I have to interview a pastor at a local church. What are some questions I should ask of him and his religion?

Answer 1

Do people who do not believe like you do go to hell?

Answer 2

ask about the soul The questions that arise concerning God himself are scarcely more comforting. For instance, many parents, like the mother mentioned at the outset, are at first comforted by the notion that God “took” their child’s immortal soul to heaven to be with him. For many, though, it is only a matter of time before they begin wondering what kind of God would inflict some hideous illness on an innocent child, ripping that precious one away from heartbroken parents simply to move the child to heaven ahead of schedule. Where is the justice, the love, the mercy, in such a God? Some even question the wisdom of such a God. Why, they ask, would a wise God put all these souls on the earth to begin with if all of them are supposed to end up in heaven anyway? Would that not mean that the creation of the earth was really an enormous waste?—Compare Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 103:8; Isaiah 45:18; 1 John 4:8In fact, the doctrine commission of the Church of England recently made headlines when it recommended repudiating the teaching of hellfire altogether. Dr. Tom Wright, dean of Litchfield Cathedral, states that past imagery of hell “made God into a monster and left searing psychological scars on many.” The commission’s report describes hell as “total non-being.” Similarly, the New Catholic Encyclopedia notes regarding the Catholic view: “Theology today approaches the problem of hell from the angle of separation from God.”

Actually, what the Bible teaches about the soul conflicts with the teachings of purgatory and hellfire. The Bible often speaks of the death of souls. “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4; compare the King James and Catholic Douay versions.) According to the Bible, the dead are unconscious, unable to feel pain. “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) The hope that the Bible holds out for the dead is that of a future resurrection. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, Jesus compared death to sleep. Lazarus’ sister Martha expressed the hope taught in the Bible when she declared: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus confirmed that hope for mankind.—John 5:28, 29; 11:11-14, 24, 44.

Historians point out that the teaching that man possesses a separate, immortal soul did not originate with the Bible but with Greek philosophy. The New Catholic Encyclopedia observes that the ancient Hebrews did not think of man as being composed of a material body and an immaterial soul. It states about the Hebrews’ belief: “When the breath of life entered the first man whom God formed out of the ground, he became a ‘living being’ (G[enesis] 2.7). Death was not regarded as a separation of two distinct elements in man, as in Greek philosophy; the breath of life departs and man is left a ‘dead being’ (L[eviticus] 21.11; N[umbers] 6.6; 19.13). In each case the word ‘being’ would be the Hebrew [ne′phesh], often translated ‘soul’ but, in fact, virtually equated with the person.”

That same encyclopedia notes that Catholic scholars recently “have maintained that the N[ew] T[estament] does not teach the immortality of the soul in the Hellenistic [Greek] sense.” It concludes: “The ultimate solution to the problem is to be found not so much in philosophical speculation as in the supernatural gift of the Resurrection.”.ask these question

Answer 3

surprise that he still earn his living, as the church support his life with service charge like salary.

This is the way he want to join into an organisation to promote his belief and even to rescure you from sin, as these christians can imagine all sins in our society, like dotors see patients everywhere. But doctors is good to cure the patients, but christians threatens us about sin, miracle, mystery and make us join into his gang group for other larger politics and public manipulation.

They always want to use THIRD HAND to manipulate you, eventhough you are their manager now!

Instead to educate how you can be a good citizen, humanity, universe harmony, they like very much to get you become their property, their tools forever on their grasping.

Luckily, we have our democracy and humanity to push back of their actings in many history recordings.

Answer 4

What is your belief in Jesus all about?
How do you as a church help the community?
Do you believe that the bible is for today, and relevant to our lives today?
What do you see the young people in your church preparing to be?
If you had one thing to say to the world, what would it be?

Answer 5

Ask him if he preaches salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross.

Ask him if he preaches repentance from sin and striving for personal holiness in our daily lives.

If he doesn't answer yes to both those questions then ask him if he preaches what the Bible teaches or what people want to hear.

Answer 6

What are the most challenging parts of being a pastor?

How does being a pastor positively and negatively impact your family?

What do you think of the conflicts between so-called conservative, moderative, and liberal christians?

Answer 7

What do you believe Salvation is and how can it be gained? Is Jesus, God and the Holy Ghost the same God or different Gods? What makes your church different from other churches?

Answer 8

Ask him has he studied the origins of the Old and New Testaments. If he says yes, ask him what tribal groups did the different books of the Old Testament originate from and where did the Catholics gather the different books of the new testament from.

Answer 9

i would like him to explain ephesians4:1-14.....especially v.1-6.
this would give me a good starting point.if it sounded like he was with what the bible is saying,then i would start with more questions.but if he was somehow confused about gods words.i would end the conversation right then.
i would like to know how open minded he was to other denominations,and faiths.
god bless!

Answer 10

Depends.

Do you want to play hardball like Chris Matthews, or softball like Larry King?

Answer 11

Ask him what happens to those members who become disagreeable ask too many doubting questions but still decide to show up every week.