Q.1
Why, principally, ought a Christian to include support for environmental concerns amongst his/her charitable giving?
  • It could be wrong to give 'exclusively' to Christian missions and so forth, as such
  • Planned giving to environmentally responsible causes is an example of sensible stewardship, since we find ourselves more or less in control of the future of our planet
  • 'God loves a cheerful giver'
  • Christians have a duty to prevent the extinction of species that God created
Q.2
Are there particular jobs that Christians would be likely to do?
  • Christians would never be likely to go into the Armed Forces where they might be, directly or independently, responsible for killing
  • Christians believe God gives a wide and necessary variety of talents (and opportunities) to people, so they will do whatever work they feel He has called and equipped them to do
  • Christians may well feel called to serve in the 'caring professions' such as medicine, teaching and social work
  • Christians would be reluctant to involve themselves in working with large quantities of money
Q.3
Which way should a Christian vote in a typical political election?
  • They should prepare with thought and prayer, and vote according to their conscience and circumstances
  • Mindful of Jesus' teaching, their vote should favour the underprivileged and marginalised in society
  • They should vote in favour of powerful authorities and aim to influence them for good
  • There is no such thing as a 'typical Christian'
Q.4
'Why are practising Christians unlikely to actively play the Lottery?' Which of the following appears the LEAST convincing reason?
  • 'Playing the Lottery does not represent worthy or wholesome stewardship of money that God has entrusted to us'
  • 'The Lottery tends to encourage others to gamble with their money, who can least afford to lose it'
  • 'The Lottery tries to substitute blind chance in place of steady honest behaviour'
  • 'The Lottery encourages 'something-for-almost-nothing' covetousness, clearly against the spirit of the Ten Commandments'
Q.5
Why, above all, might Christians be concerned about the apparent rise in drug-taking?
  • Addicts tend to gather in such places as churchyards, which become no-go areas ~ with incoherent / incontinent / foul-mouthed people and contaminated equipment lying about, where innocent people might wish to come through
  • 'The human body is a temple of the Holy Spirit', which is distorted and polluted if the person takes drugs
  • Drugs are addictive (drawing people away from God and normal society, often a very time in their lives when they seem least able to cope)
  • Drugs create further misery when addicts commit serious crimes (theft, murder) in order to fund a habit they cannot bring back under control
Q.6
'Why shouldn't a Christian become wealthy?' Which of these represents a relatively gracious and positive response to this question?
  • 'Jesus Himself was repeatedly critical of people who put their own financial and lifestyle security before the basic needs of others'
  • 'It is simply unfair that any one individual should have such advantages over other people'
  • 'Having the money (if by honest means) is not the issue: it's a matter of how generously and appropriately one uses it'
  • 'Look what happened to some of those televangelists, who turned out to be so corrupt and hypocritical'
Q.7
Several Christians (not least, Mrs Mary Whitehouse some 50 years ago) have been concerned, and dismayed, at the amount of violent and sexualised content in the media and the free use of strong language. Which of the following would appear to be the LEAST practical way of dealing with such issues?
  • 'Anyone who 'blasphemes' (e.g., uses the name of God or Jesus as a swear-word or otherwise with disrespect) should be sentenced to death'
  • 'Christians should boycott and lobby the broadcasting organisations, keeping up pressure on their chatrooms and feedback sites, in order to make their opinion heard'
  • 'For anyone not wanting to see such material, there is always the option of the off-switch'
  • 'Christian creative people should be seeking promotion within such organisations on their merits, and influencing them for good from within'
Q.8
'Is it true that all Christians should avoid alcohol?' Which of these responses contains the clearest Biblical link on this issue?
  • Yes
  • Some denominations insist on avoiding it because it can cause the person to lose control of themself, at which point other urges or 'demons' can take over and prompt unhelpful behaviour
  • No, not least because one of the central Christian features is the Communion ~ in which Jesus Himself used wine as a symbol to be shared by all
  • No, but only if the drinkers can maintain control and moderation at all times
Q.9
Which of these does NOT appear to be a reasoned Christian response to the Internet?
  • 'The internet is commercially driven by filth (pornography), drugs and other criminal endeavours, and I will have nothing to do with anything so tainted'
  • 'It is a shame when young people, in particular, so selfishly spend all their time online instead of taking part in wholesome, social non-virtual activities'
  • 'I fear for the dark influences that people can so easily stumble upon and fall in thrall to, with the Web being an unregulated free-for-all'
  • All of the above
Q.10
Modern Christians might feel uneasy about supermarkets for various reasons: which of these appears to be the WEAKEST?
  • 'Supermarkets have such huge commercial power and traction over the general public, which may be an unhealthy state of economics. They pander to impressionable shoppers' greed, in order to line their own pockets'
  • 'One hears alarming reports of globalisation, and commodities being sold at cut-throat prices, which may have been produced in faraway anonymous conditions that a Christian would be ashamed to endorse (e.g. 'sweatshop labour'). Meanwhile, in order to be competitive for shoppers, they pay their suppliers ~ at home or abroad ~ cheaply &/or late, and treat them poorly by cancelling orders and imposing silly rules about how good-looking their produce has to be (even with vegetables that are going to be chopped or mashed up before serving) ... all of which aspects, do nothing to inspire moral confidence nor foster a commercially healthy economy. if it weren't for the sheer convenience of a 'one-stop shop' complete with virtual doorstep parking, I'd never set foot in one!'
  • 'Supermarkets have little regard to environmental concerns and sustainability; and as well as forcing consumers' choice (through the exercise of their own commercial 'muscle' and economies of scale), they also stifle competition at the local level, because smaller traditional shops ~ more human-scaled, with deeply knowledgeable staff who have time to advise customers ~ cannot match the superstores' prices ... all of which ultimately diminishes shoppers' choices rather than genuinely expanding them'
  • 'People flocking to the supermarket, especially on Sunday mornings ~ to a 'temple of consumerism', rather than to church, in a 'post-Christian age' ~ is a sorry sign of modern people's worldly priorities'
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