#STRask - podcast cover

#STRask

Stand to Reasonstr.org
Stand to Reason’s Greg Koukl and Amy Hall answer questions on ethics, theology, apologetics, and culture from a Christian perspective. Submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #STRask.

Episodes

Does Scripture Support a Christian Church Joining in Worship Services with an LDS Church?

Questions about whether there’s Scripture to support a Christian church joining in worship services with an LDS church, whether it’s a genetic fallacy to say we shouldn’t sing any songs created by bands from NAR churches, and whether it’s a sin not to fast. Is there any Scripture that would support a Christian church joining in worship services with an LDS church? How would you handle this situation if it were happening in your small community? Is it a genetic fallacy to say we shouldn’t sing an...

Feb 06, 202520 min

Is It a Sin to Remove Someone from Life Support?

Questions about whether it’s a sin to remove someone from life support, whether it would be morally wrong to attend a legal assisted suicide of an unbelieving loved one, and what to say to a pregnant Christian who is justifying choosing abortion by saying God’s grace will cover it. Is it a sin to remove someone from life support who has been declared clinically dead and has lost brain function? Would it be morally wrong to attend a legal assisted suicide of an unbelieving loved one? How would yo...

Feb 03, 202520 min

Can a Christian Pretend to Denounce His Faith to Save His Life?

Questions about whether pretending to denounce your faith to save your life will cause you to lose your salvation, whether lying to save others’ lives is comparable to lying about your faith to save yourself, and advice for someone struggling with crippling intellectual doubts. Can a Christian pretend to denounce his faith to save his life so that he can continue to live his life for God, or will he lose his salvation? If lying to save others’ lives is acceptable, is denying your faith to save y...

Jan 30, 202528 min

Who Made You the Experts on What Makes Someone a Christian?

Questions about whether Greg and Amy are illegitimately claiming they’re the experts on what makes someone a Christian and a tactic to use with someone who counters any evidence offered by saying that other experts disagree. Who made you the experts on what makes someone a Christian? What tactic can I use with someone who counters any evidence I offer by saying that other experts disagree with me?

Jan 27, 202523 min

Did God Create Other Human Beings Not Described in Genesis 1–2?

Questions about whether God created other human beings not described in Genesis 1–2, whether the children of Adam and Eve had to commit incest, and whether women are more naive or less intelligent than men since Eve was deceived and not Adam. Did God create other human beings not described in Genesis 1–2? If all humans came from Adam and Eve, wouldn’t that mean early humanity was forced to commit incest? Are women more naive or less intelligent than men in general since Eve was deceived and not ...

Jan 23, 202520 min

What Tactical Approach Should I Take with Someone Who Says the Trinity Isn’t Biblical?

Questions about a good approach to take with someone who says the Trinity isn’t biblical, how to respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses who say Jesus received authority to forgive sins in Luke 4:18–19, and whether God “was looking for friends to collaborate with on running the world.” What’s a good tactical approach to take when in conversation with someone who says the Trinity isn’t biblical but was adopted much later in church history? How would you respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses who say Jesus didn’t ...

Jan 20, 202523 min

How Can Those Who Are Happy with the Election Results Show Compassion to Those Who Are Devastated?

Questions about how those who are happy with the election results can show compassion to those who are devastated, navigating a relationship with an adult child who’s angry about the way you voted, and whether there’s more virtue in overcoming sin or not being tempted by it. How can those who are happy with the election results show compassion to those who are devastated by it, such as those who are gay or trans? How do we navigate a relationship with an adult child living at home who is angry w...

Jan 16, 202525 min

Would the Disciples Die for a Lie If They Believed It Was for the Greater Good?

Questions about whether the disciples would die for a lie if they believed it was for the greater good, how to start a conversation with an Uber customer who’s on his way to a Hindu temple, and what to say to someone who thinks there’s no way to know if God exists. Would the disciples die for what they knew to be a lie if they believed the lie was essential for persuading the world to morally reform itself for the greater good? What would have been a good way to start a conversation with an Uber...

Jan 13, 202528 min

Are All Sins Equal to God?

Questions about whether God looks at all sins as being equally severe, how to reconcile Jesus’ statements that judgment will be degreed with the idea that everyone who rejects Christ will spend eternity in Hell, and an objection to Christians warning people about Hell. Are all sins equal to God—one isn’t more severe than another? How can I reconcile Jesus’ statements that judgment will be degreed with the idea that everyone who rejects Christ—from defiant murderer to “moral” secular humanist—wil...

Jan 09, 202524 min

Does the Bible Talk About Not Doing Anything That’s out of God’s Timing?

Questions about what the Bible says about not doing anything that’s out of God’s timing and whether Amos 4:13 and Isaiah 30:21 point to our hearing special messages from God. Does the Bible talk about not doing anything that’s out of God’s timing? Do Amos 4:13 and Isaiah 30:21 point to our hearing special messages from God?

Jan 06, 202520 min

How Should I Pray About Big Decisions If I Can’t Expect a Confirmation from God?

Questions about how we should pray about big decisions if we can’t expect to hear a “yes“ or “no” from God, what Greg means by “listening prayer,” and why he thinks the call of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 isn’t an example of it. In light of Greg’s teaching on decision making and the will of God, when I’m making a big decision and I’m told to “pray about it,” what does that mean if I shouldn’t expect to hear a “yes” or “no” from God? What do you mean by “listening prayer,” and why do you think the call ...

Jan 02, 202530 min

If Immaterial Things Exist, What Are the Laws of the Immaterial?

Questions about what the laws of the immaterial are if immaterial things exist and how to use the third Columbo question in the Tactics material. If immaterial things exist, what are the laws of the immaterial, and where are they? How do you use the third Columbo question in the Tactics material?

Dec 30, 202425 min

Do Jesus’ Words Take Precedence over Everything Else in Scripture?

Questions about how to respond to friends who say that Jesus’ words take precedence over everything else in Scripture and anything he didn’t speak on isn’t worth discussion, what to do with the Old Testament, and how to tell which of its promises are for us. How should I respond to friends who say that Scripture is all true but Jesus’ words take precedence over the rest, and that anything he didn’t speak on isn’t worth discussion? If the Old Testament isn’t written to us, what do we do with it? ...

Dec 26, 202430 min

How Can So Many Professing Christians Support Things That Are Anti-Christian?

Questions about how so many professing Christians can support things that are anti-Christian, such as LGBTQ issues and abortion on demand, and how to work with Christians who have views that seem to contradict things stated in the Bible. How can so many professing Christians support things that are clearly anti-Christian, such as LGBTQ issues and abortion on demand? Are they really believers? How do you work with Christians who have views that oppose the Christian faith and seem to contradict th...

Dec 19, 202426 min

How Would You Respond to Someone Referring to God as “She” in Church?

Questions about how to respond to someone referring to God as “she” during a church service, how to handle the tension between respecting the authority of church leaders and keeping them accountable, and how to distinguish between wolves and misled lambs. How would you respond to someone referring to God as “she” in a prayer during a church service and a leader telling people to use whichever pronoun they’re comfortable with? How do we handle the tension between respecting the authority of churc...

Dec 16, 202428 min

Did Jesus Ever Experience Fear?

Questions about whether Jesus ever experienced fear, why Jesus would pray three times for something he already knew he would be denied, and a song that seems to state that Jesus paid the price for all in the garden of Gethsemane rather than on the cross. Jesus came to earth and experienced the same things we go through—hunger, thirst, weariness, anger, sorrow, etc.—but did he ever experience fear? Why did Jesus pray three times, “Let this cup pass from me,” when he already knew he would die? I r...

Dec 12, 202422 min

Will I Have to Give an Account for My Abortion When I Stand Before Jesus?

Questions about whether a woman who had an abortion as a teen and later became a believer will have to give an account to Jesus for it when she stands before him. I had an abortion as a teen and became a believer in my twenties. I am racked with guilt I still can’t get past in my forties. The Scriptures say we will all give an account of our actions. I lose sleep over the thought of standing before Jesus for this. I cry often. Will I be held accountable?

Dec 09, 202423 min

Are Our Physical Ailments Caused by Spiritual Warfare?

Questions about whether our physical ailments are caused by spiritual warfare, how much agency demons have in light of the fact that God sometimes sends them to do things, and how they can be both evil and under God’s command. What do you think about my pastor and his wife attributing any physical ailments they have to spiritual warfare? In light of the fact that God is sometimes said to have sent an evil spirit to do something, how much agency do demons have? How can they be both evil and under...

Dec 05, 202423 min

Can Evil Spirits Come into Our Lives Through Certain Music and Movies?

Questions about whether evil spirits can come into our lives through openings like certain music and movies and whether putting Bible verses under your pillow to stop nightmares is a legitimate form of spiritual warfare. What do you think about the idea that evil spirits can come into our lives through different openings like certain music and movies? My friend said her nightmares stopped after she wrote Bible verses on cards and placed them under her pillow. Is this over-spiritualization, or is...

Dec 02, 202422 min

If I’m Not Being Persecuted, Does That Mean I’m Not Living a Godly Life?

Questions about whether a lack of persecution means you’re not living a godly life, what to think about your faith if your suffering doesn’t bring you closer to God, whether we need to nurture the fruit of the Spirit, and characteristics that separate a disciple from a new convert. Second Timothy 3:12 says that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” so if I’m not being persecuted, does that mean I’m not living a godly life? I often hear that people wouldn’t trade thei...

Nov 28, 202424 min

Why Would God’s Spirit Cause People to Loathe Themselves and Be Ashamed?

Questions about why Ezekiel 36:31–32 would say, contrary to Ezekiel 39:25–26, that putting God’s Spirit into people will cause them to loathe themselves and be ashamed and whether or not it’s biblical to say that the closer you are to God, the more sinful you feel. Why would Ezekiel 36:31–32 say that after God puts his Spirit in his people, they will loathe themselves and be ashamed for their sins when his Spirit is supposed to give us hope and joy in Christ as children of God, and doesn’t this ...

Nov 25, 202421 min

Why Should We Treat Everyone Respectfully?

Questions about why we should treat everyone respectfully, how to reconcile Jesus calling the Pharisees a brood of vipers with the instructions in 1 Peter 3:15 to treat people with gentleness and respect, and the charge that Christians have no evidence for God. How would you explain to a believer why we should treat everyone respectfully when Hitler shouldn’t have been treated respectfully? How do we reconcile Jesus calling the Pharisees a brood of vipers with 1 Peter 3:15, which says we should ...

Nov 21, 202428 min

How Would You Respond to the Current Mainstream View of the Historical Jesus?

Questions about how to respond to the current mainstream view of the historical Jesus and the allegations that Jesus just ripped off material from ancient religions that preceded him. How would you respond to the current mainstream view of the historical Jesus? How should I respond to the allegations that Jesus just ripped off material from ancient religions that preceded him?

Nov 18, 202422 min

How Do You Convince a Former Christian That Jesus Is God?

Questions about how to convince a former Christian that Jesus is God, whether Jesus’ human nature was created, and what the Bible means when it says Jesus is the firstborn. How do you convince a former Christian that Jesus is God? Is it wrong to describe Jesus’ human nature as created, and how should I respond to a Jehovah’s Witness who says that a firstborn, if not the first to be born, must be a member of the group he is preeminent over?

Nov 14, 202421 min

Do You Need to Forgive God?

Questions about whether we ever need to forgive God in order to heal our emotions, whether it’s unbiblical to tell someone he needs to forgive himself, why poor people were allowed to offer a flour sacrifice without blood, and whether it’s wrong to call out one another’s sins. Is it true that sometimes we need to forgive God in order to heal our emotions? Is it unbiblical advice to tell someone he needs to forgive himself? If there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood, why were poor p...

Nov 11, 202424 min

What Progressive Christian Teachings Should I Look Out For?

Questions about what progressive Christian teachings one should look out for and whether John 16:12–13 provides justification for the views of progressive Christians. I’ve been hearing about progressive Christianity and wondering what I should look for when it comes to unbiblical teaching. Some progressive Christians and churches cite John 16:12–13 as justification for their views. If that passage doesn’t mean what they say, what does it mean?

Nov 07, 202429 min

How Do We Know Moses Interpreted His Experiences of God Correctly?

Questions about how we know the biblical authors (Moses, etc.) interpreted their subjective experiences of receiving revelation from God correctly as opposed to Mohammed or Joseph Smith and how to respond to the idea that we can have different truths and both be right. All supposed revelation of religions involves a subjective experience of receiving that revelation, so how do we know the biblical authors (Moses, the prophets, etc.) were interpreting their experiences correctly as opposed to Moh...

Nov 04, 202428 min

How Is Biblical Inspiration Different from Automatic Writing?

Questions about how biblical inspiration differs from automatic writing, whether or not we don’t know who wrote 74% of the New Testament, signing a man-made statement of faith, and how, if the Word of God is powerful, someone who taught it faithfully can go rogue theologically. How is divine inspiration of the Scriptures different from the automatic writing they have in cults? It really does not bother you that you don’t know who wrote 74% of the New Testament? It could have been anybody. Is it ...

Oct 31, 202422 min

How Is God Just If So Many Wrongs Go Unpunished?

Questions about how God could be just if so many wrongs go unpunished, an objection to God punishing people in Hell, and whether God’s promise to meet all our needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus is referring to physical needs, spiritual needs, or both. The cross only upholds justice between God and man, but where is justice among men? How is God just if so many wrongs go unpunished? An infinite being existing outside of the time and space he created will set us on fire if we don’t let ...

Oct 28, 202423 min
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