Is God a Bad Parent?

There has been an interesting transition over the last several decades whereby many people seem to reject God not because they don't believe He exists, but rather because they believe that He is cruel and evil, demanding obedience to his tyrannical project. What can we say to someone who believes that God is primarily interested in making his creation toe the line? How do we respond to someone who believes God is saying, "Do things my way or I'll destroy you?" This week Vince and Jo discuss the nature of relationship with God and offer some helpful and gracious ways to question the questioner whose assumptions about God, Heaven, and Hell might not line up with what Scripture teaches and what Christians actually believe.

Question Asked in This Episode: "I am debating with a young person about God. She says if God is real, he is cruel, letting any of his children burn in Hell just because they don't want to do things his way, even if they are a good person. She says it's like a parent that tells his child, 'Do things my way or I'll destroy you.' I don't know how to handle this."

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.Follow Ask Away on Twitter:

Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitaleJo Vitale - @Joanna_VitaleMichael Davis - @mdav1979