Frequently Asked Questions
Josh McDowell Ministry exists to serve and equip the Body of Christ in raising generations of purpose-driven Christians who know what they believe, why it is true, and how to live out their Christian faith. Through the production of live events, ministry resources, electronic media and training, Josh McDowell Ministry seeks to share the essentials of the Christian faith in everyday language so that the global Body of Christ and individuals of all ages within the Church are equipped for the life of faith and the work of ministry. As an agnostic college student, Josh McDowell believed that Christianity was worthless. But a group of Christians challenged him to examine the claims of Christianity on an intellectual basis. Instead of succeeding in discrediting the truth of Christianity, Josh discovered compelling historical evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. As a result, Josh accepted Christ as his personal Savior and Lord, and he found his life changed through God’s love and grace. Soon after this life-transforming experience, Josh joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ International and established the Josh McDowell Ministry. Josh McDowell Ministry is devoted to offering evidence for the God “who is passionate about a personal relationship with each person.” To read more about Josh, click here. Our unique calling as a ministry is to come alongside the Body of Christ with evidences for the deity of Christ (Is Jesus Really God?), the reliability of Scripture (Is the Bible Accurate?), and the historical fact of the resurrection (Did the Resurrection Really Happen?) in the context of the current culture as a means of bring people into a vital, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Faith based on truth leads people to experience the certainty of God in loving relationship with Him. Believers who live confidently in the love of God and who are transformed by the renewing of their minds are motivated to live out their faith in practical ways. Josh McDowell Ministry works in partnership with churches, pastors, parents, and others through live events, global publishing of books and ministry resources, literature distribution, and community connections through media. If you are in need of counseling help, please click here. You can find Josh McDowell on the Internet at Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, iTunes, and Blogspot. Also, check Josh’s event schedule to see when he will be coming to your home town. Josh often gets requests to speak at local churches, schools and camps. Please forward your request to speakingrequest@josh.org to check Josh’s availability. Please forward your request to request@josh.org. Thank you. Our goal at Josh McDowell Ministry is to provide as much free information to you as possible. You will most likely find the information that you’re looking for in video, audio or downloadable format. If you have a special request, please contact us. Pilate was not just discussing the truth in his Jerusalem palace the day he met Jesus; he was literally looking at it. Truth was standing before him, clothed in human flesh! Jesus Christ, “who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” is the very embodiment and essence of absolute moral and spiritual truth itself (John 1:14, NIV). You see, moral and spiritual truth isn’t so much a concept as it is a person. It isn’t so much something we believe as it is someone we relate to. Moral and spiritual truth has flesh. Truth is a person. And, thus, truth is not just conceptual; it is intrinsically relational. Beyond Belief to Convictions. Josh McDowell & Bob Hostetler. Tyndale, 2002. P. 53 Please visit our “Serve with Josh” page for available positions, an online form and contact information. You will find a list of resources on this website including Christian counselors that might be in your area. You can also email us at counseling@josh.org or prayers@josh.org. There is a tremendous need for Josh’s books world-wide, as we regularly receive requests from foreign countries for his resources. It is only through the generous donations of others that we are able to provide these much-requested resources to truth-seeking people all over the world. Here is what donors’ giving has accomplished in the past: Josh McDowell has authored and co-authored more than 107 titles, with over 50,000,000 books printed globally since 1989. More than 23 million books have been printed in the United States and Canada, and more than 26 million books have been printed in more than 120 different languages and distributed in more than 150 countries worldwide. But. . . . the need is still great. For 2008, Josh McDowell Ministry has received over 3.5 million requests for books in more than 42 languages. We hope to fulfill these requests, and with your help, we can! Please know that we are deeply grateful to our partners, like you, who help us meet these goals.
Advanced Apologetics
The IVP Dictionary Series
New Testament/Jesus
Old Testament/Genesis
Creationism
Philosophy
Postmodernism
Religions
Click here for a list of counseling resources. Going to College
Addictions/Lifestyles
Emotional & Spiritual Healing
For Parents
The following is Josh's response to those who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation:
Arise‑‑Having been baptized Wash away your sins‑‑‑Having called on the Lord
In other words, the washing away of sins and baptism are not connected as cause and effect. The arising is due to baptism having occurred, and the washing away of sins is due to having called on the Lord's name. Forgiveness of sin is always due to faith in Christ and His work on the cross, not "faith plus baptism." Acts 2:38 is also frequently used to teach baptism as a requirement for salvation. However, the Greek preposition in the verse may be translated "because" rather than translated "for." Using "because" the verse would read "be baptized because of the remission of sins," rather than "be baptized for the remissions of sins." In other words, the preposition "because" indicates the basis for baptism (forgiven sin) rather than the result or purpose of baptism. Anything added to the condition of faith becomes a work attached to the grace of God. The Bible is clear that no work of man is sufficient to save. Only faith in Christ alone is sufficient to save. As strange as it may seem, Christians may still struggle in the area of self-control. Sex involves the total person--physically, emotionally and spiritually. Therefore, when a Christian man and woman enter into a close personal relationship, they begin with a common spiritual bond. If their personalities integrate easily, there will be a natural tendency to progress into the physical. Unless they realize this, it can be very difficult to control. It's not too late. God will forgive you and help you begin a new relationship that is pleasing in His sight. No matter what you've done--no matter how many times you've done it, Jesus has the capacity to heal, to cleanse and to purify. Without knowing the reality of God's forgiveness and restoration, many people assume that because of their past, the future is already lost. We need to understand that one crime does not doom a person to the life of a criminal. It's never too late to start saying "no." Therefore, we must begin with forgiveness. Forgiveness is not a license for sexual permissiveness, but rather an opportunity to make a fresh start. With God we can have a new beginning. We don't have to feel trapped into continuing down a particular wrong way path. Through forgiveness, God makes it possible to choose a path in which we can walk according to His principles. The reason you can have a new start is because Jesus Christ died for you on the cross. He took your sin upon Himself (Hebrews 10:11, 12). The first step in forgiveness is confession. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The second step is practical. We can begin to experience forgiveness in our lives as the Holy Spirit applies that forgiveness Christ made available to us through the cross. Finally, I would say, don't venture to the edge of your sexual control--you'll probably find you are not as strong as you thought. Avoid compromising situations like being alone together in isolated places. Take advantage of double dating or group dating. See “How can I know God personally?” for more information.
Romans 14 is an excellent chapter for study in regard to making decisions concerning various issues not addressed in the Bible. Since most of what we do affects our relationships with others, study of this passage may help you reach a Christ-like decision that is best for you in your walk with the Lord, as well as your relationships with others. Often it is easy to fall into the practice of passing judgment on those whose thinking does not line up with our own regarding a particular issue. Rather than pass judgment, we are to accept one another (Romans 14:1). Matters of the conscience--those not strictly addressed in the Bible--must be settled in relationship to God (14:4, 7-8, 12, 22). Our actions should not bring condemnation on us. We should be completely convinced in our own mind concerning our convictions. If we have heard God correctly, we will have a clear conscience. Pleasing God is the determining factor for a clear conscience, not the opinions of others. We are not to do anything without believing that it is right. Everything that does not proceed from faith is sin (verse 23). We are, however, to guard our influence. Verses 13, 20, 21 say not to do anything that makes your brother stumble. Others are watching our walk as a Christian, therefore, it is important to keep in mind the higher law of love. The welfare of my brother is more important than my rights. Verse 16, 17 say, "Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." The kingdom of God requires real righteousness, personal integrity, loving relationships with others, and a moral influence. How do we resolve the conflict that may arise when we feel released by the Lord to exercise our freedom to participate in an activity while others feel just as strongly that such participation is unChristlike? How do we accept others and refrain from passing judgment, yet still guard our influence and not cause another to stumble? The answer is by imitating Christ. What did Christ do? Obviously, we will encounter situations in today's society which Christ did not encounter, yet we can always look to Him as our example for every decision. Look at the first few verses of Romans 15. Jesus glorified the Father (15:5-7). He accepted others (15:7). He became a servant of others on behalf of God's truth (15:8-12). When our life in relationship to others is in conflict, imitate Christ. A good motto to follow is, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity." In Psalm 32:8, the Lord says that He will lead you and guide you in the way that you should go. You can be confident that He will make His will clear to you in this matter if you are diligently seeking Him. It is your responsibility to follow the leading of the Lord. Susannah Wesley said, "If anything hinders your relationship with God, for you it is sin." Our place is to listen to what God says and not worry whether God is dealing more or less strictly with a brother or sister in the Lord. Our job is to hear and obey, not to judge. Josh’s ministry to youth has two basic elements: 1) his talks and 2) his resources for youth, parents and pastors. Discipleship of young people who come to the Lord is the responsibility of the family and the church working together, although the primary responsibility falls to parents who are responsible before God for training children in the way they should go—that is, knowing and responding to the needs of each individual child and training them as unique individuals before God. In his talks to youth, Josh wants to approach them as a dad sitting down and talking to his kids rather than as a youth evangelist giving a talk. He will come out on the stage and say, "I just want to talk to you as your dad." The response is instantaneous with kids calling out to him, "Hi, Dad!" He lets them know that he loves them and cares about them. That is the missing element in the lives of so many young people whose dads are distant, busy, uninvolved or absent. He knows that parents reach their kids when they teach and model truth, build relationships, are authentic, and ask for forgiveness when they're wrong. Josh teaches that “rules without relationship lead to rebellion,” so he emphasizes the need for parents to spend time with their kids. Since Josh is transparent, kids know they can trust him. When he says, "You can fool a fool, but you can't kid a kid," he is right on target. Kids see through parents whose walk does not match their talk. Many kids express that Josh comes across as the kind of parent they would like to have. That enables him to get their attention, even though he claims to be the oldest youth evangelist in the country! Ministry resources are intended for three groups--youth, parents and church leaders—and serve to complement one another. Today’s youth who desire to grow in Christlikeness may encounter many hurdles along the way. The resources offered by Josh can help make the journey easier, as youth, parents and the church work together towards a common goal--focusing on Christ and His ability to transform lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. 18. What are the Messianic prophecies? Visit www.shalach.org/PropheciesTable/prophecieslst1.htm for more information. 19. How can I help someone having suicidal thoughts or dealing with a friend’s death?
If you need immediate help for someone considering suicide, you can find a counselor in your area through this link If you are an adult helping a teen struggling with thoughts of suicide or with a friend’s death from suicide, you may be interested in the following resource:
If you are a teen dealing with these issues, you may want to check out:
Some question whether a person who has committed suicide will go to heaven or if it is the unforgivable sin. Lloyd and Gwendolyn Carr address this in their book, The Fierce Goodbye: “Nowhere in the Bible, either Old Testament or New Testament, is the act or attempt of suicide explicitly condemned. There are several suicides recorded in Scripture and without exception they are treated just as any other death. The victim is given a normal burial, mourning, at least for some of them, is recorded, and there is no stigma attached to the act itself.” (p.95) Some of the suicides recorded in the Bible are Samson, who killed himself along with all the Philistines in the temple of Dagon, King Saul who fell on his own sword, and Ahithophel, a counselor of King David. Because the sanctity of human life is affirmed in Scripture, these suicides were not the Lord’s answer, but neither were they the unforgivable sin. See quotes below: “The evidence, then, is that there is neither valid biblical nor natural grounds for the church’s condemnation of suicide as an unforgivable sin. It is an act which we do not want to condone or encourage, yet there is no evidence that it brings eternal damnation to its successful practitioners.” (p. 97) You would need to read the entire book to become familiar with all the guidance given for those who worry about the eternal fate of loved ones who have committed suicide. Baker and Nester, authors of Depression: Finding Hope and Meaning in Life’s Darkest Shadow, said the following about suicide: Many feel that suicide is the ultimate sin for which there is no forgiveness. . . This is obviously a misunderstanding of the gospel of God’s grace. The only sin that truly keeps one from God’s presence is the sin of unbelief—of not trusting the work of Christ personally. The inability to confess suicide as a sin is not a real issue. If salvation depended upon confessing every sin committed as a believers, no one would qualify! The unfortunate and sad ending of an individual’s life of his own hand does not nullify the effect of the grace of God in his life. Suicide victims who are children of God are redeemed souls in the presence of their Heavenly Father. This is just a glimpse of some statements about the issue from a variety of sources. For further understanding, you may wish to pursue this further with one or more of the books mentioned. 20. Are you related to Sean McDowell? Most certainly Sean McDowell is related to me! He is my son, and I am proud to say that he loves the Lord and has committed his life to serve Him. Sean acts as head of the Bible department of a Christian school on the West Coast where he lives with his wife, Stephanie, and two children. He has authored or co-authored several books on apologetics, intelligent design, ethics and youth ministry. Sean has been a speaker at many youth gatherings all over the country, encouraging young people to take a stand for the Lord in today’s culture. I have greatly enjoyed spending time with Sean on writing projects and sharing speaking engagements with him and look forward to future times of ministry work together. 21.The Barna Group found that two out of three Christian teens will not return. Can you explain this? There is a book by George Barna, Third Millennium Teens, 1999, which states on pp 56, 57 that about one out of three teens is likely to actually attend a Christian church after they leave home. This is based on the fact that only 2 out of 5 teens said it was “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that they would attend church on a regular basis after leaving home. Barna states that questions of this type typically produce an overestimate of future behavior. Applying a “correction factor,” he arrived with a figure that two-thirds of teens will be drop-outs. This is not to say that many, at some point in the future, may not return. Barna did not say that two-thirds will not return, but that two-thirds will drop out. It is not possible to give a figure on what the return rate may be. |
