If you search on the net for Bible related questions you will surely find Michael Houdmann’s Got Questions.org website. The website is apparently his full time job that he started after Bible school. He writes weekly articles from his home in Colorado and solicits giving from people on their mailing list. Houdmann does a good job answering a lot of questions about life with Bible verses that he quotes. Overall he’s doing a good job of getting lots of content on the net and answering some basic questions. However, we have received a lot of questions about the answers there. We will answer your questions about how reliable and true to the Word of God his site is from a Spirit-filled believer’s perspective.
Generally, it is interesting and can be used as somewhat informational but you can’t trust GotQuestions.org essays all too much. From our research, it is written by people coming from a very conservative, evangelical religious perspective. Apparently the ‘whatever happens to you is God’s will’ group (we call it Dark Ages Mentality or DAM). For example, anything about the Holy Spirit is usually not in line with Spirit-filled believers or people accustomed to the Biblical beliefs such as what the mainline Assemblies of God, or the Foursquare Christian groups know or expect.
Recently, Mr. Houdmann’s was labeled as a false teacher by several other Christian ministries. Why is this? It is likely the result of “what comes around goes around”, or just plain old ‘sowing and reaping’. He answers the typical questions about Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses with the usual cult responses, but he doesn’t stop there. He also labels other Christian ministries as cults or ‘scripturally off’ who are not cults but just different from his background.
Ministries that we see leading people to Jesus and helping people to walk in His ways are labeled cults and should not be. We don’t see him as a false teacher but from the site answers, just more as an over-zealous traditional religious person.
Generally, Mr. Houdmann seems to be working hard on his website Got Questions.org, raising funds, and trying to develop new sites. But like any information on the net, there’s good but unfortunately, there’s a lot of error. Error comes when people write about what they do not understand or have not experienced. It completely missed the boat on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit calling the Baptism “tongues” and saying that this ended with the destruction of the temple in 70AD. You wonder, “What Bible did that come from”, if you are already baptized in the Spirit and seeing miracles working in your life. After all, Jesus said we would do greater works than He, because He was going to the Father in John 14:12.
Although, generally interesting reading, the website can sometimes be a distraction, misleading, and divisive among the church. From a Bible-believing Christians’ perspective, it’s better to see his essay’s as needing to be examined according to the Word of God.. Would love to see him and his website helpers baptized in the Holy Spirit and promoting unity among the body of Christ that would surely bring more people into the Kingdom. I hope that answers your question. 😉
UPDATE 28 April 2016- FaithPro.org BETA
There is so much misinformation and religious teaching out there that distracts us from our relationship with God, we have decided to do something about it. We want Jesus, not religion. The Spirit is our teacher according to John 14:26. It’s time to get inspired answers to life’s questions directly from the Holy Spirit who inspired the men and women who wrote the Bible.
We are creating a new site is called FaithPro.org. We all need inspiration. If you read and study the Word for yourself, the Holy Spirit will inspire and teach you. You will learn from believers who are filled, inspired and led by God’s Spirit. You will learn to walk by faith like a PRO! After all, it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).
Check out the new Faithpro.org site here. It’s still in BETA so please let us know how to make it better. Be a part of the inspiration. Some good is going to happen to you, BECAUSE you believe!
I’m not sure if you’re still reading this, but can you recommend a similarly-formatted site or book? I find the question-and-answer format helpful because that’s pretty much how I think-questions and answers! Thanks!
Dear Shannon, I’m with you. Q&A is a great format for getting answers to questions. However, the problem I find with religious folk, of the ‘Christian’ persuasion, is that without the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, the answers just become academic attempts. They may have a bit of Bible mixed in, but they can have poison mixed in that messed of people.
We just saw a couple at a Christian school where the wife died and the husband believed it was for the glory of God. God is not a child abuser. He wants to live a long and full live (Ps 91, John 10:10).
The best way to get Biblical answers to your questions is to be in a solid Word based church where the pastors have STRONG Faith. Pastors have the hands on experience over bloggers and commenters I have found. When you are in a strong church, you’ll find it is made up of strong believers. As strong believers, the small groups or Bibles studies at these types of churches are usually led by Spirit-filled and very able teachers. The best source of answering our Bible questions. Are you in strong faith church?
I agree totally. However: I’m 63 years old and I started out in a large denominational church that did not stress having a personal relationship with Jesus. Mostly good works. But when I was ready to consider suicide at age 25 I though about what if there really is a hell. Then I becan to recall some of the verses and things. All of a sudden I knew God and Jesus were real and became very convicted and repentant and prayed and I didn’ even know what I was doing.
What I’m trying to say is: I’ 63 years old now and have gone through a lot of confusion. The different types of churches think they are the only real right ones. The Bible can keep you out of cults some what, but with out being born again you can ge swayed no matter how much Bible you know. Satan knows the Bible more than we do. But than I’ve seen what I believe are born again believers interpret scriptures differently. I think false teachers have a lot to do with this. But I’ve come to believe there is truth in any church that believes in The Trinity. (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost / Spirit) and they are all three in one. Eternal security (you can’t loose it, you can loose it) etc. I don’t believe these types of different interpretations decide your salvation. John #:# and John 3:16 and some other simple direct verses do. I’v come to see that each church has some truths in it. I’m sure I’m off on same things. When I get to Heaven I kind of think we’ll be slapping each other on our backs saying, “Your were right. on that one or I was wright on this one. This makes the time you spend wit God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit Criticle. When you get truth and understanding from them, and you praise and worship them you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. I need to practice what I preach more. The gerat commandment is crucial. (Matt 22:37 and Matt 6:33 and the like. This is only how I see it sir. Nobody died and left me know it all. idea: Fid a song or write one or something that makes s you love Jesus and sing it to Him out loud all by yourself in your prayer closet or somewhere. Find a song that shares adessert experience that Jesus stayed with you and He or Father (Abby) God got you through. Finally find a song that you love tha reminds you of a mountain top experience and sing it alone and out loud to Jesus or wich ever part of the Trinity The Holy Spirit leads you. I think you will find yo have never worshiped like that before. We were made fore this. Over the past 35 years I have re-written no. one hits of old. Christian re-writes. Drop me an email wit a mailing address and I’ll send some t you and an idea I believe The Holy Spirit wants me to share.
Question? IS THE BIBLE ANSWER MAN PRETTY ON TOP OF THINGS OR IS HE TOO CONSERVATIVE? HANK HANNACRAFF? randybaar@outlook.com
There are many different relationships with OUR SAVIOR…
As Jesus Christ is the same for all. (Our saving Grace) we as sheep are not the same. As evident in the different disciples. John was different than Paul in many ways yet their SAVIOR was the same. How Paul presents (shares) the Holy Spirit in his writings is different than John’s. Yet both are the same gospel of Jesus Christ.
I find that gotquessions helps to answer questions to Christians who are either to scared to ask a group or a Pastor. They are anonymous. It is difficult to not sound judgemental when asking about Muslim and their beliefs. So when needing to know information on Muslim beliefs in the Google searches can take you to some very dark places that I wouldn’t want my 15 year old to go. Telling my immature; yet saved by Jesus Christ; son to ask questions on this site helps him dive in to the many questions he has of “Christians” dealing with world issues. My example is when he was 8 he tried to witness to a convenient store Muslim and asked the man if he knew Jesus Christ. The man said yes. My son smiled but then was thrown for a loop to hear he was a good prophet. Not knowing much in Muslim faith and impressionable I chose got questions to share information on the Muslim faith. Now knowing better how to approach witnessing to a Muslim, my son still turns to gotquestions at his school because phone is always accessible in the many questions his classmates have. We read our Bibles but there are things the Bible does not share. We know the Holy Spirit is within us and so we rely on Him to warn us of false doctrine but the difference is gotquestions is a tool. The Bible is the Living Word. For the man who thought his wife died for the Glory of God. May she have been so blessed to have died for the Glory of God. However I will say that this life we live is nothing compared to the Life Jesus Christ will give after this physical death. To be asleep in Christ waiting for that glorious day is a God place to be for it is with Christ. If my physical death in some way can be for the LORD’s service then I would say that it would be for the glory of God. Did you know that all disciples were martyred except John? Yet in my opinion I would say all their deaths were for the Glory of God. Our Heavenly Father is glorious!
So true. A couple of years ago I was searching for some Bible verses online about healing and I stumbled upon gotquestions website. Wow was i disappointed and grieved after just a few lines. They were trying to spiritualize Bible verses that talk about healing and my thoughts immediately went to the people who in their hard times would perhaps look online for verses like Isaiah 53:5 only to find out on their website that nooo healing passed away and its only spiritual. I know it grieves God too because Jesus is the same forever. And I also noticed the website appears very often when looking for something related to Christianity online which is kind of bad for some people that are not christians (and even christians) but end up reading that and getting a false image of God. Anyway. May God abundantly bless your website and make it you and yourselves prosper. Amen ! 🙂
Patrick,
Thank you for stopping by! You are totally right. How can a person who has never flown teach us how to get a pilot’s license. How can someone who has not spoken in tongues comment on the gift of tongues? Despite the good intensions of creating a question and answer website, there is a lot of misunderstanding out there on the web from people who may have accepted the work of our AWESOME Lord Jesus, but don’t know His power in their lives.
Since pointing out this weakness, we decided to give an option written by Spirit-filled pastors and teachers. We created http://www.FaithPro.org and have been pleased to see the great responses from people hungering more for God and His way.
God bless you as well in all that you do as you pray, study, and meditate the powerful Word of God!
Spencer
I am in my late 40s, and only recently committed to Christ. Obviously being a bit late to make the commitment I have lots of questions and a lot to learn. I found GotQuestions.org quite an interesting site to read and helped me in some ways, but I quickly found things that didn’t feel quite right; which also started to make me doubt other texts on the site. For example, one answer has a section is as follows (word for word):
—
…and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
—
Notice how he combines his words “where the wicked are” and the words from Revelation 20:10 “tormented date and night forever and ever”.
If you ready Revelation 20:10, it is clear he has distorted what the Revelation of John actually says by combining it with his own words.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting hell doesn’t exist, but he has taken it out of context. The bible says in several places that text should not be added or taken away.
It’s a shame, because I like GotQuestions.org, but I want to learn, not be confused.
I would like Michael to think about this, but not be offended. We’re all brothers after all.
Hi
Thank You Lord Jesus for your love for His Word and Truth !
Indeed, only those who are truly born again in Christ Jesus has the Spirit of Christ, The Holy Spirit residing in their hearts.
The Holy Spirit interprets God’s Word and spiritual Truth according to God’s Perspectives and Objectives…and not via human interpretation which are flawed!
Hopefully your website will pop up frequently as we google for Biblical Answers and knowledge of God’s Truth that set us free being true disciples!
Keep up the Lord’s work and know that your labor is not in vain.:)
God bless you.
Thank you for your kind words! It’s all about Jesus and we want to lift His Name up. We demolish the works of the enemy and refuse to allow evil dilution of the Gospel.
Great things are coming! Please pray for wisdom and direction as you think of us!
In regards to the comment or rhetorical question made on 01/14/2017 by the editor to Patrick; “How can someone who has not spoken in tongues comment on the gift of tongues?”
The answer is pretty simple because all the information that we would ever need to know about the “gift of tongues” is found within the Bible itself. In order to properly understand scripture, it is key to keep scripture within the context of where that scripture is located. For example, when speaking of tongues; Paul through the Holy Spirit clearly defines the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. In this same chapter, Paul clarifies that not every christian will speak in tongues, just like not every christian is a prophet. Does that mean that one cannot be right when speaking on a matter just because he or she has not experienced it?
I would agree that experiencing something is very different from not experiencing it but it doesn’t make one person right over another. Bottom line here, is that we all have different opinions but in the end it is God’s Word that is correct and it should always have the final say-so in every matter that relates to the Christian/Follower of Jesus Christ.
(2 Timothy 2:15-KJV) instructs the follower of Christ to study the scriptures in order to be approved by God and to be in a right position to effectively divide the word of truth. Based on this scripture it is evident that a person doesn’t have to experience a biblical matter like “speaking in tongues” in order to talk or teach about it. I would agree that Christians should not be careless or reckless when utilizing God’s Word.
Respectfully,
Fred Rodriguez
Dear Fred,
Amen! It’s all about God’s Word. He is Jesus! If someone wants to be a pilot, we would be fools to take lessons from someone who has never flown. It’s the same with spiritual gifts. If you take advice from people that don’t have them, you’ll just get confused.
We live in a world of ‘Christianism’ and other religion that just turns people from Jesus. The Jewish religious bigots of the Lord Jesus’ time are the ‘Christian’ bigot of our time. We must teach about what we know and be silent about what we have not experienced. James 3:1 tells us that those who teach will be judged more harshly for what they teach.
We wish you the very best in all that you do and pray for the unity of the faith among believers.Thanks for stopping by!
I innocently came to Bible Questions Org looking for some theological info. Having some seminary background, it is obvious this is a very conservative-leaning site, so you can put a grain of salt as to where they are coming from.
The weakness of the site I see is as follows:
It is too easily dismissive of other biblically-derived points of view, posing itself as the one true and only Bible answer. A new Christian with little Bible background could easily walk away with wrong assessment of alternate an POV, plus an unwarranted negative attitude to other Christian groups.
Since the POV is excessively narrow, the reader would do well to get more comprehensive view.
In reply to Shannon, if you want a similar but superior site with much more theological accuracy from a conservative protestant perspective, and you can speak French, try this one:
http://1001questions.fr
I see so much fruit from gotquestions.. it has blessed so many and is a wonderful ministry. I have pointed out what appeared to be a minor doctrinal error and they corrected the matter.. no offense taken. Do we all have perfect discernment.. no not one of us. You can’t write them off because you don’t agree with everything 100%. They do not profess to be a prophetic voice but a ministry much like a commentary… I haven’t found one yet which I agree with in all points. It is an unnecessary division in the Body. As for requesting donations, a worker deserves his wages.. I don’t see it as any different from any other ministry soliciting donations, churches included.
It is concerning when even one else is considered a cult if they don’t agree with your interpretation.
A drink laced with just a percentage of poison can be deadly or damaging in the least.
You will find the more you press in to God and the power of His Holy Spirit, the less you will differ from other believers. When you know how to hear the Holy Spirit and have His Baptism, you do have a direct connection to God. The next step is just to make sure your spirit rules over your flesh. There is a lot of carnality with religious people. We must encourage them to seek Him.
I am thankful to gotquestions for the clear and concise answers that have helped so many begin and continue their spiritual growth. I appreciate their honest view that all answers are to be prayerfully evaluated according to Scripture. Ultimately everyone will evaluate the answers according to their upbringing, church influence and a myriad of other factors but let us hope that the final evaluation will be Holy Spirit led. We must remember that gotquestions is only a tool… like any book, commentary or even the preaching of your pastor. All tools must be evaluated. I appreciate the monumental effort this site has put forth in getting needed information out there. I and many other solid brothers and sisters I know have been using this site for years with great success. I have found gotquestions to be bang-on about 95% of the time and take no issue if they lack discernment on some topics. I disagree with my pastor more lol. Once I messaged them about an article I took some issue with and they kindly responded. They will get back to you with any concerns. I truly appreciate the courage and boldness that must be needed to accept this great responsibility. We are all ministers in Christ and each one of us needs to be accountable when sharing Christ and his Word. Are we fallible… absolutely. We will make mistakes but let our fallibility not keep us from exercising our spiritual gifts and talents. I do agree that sometimes they generalize a bit too much but they are at least upfront about their position. There are most definitely concerns about some church environments and I’m glad they are at least trying to sift them.
I don’t know how you can promote teachers like Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar. These men are dangerous to the faith. It doesn’t take much time to figure it out by just watching them and opening your Bible. Their false teaching is right in your face.
Hi Tina! Thanks for stopping by the site. Don’t normally have time to reply to comments but let me help. Regarding Bible teachers, like you, I used to believe what religious folks would say about others. Then I decided to listen to the Bible teachers myself, if they had something interesting to say.
Like the Bereans of Acts, we must check what a preacher is saying against the Word of God. Every truth, must be supported by 2-3 witnesses (scriptures) as our Lord teaches. I was told that God doesn’t want to heal us, that miracles are not for today, and that God wants us to be poor to teach us things. THIS is false teaching we must all beware of. After all, the Lord teaches us to pray to the Father, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. What is there any sickness, death, or poverty in Heaven?
The concerning thing is when Christian’s miss the boat on the Holy Spirit. You were checking on the Gotquestions website which is very concerning as they deny the power of God saying,
From https://www.gotquestions.org/faith.html
We must all be faithful believers to the Word of God. If we haven’t checked directly for ourselves, it’s better to be quiet until we can study it out.
God bless you and all you do as you pray, meditate, and study the Word of God!