What Are You Afraid to Ask Your Pastor?

Over 200,000 people were surveyed by the MBS Internet Research Center and asked to contribute questions that they were afraid to ask their pastors about God.

People don't always say exactly what's on their mind — especially when there is a pastor looking straight at them.

The pastor may not be judging them, but the thought is always there in the back of their mind, "What will my pastor think if I ask about…"

For better or worse, the Internet is a place where people have little fear about speaking their mind. If you've ever read the raw results of an Internet survey, you know that people will say almost anything when their responses are anonymous.

The top 101 questions — and answers to those questions from pastors all over the world — will soon be published in a new book called 101 Questions I'm Afraid to Ask My Pastor about God.

Kenneth A. McArthur, editor of the new book says, “Right now, we are looking for the answers and hoping that pastors from all over the world will be able to provide some of them.”

The submitted questions range from the expected to the bizarre.

Some of the questions you might expect include: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, “Does God really exist?” and “Why does God allow evil in the world?”

There are also questions like; “Does God like spaghetti?”, “Is God Gay?”, “Do pets go to Heaven?”, “Is masturbation a sin?”, “Are the things said in 'The Da Vinci Code' True?”

Mr. McArthur is now in the process of collecting the answers from pastors with a wide range of backgrounds. The Internet allows him to reach pastors from all over the world at his web site, Questions101.com.

It will be a real challenge to select the submissions for publication.

Mr. McArthur says, “Each response will be considered as one pastor's answer, not the only answer.” Just as the questions come from all kinds of backgrounds, he feels that it's important that the answers do too.

It's very simple for pastors to contribute their answers and McArthur thinks that pastors may find some of the questions inspiring enough to write a sermon or two.

The best questions — and the best answers — will be published in 101 Questions I'm Afraid to Ask My Pastor about God.

Pastors interested in contributing to the book can find more information at Questions101.com.