeping me from being hired?
- It is hard to study for a profession whose code of ethics encourages the support of immoral behavior.
- May a Christian serve in government?
- My boss appears to be Christian, but she is awful. What should I do?
- My new job interferes with going to Bible study. What do I do?
- My problem is that I grumble too much at work. What should I do?
- Questions about Boaz
- Should a Christian get involved in marketing?
- Should a woman stay home and not work to take care of the children?
- Should I continue talking to a co-worker who only wants to talk about sex?
- Should I give up my job because I cheated some in college?
- Should I relocate or find another job?
- Should wages be fixed?
- What does the Bible say about employment?
- What if the site I write for also advertises gambling?
- When I get busy in school, I lose sight of God. Is that wrong?
End of Time, End of the World, End Times
- Are we approaching the end times?
- Is the end of time drawing near?
- Is the recent major earthquake in Indonesia an indication that Jesus is about to return?
- Peter can't be referring to the physical elements being destroyed, can he?
- Will the world end on December 21, 2012?
Engagement
- Are engagements required before a marriage can take place?
- Boy - girl relationships don't affect studies do they?
- Does the Bible talk about asking a father for his daughter's hand in marriage?
- Should I end our engagement even though we've sinned?
- What intimacies are allowed or not allowed to engaged couples?
- Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?
Entertainment
- Are all violent video games wrong?
- Are cartoons dangerous?
- Are pranks sinful?
- Do you think a movie with a good story line but some immorality scattered in should be watched?
- How do you know if a church is just there to entertain?
- How should a Christian handle violent or adult content video games?
- Is it sinful to play Airsoft, Laser Tag, or Paintball?
- Is watching movies or making jokes about sinful things really that bad?
- Should my objection to clapping during singing be respected as a weaker brother?
- Should things that have occultic symbols in them be avoided?
- What makes some fantasy stories wrong?
- What should I do with a game that has an indecently dressed character?
- Would it be wrong to make up a mythology for a fantasy story?
Envy
- I'm hurt that my daughter wants to buy her step-mother a gift, but never talks about getting a gift for me.
- I've had a disappointing life and I envy those who have done well. How do I overcome these feelings?
- Should I go out for college basketball?
Esther
- What about the lineage of Esther?
- Why did Esther request that Haman's sons be hanged when they were already dead?
Eternal Life
Eternity, Eternal, Everlasting
Ethics
- See: Morality
Eunuchs
Evangelists
- Can a man be both a preacher and an elder? Can a woman be a preacher? Must preachers be ordained?
- Should a preacher be paid to hold a gospel meeting?
- Should you only teach a subject once to a Christian who disagrees with you?
- What does a preacher's wife do?
Evidence
- How can you distinguish between the real and the make believe?
- How do you handle questions you can't understand? Does it cause you to doubt that God exists?
- How do you not doubt that God exists?
- Is there any non-biblical evidence that prove the prophecies in the Bible?
- Is there any scientific evidence that Christianity is the true religion?
- What evidence is there that Paul was recognized by the other disciples or that Christ existed?
- Where can I find the early church father's writings and evidence that Jesus lived and died?
- Where does the Bible explain why Jesus' bones were not broken?
- Why did God prove He existed before but not now?
- Why do you believe in God? If God loves us all, why doesn't He let us all in heaven?
Evil
Environmentalism
Evolution
- Are body hair, ear wiggling, and such things proof of evolution?
- Could there have been a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?
- Did Adam and Eve have six fingers?
- Did dinosaurs really exist?
- Did God just make the world look like it evolved to test our faith?
- Do historians and the Bible disagree?
- Does God allow differing beliefs, such as regarding evolution?
- Does the appendix, wisdom teeth and tailbone show we evolved?
- Does the second law of thermodynamics not apply to the earth since it is an open system?
- How can I believe the Bible when science has proven it wrong?
- How can you discount things like radiocarbon dating and fossils?
- How could dinosaurs have evolved into hundreds of species and then go extinct in the few thousand years since the flood?
- How could there be cave men?
- How old is the world?
- If Carl Sagan was the world's smartest man, shouldn't he have a compelling argument?
- Is Australia's unique wildlife evidence for evolution?
- Is there microevolution?
- Is the biblical account of Creation not meant to be taken literally?
- "It isn't hard to coincide the Bible and evolution if we understand that days could have meant some long period of time."
- Isn't Hinduism older than Judaism? And other questions about early history.
- Was there a world before Genesis?
- What are some things I should watch out for in a Biological Anthropology class?
- What is the difference between adaptation and evolution?
- What was the original language?
- Your list of scientists who opposed evolution contains people who could not have read Darwin's book.
Examples
- How do you justify using Acts 20:7 as binding the day but not the place?
- If Priscilla can be used as an example of head covering, why not of women serving communion?
- Since I Corinthians 16:1-2 was only about one need, then isn't this just an example of how a collection might be taken and not a command for us today?
- Since they met at night in Acts 20:7ff, does that mean Christians today should only meet at night?
- When are examples binding?
- See also Authority
- See also Influence
Excuses
Exercise
Exodus
- Can you help me with some questions on Numbers 13 and 14?
- Could Israel crossed the Red Sea on the eastern side of the Sinai peninsula?
- Did the first three plagues affect all of Egypt, including Goshen?
- Did the Hebrews hear the cries of the Egyptians when the death angel passed?
- How could the Israelites have left Egypt if they crossed into the Sinai peninsula?
- How did you locate Pi Hahiroth, Migdol, and Baal Zephron?
- How long did the exodus from Egypt take?
- How long would it have taken Israel to reach Canaan if they had not wandered for 40 years?
- How many people crossed the Red Sea?
- Whose idea what it to send spies into Canaan?
- Why are the commandments mentioned in Exodus 34 different from those mentioned in Exodus 20?
- Why did God kill all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians when it was Pharaoh who sinned?
- Why did Moses strike the rock twice and what was Aaron's participation?
- Why did Paul say Sinai was in Arabia?
- Why does your map show Israel in Egyptian territory when the Bible says they left Egypt?
- Would the Exodus have been a two week walk?
Expediency
- Can you explain "expediency"?
- Do you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air conditioned building?
- Isn't a kitchen just an way to reach people with the gospel?
