Recently Jon Steingard, the lead vocalist of the Canadian band Hawk Nelson, publicly expressed doubts about his faith. There were many reactions – including affirmations of friendship and support from those in the music industry, some telling him to ‘keep seeking.’ The eternal significance of this took root with Brittany Valadez and wouldn’t let go.
Valadez is a Christian and an entertainment journalist based in Los Angeles. Wheels began to turn in her spirit as she prayed for wisdom. Brittany decided to seek very qualified answers to Steingard’s troubling faith questions by pitching them to a professional Christian apologist. (Please understand, an apologist is not apologizing for anything, they are defending and explaining the message of Christ and the Bible.) So, Valadez set up a video series with Clay Jones, who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and is an associate professor in the Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics Program at Talbot Seminary, Biola University – just the expert Brittany needed for her story.
Asking Dr. Jones a question many people, like Steingard, have had as they consider faith, “If God is all-loving and powerful, why is there evil in the world? Can He not do anything about it? Does He choose not to?” The response from Jones was short, at first, and saturated with spiritual sense. In the video he replies, “Here’s the logic of it. It’s impossible for God to give creatures free will and not allow them to use it wrongly.” That was the simple answer, but there’s much more in the video.
You would be accurate if you referred to Brittany Valadez as a “firebrand’ when it comes to wanting to help people understand the Christian faith and why Jesus is the real deal. Brittany acknowledges her own earlier doubts about many things Christian saying, “I grew up in a strong, Christian home, yet came to my own faith crisis … I still strongly believed, but other people’s doubts crept in. And I was scared, because I didn’t know how to answer their questions. And I started to question things myself. I had a crippling fear to ask the hard questions. Could I even ask them? Would there be answers? Would all I know turn out to be a lie?” Over time she got her answers and that made her all-the-more-determined to help others who had questions, confusion, or doubts so there would be no hinderance to their relationship with Christ.
Here’s part 1 of Brittany’s video series and a link to her full story and 3-part video probe that may be able to answer tough questions about faith you or someone you know may be wrestling with.