Skip to product information
Questions Asked in the Corner of the Church
Questions Asked in the Corner of the Church
Description
Book Introduction
“This book is ‘Mere Christianity’ for the YouTube era!”
- Christian representative YouTube channel [Damascus TV] Oh Seong-min's first book
- Cider answers that cooled 35,000 subscribers

“This book is the result of the author’s intense theological reflection, extensive reading, and countless conversations, questions, and discussions.

“If I had encountered this book a little earlier, a certain aspect of my youth would have definitely been different!”

- Recommended by Lee Chan-soo (Bundang Woori Church), Jeon Seong-min (Vancouver Christian Worldview Graduate School), Lee Jong-chan (Jongrischan TV), and Jang Min-hyeok (Today's Theology Study)

To the Christians who ask, worry, and doubt in the corners of the church today,

It has already been eight years since I started my media missionary work.
Due to the nature of online spaces, you end up talking to a variety of people every day.
I often meet people who are Christians but question their faith.
I often get emails from people who say they really don't know if they have faith.
The reasons why these doubts arise will vary from person to person.
It may be because you have rational questions, because you are discouraged by disappointment in the church or failures in relationships, or because you have accumulated resentment toward God who remains silent in your painful life.
There may also be times when suspicion arises without any clear reason.

When feelings of doubt arise, we may feel skeptical, but doubt does not necessarily lead us astray.
Doubt is still evidence that we have a great interest in faith.
The experience of rationally considering doubts is a great asset to a believer.
Not only does it hold you up when your faith wavers, but it also allows you to examine with an objective eye the things you have taken for granted while living your life of faith.
You can help others going through the same process as you, and you can also serve as a conversation starter for non-believers.
If we put aside our swelling emotions for a moment and respond calmly, our doubts will become stepping stones to establishing a faith much deeper than before.

  • You can preview some of the book's contents.
    Preview

index
Prologue 009

Part 1 We are still worried today__Religious life

Q1.
Do I have to give up my entire life to become a Christian?
Q2.
Can Christians drink alcohol?
Q3.
Can Christians not be jealous of each other?
Q4.
Can depression be overcome through prayer alone?

Part 2: A Fence That Seems Close But Far Away__Church

Q5.
Will the Lord's Supper guarantee our faith?
Q6.
If it is only grace, why do they tell us to keep the law?
Q7.
Is it really God's will to build a large chapel?
Q8.
Is Heaven for Jesus and Hell for Non-believers the best form of evangelism?

Part 3 Sometimes with a slanted gaze__Words

Q9.
Can the miracles in the Bible actually happen?
Q10.
Does the Bible support discrimination and slavery?
Q11.
Will people who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel go to hell?
Q12.
Should Christians consider homosexuality a special sin?

Part 4 From the Heart to the Head__God

Q13.
What does it have to do with me that Jesus came to this earth?
Q14.
Have the advances of science and philosophy killed God?
Q15.
Are there any grounds for believing in the existence of God?
Q16.
What does it mean to believe in God?

Epilogue
main

Into the book
It's really admirable and even admirable that you try to abstain from drinking and show a good attitude even when you go to a drinking party.
But there is an important fact in this context.
Is the message you want to convey to those around you by going to such lengths really "I'm this good of a Christian"? Probably not.
Most Christians want to spread the word that Christianity is true.
If so, it would be uncomfortable to hear that you are a true Christian because you don't drink alcohol.
They mistakenly believe that Christianity is about self-restraint and becoming a good person through one's own efforts.
So, it is not something to be happy about just hearing praise.
If we don't clear up their misunderstandings about Christianity right away, they may never be able to have faith.
Because you will think that you can only become a Christian if you quit drinking.
---「Q2.
From "Can Christians Drink Alcohol?"

So why do people with depression find it difficult to open up about their problems in church? First, as mentioned earlier, it's because depression is often considered a spiritual illness, unrelated to the physical.
If patients continue to hear advice to overcome with prayer and the Word, they will no longer be able to tell the community about their condition.
Secondly, society's view of depression is not very positive.
It is usually considered shameful and something to be hidden for people with mental illness to visit a psychiatrist.
This is a very strange thing.
A visit to a psychiatrist for a person with mental illness should be recommended with the same level of care as a visit to an internist for a person with stomach pain.
It is truly unfortunate that only a small percentage of people with depression receive proper treatment due to the negative perception of depression in society.
---「Q4.
Can depression be overcome through prayer alone?

It is a well-known fact that there are still many people within the church who need to hear the gospel.
Yet, many people believe that their church attendance experience or whether they were born into the Christian faith determines their identity as a Christian.
When they evangelize, they believe that if they just get people to attend church regularly, the rest will just flow.
As this kind of thinking spreads, people in the church will become solely focused on who came to the service that day and how many people came.
We fail to see properly those who attend church but whose hearts are drying up.
Also, people who temporarily cannot attend church for various reasons may be considered to have no faith.
---「Q5.
"Will the Holy Week Guarantee Our Faith?"

There are always strange twists and turns in the content of Christianity that defy our expectations.
CS
To borrow Lewis's phrase, there is "no suspicious a priori clarity" like that of pantheism or Newtonian physics. Christian faith always exhibits a peculiar sense of surprise at the very moments when one might think one knows everything.
Even Bible verses you've read hundreds of times will seem new again as time passes.
Because we ourselves who interpret it have changed.
If there were only one way to interpret every verse of Scripture, that would be reason enough to leave Christianity.
I can't even imagine how boring such a situation would be.
---「Q11.
“Will people who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel go to hell?”

We celebrate the day Jesus came as Christmas.
As is the case in any city, Christmas in New York is a time when the gap between rich and poor is most clearly revealed.
It boasts a dazzling holiday atmosphere that draws visitors from all over the world, but even on Christmas Day, the streets are filled with homeless people wearing straw hats to protect themselves from the cold.
If they fall asleep in an indoor train station, the police will show up and chase them out.
If Jesus were to visit New York on this day, where would he go? It wouldn't be a flashy department store selling gifts or a bustling street filled with carols.
Be careful, but it's most likely not a church either.
He will come to the place where the lowliest are gathered.
You will stand with the homeless who are being driven out, and you will reach out to all those who have to endure the cold on the streets.
Just as the setting for the first Christmas was not a palace bed but a manger.
---「Q13.
From “What does it have to do with me that Jesus came to this earth?”

Publisher's Review
Christian YouTube channel [Damascus TV]'s refreshing answers to 35,000 subscribers!

This book, "Questions Asked in Church Corners," was written based on the video content I released on my current YouTube channel, "Damascus TV."
The comments I received from various people after watching the video were very helpful in expanding my thoughts and perspectives.
All of this ultimately provided great feedback, helping me refine and improve my writing.
Of course, there are parts that were completely new while working on this book.

This book consists of sixteen questions under the broad themes of ‘religious life,’ ‘church,’ ‘words,’ and ‘God.’
Depending on the nature of the question, some chapters focus on rational explanations, while others focus on personal experiences and insights.
These are questions I've asked myself over the years, and they're also concerns I've shared with tens of thousands of people I've met through writing and video.
Above all, we prioritized topics that young people might be curious about or concerned about while living in reality.


As a young lay Christian, I too have struggled with countless doubts.
I think that in a position like mine, there are many questions that you cannot confide in anyone.
Rather than viewing the contents of this book as an unconditional answer, I hope it serves as a stepping stone to deeper and richer sharing.
I hope this humble step will be of practical help to those who are seriously contemplating and questioning their faith, those who wish to examine the intellectual foundations of their faith, and the leaders who serve them.

characteristic

- The first book by Oh Seong-min, CEO of the leading Christian YouTube channel [Damascus TV]
- It consists of sixteen questions under the topics of ‘religious life’, ‘church’, ‘word’, and ‘God’.

- Includes 'Questions for Sharing' for small group meetings.

Target audience

- A doubting young Christian who seriously questions and ponders the faith.
- All Christians who wish to examine the intellectual foundation of their faith
- Leaders, secretaries, and pastors who run small groups
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: June 7, 2022
- Page count, weight, size: 292 pages | 342g | 125*200*20mm
- ISBN13: 9791191987720
- ISBN10: 1191987728

You may also like

카테고리