By S. Michael Houdmann, Got Questions Ministries

When I present GotQuestions.org at a church or conference, or share the ministry with an individual, I am almost always asked, "Do you receive a lot of hate mail?" The answer is yes, we do. Thankfully, few people waste the cost of a stamp to actually mail us their venom, but the flow of hate email is fairly regular.

We are not surprised that many in the world hate GotQuestions.org. After all, Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).

We have only received one true threat. We were threatened with a mail bomb if we did not remove our articles that say homosexuality is a sin. We reported the email threat to the authorities. Needless to say, we were not encouraged when we received a phone call 6+ months later asking if anything ever happened with that. "I am recovering from the burns and have learned to type with only one hand" is what I wanted to say. But, out of respect for how busy law enforcement is, I refrained.

We are also not surprised when other Christians and pseudo-Christians hate GotQuestions.org. We take some strong stands on some controversial issues. We entirely recognize that doing so invites strongly worded responses from those who disagree. But, we are a ministry that strives to give biblically based answers to spiritually related questions. If our articles were vague, nebulous, and wishy-washy, we would surely receive far less hate mail, but at the cost of no longer actually helping people find answers to their questions.

The only thing about the hate mail we receive that surprises us is how often we are "sent to hell" or have our salvation questioned due to the stances we take on issues that are clearly non-essential. Below are just a select handful of some of the "you are going to hell" hate emails we have received due to our stances on definite side issues.

You are going to hell because you question whether some of what happens in some Charismatic churches is truly of the Holy Spirit.

You are going to hell because you rejected the word of prophecy I spoke over your ministry.

You are going to hell because you believe what goes on between a husband and his wife in the privacy of their bedroom is a matter of mutual consent between the two of them.

You are going to hell because you are Calvinists.

You are going to hell because you are Arminians masquerading as Calvinists.

You are going to hell because you recommend a Christmas DVD by Rick Warren.

You are going to hell because you deny my belief that 2 Corinthians 11:14 proves that the orbs that sometimes appear in photographs are Satan and his demons.

And, probably my favorite, "I don't even believe in hell, but the fact that you do believe in hell proves that you deserve to go there."

I could share many more, but you get the point. None of these issues have anything to do with a person's eternal destiny. It blows my mind how some people make such a big deal out of ancillary issues. I can disagree with you vehemently on a non-essential issue and still consider you my brother or sister in Christ. Please show us the same courtesy and respect.

While the following principle is not in the Bible, it is definitely biblically sound, and is absolutely in need of implementation in the Body of Christ:

"In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity." (Thank you Rupertus Meldenius!)

Orbs? Really? Yes, really!

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