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Christianity Today's current cover story highlights the growing appeal of Calvinist theology among young evangelicals. These college students and young pastors are digging into the Bible and the works of Jonathan Edwards, and they are shaking up churches across the country.

But not everyone is happy about that.

One complaint about Calvinist theology is that it provides no incentive for preaching the gospel. After all, if, as Calvinists say, God elects those who are to be saved—and presumably those who are not, say critics—then why bother hunting around for the unsaved? God will save those he has decided to save, with or without our help.

It is not only critics of Calvinist theology who ask that question. In CT's "Directions" column (now called "Good Question"), theologians address some of the essential questions about what Christians believe, and Calvinist theology is no exception. One Calvinist asked CT, "How can I invite 'all' sinners to Christ when the Reformed concept of 'irresistible grace' implies that for some to be elect some must be nonelect?"

Michael S. Horton's answer addresses the concerns of those who worry about the effects of a Calvinist revival on evangelism. "It is true that the Reformed tradition holds that only the elect are given faith by the Spirit through the preaching of the gospel," says Horton.

However, he says, "Far from there being any antagonism between election and the free offer of the gospel, it seems that the former gave the apostles confidence, knowing that, as God reminded Paul, 'I have many people in this city' (Acts 18:10). No wonder the Apostle to the Nations said, 'I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory' (2 Tim. 2:10). And yet, his commission had nothing to do with finding the elect but only with proclaiming the Good News to the world."

Over the years, other "Directions" columns have answered more basic questions. For example, "If Jesus was God, how could God have died on the cross? Could God die?" J.I. Packer answers by questioning modern presuppositions about death. Every other culture, every other religion has historically believed that while the body dies, the person inhabiting that body remains, in some way or another, alive. "On its reality, agreement has been so widespread that current Western skepticism about survival seems a mere local oddity."

Packer is sure to point out that Jesus did actually die. This was no magic trick performed by a supernatural being. "As our penal substitute, Jesus 'tasted death' (Heb. 2:9) … precisely to ensure that we would never have to taste it." But death simply could not contain Jesus. "His resurrection and glorification is the prototype of what awaits all believers, and his experience of dying guarantees that when it is time for us to leave this world, his loving, supportive, sympathizing presence with us will, as William Williams's hymn puts it, 'land me safe on Canaan's side.'"

Packer also answered a similar question about life and death: "Can the dead be converted?" Packer answers, "The unrepeatable reality of physical death leads directly to reaping what we sowed in this world." Scripture says nothing about salvation after death. Packer writes, "We should conclude that the unbeliever's lack of desire for Christ and the Father and heaven remains unchanged. So for God to extend the offer of salvation beyond the moment of death, even for 30 seconds, would be pointless."

Many questions arise when trendy theories make fashionable certain ideas about the Bible. The Gnostic gospels and scholarly attempts to popularize their supposed challenges to traditional Christianity have caused many to wonder about the truth of the four Gospels in the New Testament.

One writer asks, "What is this Gospel of Thomas and where did it come from?" Craig Evans answers first by explaining the historical importance of the document. "One hundred years ago, three Greek fragments of what is called the Gospel of Thomas were found in the dry sands of Egypt. They dated to the third century after Christ. Then, shortly after World War II, a complete manuscript of Thomas was found, also in Egypt."

But Evans says the Jesus portrayed in the text looks nothing like the man the disciples saw and wrote about. "The Jesus of Thomas is indeed very different from the Jesus of the New Testament Gospels. And it is not surprising that the early church, guided by the Holy Spirit, passed over Thomas, just as it passed over many other writings, in the long process of deciding what belonged in the New Testament canon and what did not."

When The Bible Code, by Michael Drosnin, hit bookshelves in 1997, readers around the country began hunting for secret messages in the Bible. It is an appealing idea, says Ben Witherington III, as it could be used to prove the divine character of the Bible. "Alas, there is a stinger in the tail. When the theory is shown to be bankrupt, [it turns out the code works on other long literary works] it simply further discredits the Bible in the minds of those already prone to be skeptical. Martin Luther once drew an analogy between the rough-hewn manger and the baby within it and the 'rough hewn' Bible and its divine contents. It is an apt analogy. It is not the form of the Scriptures or the sequence of its letters that conveys its truth, but rather the content of the book."

Whether it is popular ideas about the Bible or personal uncertainties that cause us to question aspects of our faith, exploring those questions offers God an opportunity to teach us more about who he is. While God has not given us answers to everything we might like to know, surely he would say that just about any is a good question. And often enough, he has provided the answers.

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