Hey all, this Sunday my church is having a membership class (first one since I started attending) and I will be attending the class so I can join. There will be a time for questions about the church, and my pastor told me on the phone yesterday that he expects at least one really good question from me. So...

I was thinking of coming up with some ridiculously specific how-many-angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin kind of question, just to mess with him. Maybe some stupidly specific question about his eschatology or something like that. Any funny suggestions for something I could ask?

(Don't worry, I will ask the serious questions too).

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Austin
EE student at Texas State University
Member of Church of the Cross (PCA) in San Marcos, TX
Ps. 8:3-4 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

Ask him about the Van Til-Clark controversy that Dr. Oliphint wanted us to know for AP 101.. He will know exactly what I am talking about. Maybe a better one is where did he really find the rooster.

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Kenneth Kneip
Member @ New St. Peter's PC (PCA), Dallas TX
Pastoral Intern @ New Covenant PC (PCA), Dallas TX
M. Div. student @ Redeemer Seminary, Dallas TX

Aaron found a rooster?

Oh, and thanks! I should have known to ask someone who knows him.

Ask him ...

"If Codex Bezae has the original text at Lk 6:5, then is keeping the Sabbath only required of those who are convinced of it?"

Here is the text from the codex...

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Larry Bray
Elder - Reformed Presbyterian Church of Boothwyn, PCA
Boothwyn, PA - http://www.rpcb.org/
Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net
-----------------------------------------------------
Christian ritual costs nothing and is worth nothing. True Christian religion costs all that we have and is worth everything.

Just straight face ask him if he is Pretrib rapture, midtrib rapture, or Posttrib rapture. This happened recently to me (by a dispensationalist), I found it hilarious because it denied any possibility of a Christian holding to anything other than dispy premil. If he's a dispensationalist I guess this question wouldnt be funny though.

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Bryan Riddle
1689 London Baptist Confession
Bethel Baptist Church Owasso, Oklahoma

No, he's not dispensationalist. I don't think dispies are even allowed to be ordained in the PCA. In fact, I'm pretty much 100%. They examine ministerial candidates pretty hardcore on doctrine...I love it.

-----Added 9/25/2009 at 09:38:06 EST-----

Thanks for the question, that would be a good one.

A really good question.

Was Paul speaking of his life as a believer or unbeliever in Romans 7 and how does the believer do battle with indwelling Sin?

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Rich
PCA, Northern VA
Student, New Geneva Theological Seminary

WebsiteMaven - Web Hosting Reviews, Guides, and Advice to build and promote your web site.
SoliDeoGloria.com - A Community for Reformed Thought and Discussion

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

This poor guy has no idea what he's walking into, the trap he's laid for himself.

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Norm
IA PCA

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 1:4-5

I told him on the phone he shouldn't have said that he expected a good question from me. I said I would drill him in detail on his eschatology, etc. lol

You DO have a lot to learn about the PCA.

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Edward
Deacon
PCA
Texas

Seems like that would be a long list of exceptions. But I know Aaron's not dispensational, even if the denomination is not consistent on upholding covenant theology across the board. He was raised bapticostal, and had quite an experience turning away from all that in college.

-----Added 9/25/2009 at 09:58:35 EST-----

Bear in mind that I'm comparing the PCA to my arminian southern baptist background, not to other Presbyterian denominations. The ministerial examination at my old SBC church consisted of "Brother, have you done got borned again?" jk jk My pastor now was asked MUCH more detailed questions than that.

Ask about the triclavianist debate!

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Jake; Hold to Original WCF, member of SBC; Greater Atlanta, Georgia Area

The cross does not give us a minor shift or two with regard to a few of our ethical and moral and religious values; the cross radically disrupts the very center and citadel of your life from self to Christ. —Albert N. Martin

Good one!

-----Added 9/25/2009 at 10:05:24 EST-----

My apologies to the reformed southern baptists on this board. I know it is a diverse denomination. But I reserve the right to make fun of my background in the SBC.

Well, the first thing I asked my pastor was whether he really believes in God. I wasn't trying to be funny, but I did get the feeling that people don't ask him that a lot.

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Caroline
OPC
Schenectady, NY
Blog: The Unlikely Calvinist

Interesting. Didn't you wonder why he was up there preaching on Sundays? haha. But now that I think about it, I have heard of an "atheist pastor" in Scotland, not to mention Bishop Spong, who said monotheism was outdated.

Well, my some of my previous pastors were too often in habit of engaging in gross sins (stealing from the church, committing adultery, etc). I always suspected that they didn't really believe in God. I mean, how could someone believe in God and still do those things with no remorse or fear? I thought it would be helpful to find a pastor who believes in God because then he'd probably have more hesitation about that sort of thing.

Gotcha. That makes sense. Although I imagine you would have trouble getting an honest answer out of one of them.

Based on results, it appears that some Presbyteries might be more diligent in their examinations, and others more generous in their allowances. I'm not making any reference to South Texas presbytery here.

Oh my goodness this happens to me all the time!

I go to a dispy school though, so, when I answer back with "ACTually....i'm...i'm...i'm amil, please don't burn me at the stake!" to which they say, "what's that?"

But yeah, i suggest asking him what he suggested, just straight up ask him those three options, it makes a good laugh to those who hold amil or postmil beliefs.

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Nathan Riese
Under Care, PCA
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Aledo, Illinois
Current student at MBBC
Future student of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
www.gpts.edu

Ask him if he can explain what extracalvinisticum is...

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://inprincipiodeus.solideogloria.com
http://puritanwisdom.blogspot.com

"As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low."
John Flavel in Keeping the Heart



Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

True. But it's surprising what you can learn sometimes by asking.

But one that might be funny woud be to ask, "Can cats go to heaven?" It might help to sell it if you look really angst-ridden, too, as though your beloved Fluffy just died this morning.

Edward, that makes sense to me. I shouldn't have suggested that the PCA is uniform when it comes to ministerial requirements. It is about 100x the doctrinal accountability of my last church, but I know it's somewhat, shall we say, "broad" as far as Reformed denominations go, although not compared to the PCUSA or even the EPC. Am I on the right track here?

Mr. Pedlar,
I had to google that. VERY interesting.

-----Added 9/25/2009 at 11:55:52 EST-----

Thanks, I think I will!

Ask him which Anabaptist heresy is the worst.

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Ben Maas. . . . .Facebook
In college, attending First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Ada, OH, and
Belle Center Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCNA), Belle Center, OH
When at home, attending Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC), Mansfield, OH

“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.”
-Jonathan Edwards-

That one really takes the cake, especially since my credo roommate will be there!

Honestly - I had one such wiseacre in a Sunday school class I was teaching (on 1 Samuel), and I asked "Are there any questions?". One hand went up....The question? "Who wrote Hebrews?" I was at a loss.....completely unprepared for that one!

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Jacob Mearse
Reformation Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Olympia, WA
Student, Reformed Theological Seminary (Virtual)
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Husband to April; Daddy to Wesley, Cyrus, FaithMarie and SarahAnn.

Ask him if the PCA and the OPC are going to merge in the next 5 years, and then say that you were under the impression that they were and it is a pre-requistite for you joining.

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Pastor Nathan Eshelman, Los Angeles, CA
Reformed Presbyterian Church
PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS
Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church
RPCLA Sermons Online
Puritan Reformed Seminary

Ask him if he's asked Jesus into his heart? If he hasn't lead him in the sinners prayer... Begin with... Pastor repeat after me...


Ask him if he thinks Nicolae Carpathia is the Anti-Christ.


Ask him if you can lead an altar call prayer after the class.

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John
Member
Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.christpres.net

do this!!!

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Ewen
1689 LBCF
Assemblies of God Bible College
Singapore

Ask him the spiritual significance of each of the ineffective things that Samson told Delilah that he could be bound with: undried bow strings, new ropes, and the "lobes" of his hair.

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"I was found by those who did not seek me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me." Romans 10:20b

Angela Asano
Edwardsville, IL
Member, Center Grove Presbyterian Church - PCA

"History never repeats itself, but it rhymes." - Mark Twain

Ask him where in the passage the evangelist intends to end Jesus' words and begin his own?

I didn't know this was a problem until C. A. Carson spoke of it (p99 Exegetical Fallacies) Apparently there is no clear answer!

-----Added 9/26/2009 at 03:28:50 EST-----

Ask Him what "Do not answer a fool according to his folly" mean? (26:4)

Pause for the explanation, then ask the supplementary question, what does "Answer a fool according to his folly" mean? (26:5)

It should lead into a discussion of the nature of Proverbs and that they cannot be taken at face value.

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Eoghan
member,Thurso Baptist Church
Scotland

specialist subject: Creationist Genetics (Bottleneck effect of the Ark)
interests: holiness (practical theology)
member of Biblical Creation Society (available as a guest speaker in the far north of Scotland)

That will be hard to answer!

-----Added 9/26/2009 at 10:28:42 EST-----

Ahh yes, I first heard of the first problem when I found out that John 3:16 might not have been spoken by Jesus...you can imagine my poor little Arminian heartbreak!

Well, now I really want to ask my pastor that to see the look on his face .... Except if he's reading this, he'll have an answer ready ...

I appreciate all the responses. I will have to pick one or two, but perhaps I will show this thread to my pastor afterwards. I think I'm definitely going to have to go with westminken's since he knows Aaron and has given me inside info. that will make Aaron think I was spying on him back in seminary.

Ask him who the spirits are in 1Peter 3:19.

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

So what?

(That's not my response to this thread, that's my suggested question.)

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Mark Hettler
PCA
Central NJ

God answers prayers in one of two ways: "Yes," or "I have something better."

Ask him if the second time he was slain in the spirit was as good as the first

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Rich Koster
1689'er
Browns Mills NJ USA
Often Goofy Reformed Eccentric
Romans 7:14-25

Ok, that one had me laughing out loud.

Me too!

-----Added 9/26/2009 at 01:40:44 EST-----

But that might be a little close to home since he grew up Pentecostal. I don't know if his family was THOSE kind of Pentecostals, though.