Dental Theology

Have you ever noticed that a lot of Dentists decide to have a conversation with you while your mouth is wide open and you have all kinds of equipment in there as well? My dentist did that to me once, and knowing I was a minister, asked me a difficult question. I couldn't answer then because of the situation but would like to share his question and my answer now with you.

If you could choose, which would you want to lose first, control of your body or the control of your mind? Why?

My answer: my body because without my mind I could not consciously love and pray to God nor could I love my wife, family, brethren and friends. The very last verse of Psalms 150 which is the last psalm refers to this. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." As long as I can breathe and have a mind, I can do this.

Why does God allow different religions to flourish and grow since most of the wars are started and fought over religion, and who has the right religion, ie. Islam vs. Judaism and Christianity, etc.

My answer: God ordains and has given only one religion. Abraham Moses Christ. The Jewish faith was fulfilled in Christian faith. Other religions are reflections of this or a combination of human ideas/myths/philosophies, ie. Islam made up of many Jewish/Christian principles. The wars and hatreds started by "Religious" leaders have no support in the religious of any major religion, ie. Islam/Hinduism do not condone terrorism. Bible does not support what happened during the crusades.

If God is loving and kind, why is there so much underserved and innocent suffering in the world? Ie. Children killed by bombs, the poor starving because of political wars in Africa/Haiti? Where is God's justice/mercy?

My answer: Man's sin causes all this suffering, Romans 6:23. Our problem is that we don't see justice right away and we think this is not fair! II Peter 3:8-13. However, through the eyes of faith we not only see our salvation and resurrection from the dead. We also see and have confidence that every injustice will be judged and dealt with. No one escapes God's justice even if, for a time, they may escape man's justice. Romans 14:10b, II Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27 II Corinthians 4:17-18. In any case we are not here to bring judgment or justice to the earth – we are here to call men/women out of this world into the Kingdom. We live in a just way and wan of the judgment to come – but God will administer that judgment – not ourselves.