It could have just been some weirdo people writing some old book. And I know that you’re going to say you accept it by faith. Well, then you can’t really tell people that Christianity is the only way to heaven and that they’re wrong if they believe something else, can you?

Irritated

Dear Irritated:
Thanks for writing. I’m glad you shared your frustrations with me. It’s important not only to know what you believe but why you believe it. The reliability of the Bible has been proven time and again, historically and archaeologically. The Bible was written by God through men. We call this process inspiration. Consider these three pieces of evidence that point to the reliability of the Bible:

1. It’s indestructible. It’s been banished and burned for centuries, yet the Bible continues to live!
2. It has unity. Even though the Bible was written by about 40 different men over 1,500 years, it has a consistent, unified message.
3. It has fulfilled prophecy. The Bible has accurately predicted events hundreds of years in advance.

The Bible, as well as Christianity, can take your doubts and questions, or it wouldn’t have lasted more than 4,000 years. But if you still need proof, please get the student edition of The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel. When the author’s wife became a Christian, Lee was determined to prove that Christianity and the Bible were false. As this award-winning journalist did his extensive research, he discovered that Christ is who He claims to be (the Son of God and our Messiah), and the Bible really is true. He became a Christian as a result of his attempt to debunk the Bible.

So, to answer your question about why I believe Christianity is the only way to heaven . . . yes, I believe it with all my heart, because the Bible says so. And the Bible is God’s absolute truth.

Dear Susie:
I’m Korean, but I was born in America. Both my parents were immigrants. My mom came here when she was 9 and didn’t speak English. She had to attend an English-speaking school and didn’t understand anything. People made fun of her, swore at her and called her rude names.

At my school, the only popular people are non-Asians. OK, it’s not like I’m dying to be popular; I just don’t get it. Things seem so segregated. I’m not racist. But in high school, Asian students mostly hang with other Asians, and Indians hang with Indians.

Because of this, I struggle with my self-esteem and feel as though I have to make up for my ethnicity by dressing more like the popular kids, doing my hair a certain way or just following the crowd.

Most of my friends are Asian. I was close to other students who were non-Asian, but they ditched me. So what if we have black hair, and they’re blondes or brunettes? What’s the big deal if most of us Asians speak two languages? I want to be proud of who I am, but I’m starting to look down on myself because I’m Asian.

Hurting

Dear Hurting:
It’s normal to want to hang out with people who are most like we are; there’s a natural common bond. But it becomes wrong when we exclude people because they’re not like us. I personally admire people who can speak more than one language!

I’m so sorry you’re hurting right now, but can you take comfort in this? It’s OK not to fit in! (Check out Romans 12:2.) That’s what truly matters.

Can you allow Christ to help you take your focus off of “right now” and zero in on eternity? He understands your need for friends. He created you to be relational, but He wants your energy, time and effort spent on looking forward to forever!