Question about how you can improve your informal writing (e.g., blog posts) when you don’t have access to an editor. Do you have any thoughts or advice on how best to improve my informal writing (e.g., blog posts) when I don’t have access to an editor?
Question about the top three pitfalls to watch out for when you start using apologetics in conversations with others. What are the top three apologist pitfalls—i.e., if you’ve just read Tactics , you’re ready to go, and Jehovah’s Witnesses show up at your door or your atheist coworker starts asking you about God, what are the top three things to watch out for?
Questions about whether “God the Father” is a sexist term that demeans women in general and mothers in particular, how long Hell has been there, whether God created it, and how to explain the kind of anger that would lead to the creation of Hell. Can you respond to the critique that “God the Father” is a sexist term that demeans women in general and mothers in particular? How long has Hell been there, and did God create it? I can’t imagine that kind of anger.
Questions about whether you should believe things you can’t fully comprehend, whether it’s just an arbitrary escape hatch to say God doesn’t require a cause, and how to respond to an atheist who grounds objective morality in an objective rule or criteria. Should one believe things they can’t fully comprehend, and if not, at what level of comprehension of certain biblical truth statements ought they begin believing? Why would God be immune to the infinite regress dilemma? It’s arbitrary to simply...
Questions about whether Romans 14:23 means that doing the right thing is a sin if you truly believe it’s wrong, and how to reconcile Hebrews 10:16, which says God will put his laws on our hearts, with Romans 7:7, which says that if it weren’t for the Law, we wouldn’t know sin. How should we view Romans 14:23 when it comes to people whose consciences have become twisted to the point where they start believing right things are actually wrong? Would doing the right thing become sin for them if they...
Questions about how a fisherman could have written the book of Peter, why people say that not mentioning the destruction of the temple indicates an early date for the Synoptic Gospels when John doesn’t mention it either, and why one should think the Bible is special. How did Peter, being an uneducated fisherman, write the book of Peter, which seems levels above what someone with no education could do? People reason that the Synoptic Gospels should be dated earlier than the destruction of the tem...
Questions about why, if it’s impossible to miss God’s voice, the disciples incorrectly told Paul “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem, people mistook God’s voice for thunder, the Bible says God speaks in riddles, Daniel had to ask for an interpretation, and more. If it’s impossible to miss God’s voice, why did the disciples incorrectly tell Paul “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem in Acts 21:4–14? Why did people mistake God’s audible voice for thunder in John 12:28–30? Numbers 12:...
Questions about why, if we don’t need to learn to hear God’s voice, there’s a command to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy, why we would need to learn how to use other spiritual gifts but not this one, and why there are men who don’t perceive God’s voice in Job 33:14. You say we don’t need to learn to hear the voice of God, but we’re commanded to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1) and to “earnestly desire to prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:39), and pa...
Questions about how to showcase God’s goodness when we’re really struggling in our suffering, an explanation of God’s response at the end of the book of Job, and whether we should conclude from Job that it’s inappropriate to ask God why we’re suffering. How can we still glorify God and showcase his goodness when we’re really struggling in our suffering—exhausted, depressed, etc.? I understand Satan attacking Job and why God allowed it, but I’m puzzled by God’s response to Job at the end of the b...
Questions about how to pray for persecuted Christians in light of the fact that God wills that some will be martyrs, and how persecuted Christians who are being threatened and beaten know if they should stay and preach the gospel or leave and protect their family. I have a hard time praying “Old Testament promises” for protection and deliverance for persecuted Christians since I know that, in some cases, God wills that there will be martyrs for Jesus. Any suggestions on how to pray? Why don’t Ch...
Questions about how to discern when it’s time to walk away from a conversation, and how to cope with people charging you with being prideful and legalistic when you’re doing your best to be humble, fair, and gentle while sharing the gospel and defending the faith. How do you discern when it’s time to walk away from a conversation? If the person is hard-hearted, is it worth it to keep trying to sow seeds? When does it become “throwing pearls before swine”? I do my best to be humble, fair, and gen...
Questions about how to engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine,” and how to be kind and loving without compromising truth with someone in a Bible study who says her adult child goes by “they/them.” How would you engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine”? How can I be kind and loving without compromising biblical truth with a member of a Bible study group I lead who told me her adult child goe...
Questions about whether Christian business owners should provide a livable wage, whether doing a corporate sponsorship that promotes one’s business contradicts Matthew 6:3, and whether the parable of the rich fool refutes America’s approach to retirement. Do Christian business owners have a moral responsibility to provide a livable wage? Would doing a corporate sponsorship with an organization we have been working with and financially supporting contradict Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:3 about givin...
Questions about leaving a church with biblical theology because they refuse to preach on divisive topics, whether it’s okay to write an apologetics book under a pen name out of fear of repercussions, and how to reconcile Romans 13:1–5 with rulers who are unjust. Should I leave a church that has solid biblical theology but refuses to preach on divisive topics (LGBTQ, abortion, anything political, homosexuality, immigration, etc.) because they want to introduce those topics once the person is “com...
Questions about whether Jesus lied in Mark 5:39, proving that lying can’t be a sin, when he said, “The child has not died, but is asleep,” and what Jesus meant when he said we need to be “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5. Jesus never sinned. Jesus lied in Mark 5:39. Therefore, lying can’t be a sin. What did Jesus mean by “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5?
Questions about whether the principle that a house divided against itself can’t stand would apply not only to Satan casting out demons but also to God allowing evil, whether or not God is the author of everything he permits for a purpose, and the primary sin of Eve. Wouldn’t the principle in Mark 3:24–25 that a house divided against itself can’t stand apply not only to Satan casting out demons but also to God allowing evil? If God is pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit som...
Questions about giving a biblical perspective to a single friend who is a relatively new Christian and is planning to use IVF to have a baby, and whether or not it’s wrong to pray for a baby for a single Christian who wants to adopt. A Christian friend who is relatively new to the faith confided that she isn’t sure marriage is for her and is planning to use IVF to have a baby. How can I talk to her about this from a biblical perspective? Is it wrong to pray for a baby for my single, Christian fr...
Questions about whether there’s a gracious way to explain to manipulative and demanding patients that they’re giving Christianity a negative reputation, and how to deal with friends who send a lot of end-time prophecy videos that take Bible verses out of context. As a Christian nurse, is there a gracious way to explain to manipulative and demanding patients who claim to be Christians that they’re giving Christianity a negative reputation in my workplace? How do we deal with well-meaning Christia...
Questions about how to handle objections from Christians who think we should all be harvesters and should not focus on gardening, and whether attending a service at a mosque would communicate approval of the religion (similar to attending a same-sex wedding). How do you handle objections from Christians who think we should all be harvesters and should not focus on gardening? Should Christians attend a service at a mosque in order to reach the nations, or would this communicate approval of the re...
Questions about what qualifies as witchcraft, where the line is between witchcraft and science manipulating nature to accomplish things, whether the devil is omnipresent, and whether a demon can possess a location and affect the people at that location. What specifically qualifies as witchcraft, and where’s the line between witchcraft and science manipulating nature to accomplish things? Is the devil omnipresent? Can a demon possess a location and thereby affect the people who are at that locati...
Questions about favorite books that left a lasting impression on Greg and Amy, their response to Christians who warn that all fantasy novels (including C.S. Lewis’s books) tap into demonic ideas, and where to draw the line when it comes to the fantasy genre. Which books (fiction or non-fiction) are your favorites and left a lasting impression? How would you respond to Christians who warn against all sorts of fantasy novels (including C.S. Lewis’s books), saying they’re tapping into demonic ideas...
Questions about whether matter and energy already existed before the Big Bang, how to respond to a Christian friend who believes Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 describe two separate creation events with two sets of humans, and the source of Moses’ creation information. What do you think of the argument that matter and energy already existed before the Big Bang—that it was compacted by gravity, then the Big Bang happened, then repeat? How would you respond to a Christian friend who believes Genesis 1 an...
Questions about why, if Adam and Eve were in perfect community with God, we would need to be in a fallen world to fully know God, and why God cursed nature after the fall. If Adam and Eve were in perfect community with God, why would we need to be in a fallen world to fully know God, and did God create a set of circumstances that would bring about a fallen world solely to reveal his other qualities? Why did God curse nature after the fall?
Questions about how to handle a conversation with an atheist who claims to lack a worldview, and how to respond to someone who accuses you of being “stubborn and dogmatic” because you defend your views and don’t capitulate to their arguments. How would you handle a conversation with an atheist who claims to lack a worldview and denies holding every belief atheists usually hold? How would you respond to someone who accuses you of being “stubborn and dogmatic” simply because you defend your views ...
Questions about how to respond to the concern that no one wrote about Jesus during his lifetime, why scholars say Jesus was born in AD 5–6 rather than AD 1, and what Paul meant when he said God sent his son “when the fullness of the time came.” What should I say to someone who is hung up on the fact that no one wrote about Jesus during his lifetime? If Jesus’ birth started AD 1, why do scholars say he was born in AD 5–6? Paul says in Galatians 4:4–5 that God sent his son “when the fullness of th...
Questions about whether it’s problematic for a DJ on a secular radio station to play songs with lyrics that are contrary to his Christian values, and what approach a musician should take toward royalties he’s still receiving from music that had less-than-Christian lyrics. As a DJ on a secular radio station that plays music from the ’60s through the ’90s, is it problematic for me to play music with lyrics that are contrary to my Christian values? What approach should I take toward the monetary ro...
Questions about whether or not inherently sinful humans could have accurately recorded the Word of God, whether the words about Moses in Acts 7:22 and Exodus 4:10 contradict each other, and why we’re told to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,” in James 4 but not James 5. How should I respond to the objection that humans, who are inherently sinful, could not have accurately recorded the Word of God? How do we reconcile the seeming contradiction between Acts 7:22, which says Moses was mighty in word ...
Questions about the top five things to consider before joining a church when coming out of the NAR movement, and thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to draw non-Christians into the church. I’m coming out of the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements. What are the top five things I need to consider before joining a church? What are your thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to dr...
Questions about whether faith is the evidence or the energizer of faith, and biblical support for the idea that good works are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith. Works appear to be the “engine oil” that keeps faith alive. Without them, faith is dead. Therefore, aren’t works the energizer of faith, not the evidence? Can you please provide biblical support that “good works” are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith?...
Questions about how to respond to someone who says morality is determined by society, whether our evolutionary biology causes us to think it’s objectively wrong to torture babies for fun, and whether someone with multiple personality disorder could both trust and reject Christ. How should I respond to someone who is unpersuaded by the moral argument for God, who insists people just do what makes them happy and doesn’t offend people or the law, and who says morality is determined by social struct...
