Questions for the road#

Faith is trust. You already live by it: you sit on a chair before you know it will hold you, and you take the medicine your doctor gave you. You trust because you have good reason to.

Faith in God works the same way. It isn’t a leap in the dark. It’s trusting Someone because there’s good reason to, and then acting on it.

“Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Right where you are. If you have a question, that’s your first step as a Traveller. Ask it, explore it, check it yourself.

• Skeptic: start in Compass, with the evidence and both sides.
• Seeker: start with the Journal’s Prologue, “The World We Live In.”
• Believer: start with what you’re facing, or a faith you want to understand, in Compass.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Because faith is a journey. Everyone starts somewhere different: with a question, a loss, or a doubt. The road gives us one shared picture. You notice a warning light (Traveller), you leave the familiar city to test what you were told (Explorer), and you stand firm and help the next person (Overcomer).

Every journey is different, but there is one destination.

These describe where you stand on Christianity.

• Skeptic: doubts or rejects the Christian claims and wants honest, evidence-minded answers.
• Seeker: curious or open, not yet committed, including people from another faith or “spiritual but not religious.”
• Believer: follows Jesus and wants to understand, grow, or work through struggles.

These describe how you’re moving on the road.

• Traveller: notices something is wrong and starts looking. Humility opens the first door.
• Explorer: tests what they were told instead of accepting it by default, asking, seeking and knocking.
• Overcomer: has weighed the cost, chosen the personal path over conformity, and stands firm and helps the next Traveller.

No. Most of us move between them and come back to them again and again. A Believer can become a Traveller again after a loss. A Skeptic can already be an Explorer.

• Journal (explainingfaith.com): read the story. Articles that explain who Jesus is, why the cross and why Christianity, through everyday analogies, real conversations and life experience.
• Compass: ask the question. A library of faith profiles and answers: how each group sees salvation, the world and the future, what to ask, and how to answer from Scripture and evidence. Both sides fairly, then the case for Christianity. It’s growing, so not every worldview is there yet.
• Collections: see how others explain it. Videos, podcasts, books and articles from other people, checked against Scripture, with notes on what each one adds. Collections is still being built.

Before or during the conversation, open Compass to understand where the other person is coming from and which questions to ask. Afterwards, send them a Journal article that tells the story in everyday words, or a video from Collections that explains it well.

Everything is checked against Scripture, read in its context. Facts about other faiths start with what the group itself teaches, then what researchers and the news report. Each claim carries a label so you can see where it came from: Official, Reported, Disputed, Estimate or Not verified. Every faith gets the same fair test, Christianity included.

No, and I’d rather you didn’t.

“The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.” Proverbs 14:15

Test what you read, and that includes this site. I research carefully, but I’m one person, and mistakes and outdated information can happen. Read what’s here, then check it for yourself.

“Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.” Acts 17:11

The Bereans didn’t even take the apostle Paul’s word for it. They checked.

• Go back to the Bible. Read the whole passage, not just one verse. Ask who it was written to and why.
• Hear the other side. “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.” (Proverbs 18:17)
• Look at the source. Who said it: the group itself, a researcher, the news? Is there proof anyone else can check?
• Watch for bias. That includes your own, and mine.
• Pray and ask God for wisdom. He gives it generously (James 1:5).
• Talk it through with people you trust. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

• You’re pressured to accept it without asking questions.
• You’re told to cut off family, friends or other believers.
• It uses fear or guilt to keep you in.
• A leader’s word is placed above the Bible.
• It goes against what the Bible clearly says.

This is the Explorer part of the road: stepping out of the room you’ve been in for too long and looking with fresh eyes.

Good. That means you’re testing it, and that’s the point. Be willing to change your view when you’re shown the truth. I’ll do the same.

“but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Most Bible verses on this site are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Its publishers have dedicated it to the public domain (April 30, 2023), which means anyone can quote, copy and share it freely without asking permission. That fits a site made to be shared. It also reads in modern English. You’re welcome to check any verse in the Bible you prefer, and comparing translations is a good habit.

All articles are originally written in English. A few key pages are also translated by a person. For the rest, use the language selector at the bottom of the screen. It translates automatically, so some shades of meaning may be off. If something reads oddly, switch back to English to see the original.

It’s fair to ask, and it’s easy to think: why bother, if someone else is already doing it? The truth is, I don’t know anyone else’s reasons, and I’m not judging them. Paul had a similar thought in prison:

“Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice.” Philippians 1:18

I’m here because I feel called to explain who Jesus is, why Christianity, and why the cross. I explain how it works, using my own life experience and everyday analogies, so it feels like a story and a conversation instead of a textbook. If you find another site that helps you more, that’s a good thing. And if someone takes these ideas and makes them better, I’ll be glad, because I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow (1 Corinthians 3:6).

I could have kept this for myself. It started as my own private study. But the whole point was never just to collect knowledge. It was to have it close at hand for the moment someone needs it. If it helps even one person in a real conversation, a hard season, or a search for answers, it was worth sharing.

Yes. Share the links, quote the articles, and use the ideas in your own conversations and studies. If something here helped you, a link back means a lot, because it tells me the research is useful. The Bible verses are from the Berean Standard Bible, which is in the public domain. Videos, articles and books linked in Collections belong to their owners, so please credit them too.

Note: “or a short note” gets added once the contact email works.

Yes. Explaining Faith is better with other people in it.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

If you have an article, a video, a study or a research idea that fits, send it to us. If we find it useful, we may host it with your name on it, or turn it into an article or video, with your OK. Everything gets checked against Scripture before it goes up. Also tell us what’s missing. If a question, a faith, or a topic isn’t covered yet, we’d like to know.

I’ll keep it running for as long as I can afford it. That covers the website, the domain, and the creative tools I use to make the content. Life can be difficult, and some seasons I may be slow to add updates. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. I’ve learned not to promise more than I can do.

“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.'” James 4:15

“A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9