Text messages have helped pastor Mark Driscoll open a window into the souls of his parishioners. What he's discovered: a lot of one-track minds.

Following services at Seattle's Mars Hill Church, Driscoll invites the audience text him with tough questions. He answers them in "Ask Anything" videos posted on YouTube.

Driscoll asks that questions follow the topic of the night's sermon, but high school and college students often ask about sex.

"I could be talking about UFOs and magicians, and their question would be, 'Can I have sex with a magician on a UFO?'" he said. (His answer: "Only if you're married to him.")

Driscoll is part of a new breed of Christians putting themselves up to the task of tackling hard questions online from doubters, skeptics and churchgoers on YouTube and at sites like idoubtgod.com.

Church loyalty might be wavering -- as concluded in a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life -- but there is still vibrant dialogue about big existential questions on the Internet. Driscoll's videos cover a variety of topics: philosophical, "Can God judge me?"; controversial, "Is aborting a pregnancy from rape wrong?"; and downright uncomfortable.

"If God does actually exist, how would we know that he is a good God and not a demon or a 'clock-maker?'" posted one contributor to idoubtgod.com, which is hosted by Next Level Church in Charlotte, N.C.

Or "Why do some people have it good, while some struggle the whole way?"

The lead pastor of Next Level Church says contributors ask all sorts of questions and cover a range of perspectives, from giving personal, moving anecdotes about their lives to taking a philosophical look at the human condition.

Suffering seems to be the biggest concern to skeptics, Todd Hahn says. "Again and again, it keeps going back in responses to that same question: Why in the world do these things happen?"

His answer? That unlike other religions, the Christian God has experienced human pain, but from that pain came the greatest good (the Resurrection). So maybe there's a meaning in our earthly suffering as well, Hahn says.

By leveraging the Internet, the conversations can go deeper and to more personal levels than they might in a less anonymous forum. Also, the Web can reach people who might not otherwise be engaged by the church.

Another site, aimed at college students, includes a comprehensive Q&A section about Christian beliefs that reads like most sites' FAQ pages. Young inquisitors can find answers at Everystudent.com to questions such as, "Is there really a heaven?" or "Is premarital sex wrong? Should we live boring lives?" They can also e-mail their questions and get a personal response.

The director of the site, which is run by Campus Crusade for Christ International, in Orlando, Fla., says the Internet offers an around-the-clock conversation and place for information that church and youth groups don't. Marilyn Adamson also believes that the anonymity of the Web allows people to ask questions without feeling judged.

"[Some people] look at Christians a lot of times as very narrow-minded and judgmental and antiscientific, and we want them to know what it's really like to be in a relationship with God -- that you can actually talk to him, and he hears you," says Adamson, who used to be an atheist and started the site after her Christian friend patiently responded to all Adamson's doubts.

Driscoll, the YouTube pastor, answers questions in real time on Sunday evenings after services for his "Ask Anything" segments.

One person recently asked, "What about sleeping at a Christian girlfriend's house but not having sex?" "This is ridiculous," Driscoll responds. "Is that really the kind of witness you want to give? ... You're not honoring her reputation. You're not treating her in a dignified way."

In another segment, a contributor wrote, "My parents don't know or love Jesus. They have rejected him. What should I do?"

Citing various quotes from the Bible, Driscoll's answer is first to pray. Then, to tell them about what they're missing. "There is always hope, providing they are alive, that Jesus will get to them," he said.

Not everybody is OK with virtual pastor-parishoner relationships, Driscoll says. Some of the older audience members are not as accepting of the new ways. Plus, the topics can be out of their comfort zone.

But Driscoll maintains, as he told one "mortified" mother, that if he doesn't get to say his Biblically inspired piece, teenagers will be robbed of an important perspective on topics they're already talking about among themselves.

For Driscoll and other tech-savvy pastors, the Net makes it easier to extend their reach.

"Students don't want somebody in their face challenging their beliefs," Adamson says. "That just goes against our entire culture. ... They really would prefer that you just give them the answer in their own way. The Internet allows us to bring that to them where they're in control. They can click on what they want."

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