What’s The Toughest Question I’ve Been Asked?

A number of times over the years while being interviewed on radio or TV, I’ve been asked a question like this, “What is an example of a question you’ve been asked that you can’t answer?” Another similar sort of questions is, “What is one of the most difficult questions you’ve been asked that you can’t really answer?”

Well, let’s consider this: should Christians have an answer for everything?

If we have a biblical worldview, we should be able to give big-picture answers to questions asked, even if we can’t give a specific answer.

My answer to that question might surprise you because it is both yes and no. Yes, we should be able to give some sort of answer to every question, even if it’s “I don’t know.” But actually, if we have a biblical worldview, we should be able to give big-picture answers to questions asked, even if we can’t give a specific answer. Okay, so what on earth do I mean by that?

Yes and No?

I remember taking a call on a radio talk show and the caller said,

If snakes were created by an intelligent Designer, they why did it have particular bones that didn’t have a function?

Now, at the time I had no idea what the person was referring to as I had never studied snakes. So in one sense, I had no idea of the specific answer to that question. However, because I build my thinking on God’s Word and have a biblical worldview, I considered the question by applying my biblical glasses. A key is understanding God is infinite in knowledge and wisdom and man is finite. Man doesn’t know everything. There are always things we don’t know.

I said something like this,

Just because someone claims such bones don’t have a function doesn’t mean they don’t have a function, it just means you don’t know what the function is. We don’t know everything there is to know about everything. The information we have is finite. There could be some more information that comes along in the future that shows the bones have a function we hadn’t thought of. So don’t use an argument based on a lack of information to claim creation can’t be true.

Here’s another similar example. When I was a university student, I remember one of my professors giving us a list of what were called vestigial organs. These were organs in the human body that supposedly didn’t have any function. Vestigial organs were considered to be evolutionary leftovers, functionless organs or structures. One of those organs was the appendix.

However, from a biblical worldview, understanding God created everything, I would assume such organs or structures either had a function that was unknown, had an important function for some stage of life but is not needed now, or it has degenerated because of the effects of sin in a fallen world and thus lost its created function. And that is proving to be the case for every so-called vestigial organ. For example, we have now found the appendix has very important immunological functions before and after birth. It’s not an evolutionary leftover—God designed it for important purposes.

God’s Reminder to Job

Remember what God said to Job, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:2).

God asked Job many questions to show Job he didn’t know everything, and in fact he knew nothing compared to what God knows.

Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! (Job 38:19–21)

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? (Job 38:31–33)

“Do You Have an Answer for Everything?”

I remember when skeptic Bill Maher was in my office interviewing me with a cameraman and producer. Bill began by asking me all sorts of questions about carbon dating and many other topics relating to the origins issue and the Bible. I was able to give an answer for every question he asked. After I had answered a number of questions, the producer, in a somewhat angry voice, blurted out, “Do you have an answer for everything?”

I know they were hoping they could “show Christians up” as not having answers to defend their faith, beginning in Genesis. The questions he asked very much showed up the ignorance of Bill Maher who obviously had not read anything we had published but just wanted to mock Christians. But that’s another post!

So, What’s the Toughest Question?

So, when I’m asked what the most difficult question is that I’ve been asked, I would say it is probably how light could travel from stars millions of light-years away (a measurement of distance, not time) and yet the universe be only thousands of years old. Without getting into various ideas and models creationists have proposed concerning this matter, I like to answer from a big picture perspective first through my biblical worldview glasses.

I ask the person posing this question,

Do we know everything about light? Do we know everything about space and how light travels through it? Is it possible there are things about light and space we just don’t know and so it warps our understanding? Do we know the processes God used to create light and how it would be seen on earth from stars on the fourth day of creation? Because God finished his work of creation and is not using those processes, how does that affect our understanding of things in regard to this question?

And that’s besides the fact that when skeptics ask this question, they don’t realize that, if they believe in the big bang, they have the same problem! You see, on the basis of the same assumptions about light, those who hold to the big bang can only get light halfway across the universe, even in billions of years (and that’s a problem for their model!). The point is no one has definitive answers because we are dealing with so many unknowns.

We May Need to Wait

Even when we don’t know the specific answer, when we think the right way from the right foundation of God’s Word, we can always give a big-picture answer, admitting we can’t give a detailed specific answer.

To summarize: even when we don’t know the specific answer, when we think the right way from the right foundation of God’s Word, we can always give a big-picture answer, admitting we can’t give a detailed specific answer.

This really hit me when I read Job 38 through 41. I encourage you to read these chapters through a number of times. They really reinforce the fact we are so finite and know nothing compared to God. Think about God being infinite in wisdom and knowledge. This means no matter how much we know, there is infinitely more to know! That’s why it is so arrogant of fallible man to question God’s Word and think we know better than God! Sadly, many church leaders/academics think they know more than God as they reinterpret Genesis to fit with man’s fallible evolutionary/millions-of-years ideas.

And as my father taught me so well,

Just because something man states makes it seem like what the Bible states can’t be true doesn’t mean Christians should reinterpret God’s Word. First you go to God’s Word and read what it states in context, according to the rules of language (e.g., Hebrew or Greek, genre of literature, etc.). If you are sure that what it states is clear, and there is still conflict with what man is proposing, then we just question man’s word, not God’s Word. If we don’t have answers, we need to wait for those answers. More information may come along to show why what man said is wrong. And even if we don’t get that information, we don’t question God’s Word when we are sure we are taking it as God intended.

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.