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Question 1: Where did the name "Moody" come from? And are you a part of the Moody Bible Institute?

Question 2: Do you take the Bible literally? Is not the Bible capable of being interpreted in a variety of ways?

Question 3: How does The Moody Church impact its community? Or to put it differently, what are you doing to help people?

Question 4: If I attended The Moody Church some Sunday morning, what could I expect?

Question 5: You mentioned that the Bible was clear about its central message. What do you think is the core of its teaching?

Question 6: You say, "We can have the assurance that God has accepted us." How so?

If you live in Chicago, you've probably heard of The Moody Church – that big brick building with LaSalle Boulevard on one side and Clark Street on the other. We're just off North Avenue, which at one time, believe it or not, marked the northern boundary of the city. This building was completed in 1925, and most Chicagoans have driven or walked past our church at some time or another.

Here are brief answers to some of the questions we are most commonly asked about The Moody Church and its teachings.

Where did the name “Moody” come from? And are you a part of the Moody Bible Institute?

Our church is named after the famous evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody who lived in Chicago during the latter half of the 19th century. He was the Billy Graham of his day, and preached to large crowds in the United States and Great Britain.

D.L. Moody became known for inviting children to his Sunday School (Abraham Lincoln addressed the students when he was President-elect). In 1864, this Sunday School (on Illinois Street at that time) was organized as a church. After Mr. Moody died, the decision was made to name the church in his honor. Later, the present building was constructed.

Both the church and the Moody Bible Institute were founded by the evangelist D. L. Moody. Although we are sister institutions, we are not related organizationally. Our close friendship is of benefit to both institutions.

The Moody Church is a non-denominational Protestant, although about 20 percent of our members were raised in the Roman Catholic Church. The rest come from various Protestant denominations, some from Jewish background, or perhaps no religion at all.

Moody Church is also independent; that is, we are not a part of a larger group of churches (denomination). However, we do share a common heritage with all Protestants who accept the Bible as their sole source of spiritual authority.

This conviction that the Bible is reliable as revelation from God unites us with many churches, both past and present. A member of the Moody Church would feel at home in many other churches in Chicago, the United States, and for that matter the world.

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Do you take the Bible literally? Is not the Bible capable of being interpreted in a variety of ways?

We prefer to say that we take the Bible in its plain sense, just as one might read a book on history or science. Obviously, the Bible has many figures of speech, so we don't interpret every word literally in that way.

We believe there is credible evidence that the men who wrote the Bible did so under the guidance of God, so that what they wrote was preserved from error. In short, we believe the Bible can be trusted.

Yes, there are parts of the Bible that can be interpreted in more than one way. But we believe that the primary message of the Bible is so clear that it can scarcely be missed if read and studied with an open mind.

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How does the Moody Church impact its community? Or to put it differently, what are you doing to help people?

First of all, we are committed to helping people grow in their relationship with God. We've discovered that the best way to help people is to explain what Christ can do for them.

Beyond that, we encourage our people to be actively involved in the community by lending our support to a number of ministries that are committed to many causes, such as helping the poor, working in prisons or offering compassion to those who are suffering from AIDS. In all, we partner with at least ten such ministries, providing volunteers who serve in the name of Christ.

We sponsor the Moody Business Network, a monthly luncheon series in the Loop, and Women in the Working World, a monthly Saturday luncheon that addresses the special needs of women in the marketplace.

In addition to providing Adult Bible Fellowships that meet Sunday morning, we have many small group Bible studies that meet throughout the city and suburbs. Each week, our bulletin is filled with opportunities to serve Christ, whether it is in teaching, developing leadership skills, making music or other important areas.

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If I attended the Moody Church some Sunday morning, what could I expect?

Our worship service lasts about one hour and fifteen minutes. The elements of the service include singing, Scripture reading and selections from our choir, as well as a message from the Bible intended to bring about permanent changes in our lives. We are in effect, preparing ourselves to represent Christ in this world and eventually live with Him forever.

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You mentioned that the Bible was clear about its central message. What do you think is the core of its teaching?

The Bible presents both good news and bad news. The bad news is that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves; that is, we cannot change our relationship with God through good deeds, rituals or even seeking a spiritual existence. When we try to find God through these means, we will never have the assurance that we have found Him! So much for the bad news.

The Good News is that Christ, the God-man, bridged the gap between us and God. His death on the cross was a sacrifice for sinners; it made reconciliation with God possible. In other words, God took the initiative to save mankind through an actual historic intervention.

Paul the Apostle put it this way, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

This "gift of God" is not ours unless we consciously reject any dependence upon ourselves, our basic decency, our baptism or any other ritual. God's holiness is so far removed from our skewed perception of our own goodness that all such efforts to reach Him fail.

We must personally and consciously transfer our trust to Christ alone by faith. He meets God's standard for us. Then we have the assurance that God has accepted us.

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You say, “We can have the assurance that God has accepted us.” How so?

Let me put it this way: If heaven were to be earned by my good deeds, church rituals or some New Age spiritual experience, then I could never be sure that I have been accepted by God. I can't trust myself to live up to my part of the bargain because I mess up.

But if God's acceptance of me is wholly based on Christ, who is presented in the New Testament as the only qualified Savior, then I can be made a permanent member of His family even though I am a sinner. God accepts me because of Christ and in spite of myself.

Some people stumble over the simplicity of all this, but we've seen Christ change many people's lives by freeing them from guilt and their own alienation from God. Of course, after we have personally accepted the benefits of Christ's death and resurrection for us, we then begin to grow in faith. That's an exciting lifetime adventure.