As it turns out, many Christians are confused about how and what happens when a person “gets saved.” This is Christianese language we’re all used to using, but sometimes, it can be hard to communicate to others what we mean. I’ve dealt with the distinctness of Christian salvation here . In this piece, I’d like to discuss three elements of salvation. When does conversion take place in a person’s life? What evidence will be demonstrated when this happens? For how long is a person saved? First An u...
Mar 10, 2020•11 min•Ep. 121
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” But what if that were not so? God, our Creator, is beautiful. And so is his creation. To talk about the objectivity of beauty, I’ve brought on a good friend of mine, nature photographer, and creation enthusiast, Pat Mingarelli. Pat has written articles for us before on the site ( here and here ) and I thought his would be an awesome perspective to hear on Creation Conversations. Enjoy this interview as we discuss subjects ...
Mar 05, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 120
The Bible is a book that, oftentimes, lays strange truths before us—at least, truths that are strange to 21st-century eyes. Reactions to these claims vary. Some attempt to shirk their responsibility to accept these claims by finding more comfortable solutions. In 1 Samuel 28, did the witch really divine Samuel unto Saul? I have heard lots of benign attempts at understanding this passage, but why not take it at face value? In the supernatural world we live in (and especially the one the biblical ...
Mar 03, 2020•11 min•Ep. 119
The gods are real . This is a shocking truth most Old Testament scholars have come to understand that has not made its way in the pews. The gods of Israel’s ancient Near Eastern neighbors were not literally made of stone, gold, or any other material. Rather, they were real spiritual beings that had a dramatic—and demonic—influence in the lives of their worshippers. If this sounds unlike anything you’ve ever heard, I’m not surprised. However, this idea is not new. It has been buried in the schola...
Feb 25, 2020•15 min•Ep. 118
A common feature of the debate surrounding apologetic methodology involves speculation as to the ground of our Christian belief. We might summarize the question before us this way: Do we believe in Jesus because we believe the Bible, or do we believe the Bible because we believe in Jesus? Ultimately I’m going to take issue with the way the question is phrased, but since this is how it is usually cast, I’ll take some time to work through those questions, first. The Problem and the Tension Those i...
Feb 18, 2020•19 min•Ep. 117
Having grown up in church all my life, it was not uncommon to hear warnings against the idea of “change.” To be clear, I think those contexts were of righteous intent, and even have a Scriptural basis. If one is convinced that God does not change (Malachi 3:6) and God’s Word never changes (Psalm 119:89), one may rightly conclude that there is a degree of unhealthy change. But that is not to say that all change in one’s position is bad. Actually, I now believe the opposite to be true. If you’re n...
Feb 11, 2020•9 min•Ep. 116
The Bible is not a “scientific textbook”—of that, I’m sure. But it seems to common among critics of young age creation to claim that we think it is. Why is this, and what can we do about it? In this short episode, I try to lay out the real issue here and give some thoughts around how to respond to this claim. Enjoy the show! The post Genesis 1-11 and the “Textbook Myth” appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Feb 06, 2020•12 min•Ep. 115
Due to what I consider to be a misuse of ancient Near-Eastern (ANE) backgrounds among evangelical scholars in recent years, many young age creationists have steered clear of broaching this topic. This, I believe, is an error. The Problem, Explained So the first issue is this: Some scholars and a great deal more popularizers are advancing the idea that the historical background of the biblical writers has so much of an effect on the text that, in some cases, it can mean nearly anything we want it...
Feb 04, 2020•10 min•Ep. 114
Have you ever heard the idea that it’s just as ridiculous—if not more so—to believe in a flat earth than a young earth? Or, that these two are somehow claims of equal proportions? Recently, a blogger who affirms evolutionary creationism took it upon himself (with some help) to produce a parody blog of Dr. Danny Faulkner’s, in which it was implied that the same claims could be made for a young earth as Faulkner makes for a flat earth, thereby refuting his own position. . I think this notion is te...
Jan 30, 2020•21 min•Ep. 113
Although it’s not held widely by biblical scholars today, many are compelled to believe that the Bible teaches a view that would reconcile a recent view of humanity with an ancient view of the universe. 1 There are numerous variations, but it is most commonly known as The Gap Theory (GT). 2 I’d like to devote some time to a version of this which has recently come to my attention, taught by pastor and Bible teacher, James Knox. I don’t know anything about Knox, so I will do my best to refrain fro...
Jan 28, 2020•56 min•Ep. 112
How do Neanderthals fit into a biblical worldview? Are cavemen, stone tools, hunter/gatherer lifestyles a threat to a biblically sound, young age creationist viewpoint? I don’t think so. Here’s why! Enjoy the show! Click here for more on Neanderthals. The post The Neanderthal Problem appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Jan 23, 2020•16 min•Ep. 111
In general, I am a fan of making modest claims. That is, the less I have to commit myself to in defense of a position, the better! Not only does this give me an advantage in the conversation because I don’t have to work hard defending things I’m either not sure about or would rather not muddy with dialogue with, but it also forces my interlocutor to think more carefully. It gives me control. However, this is a luxury that is hard to come by with respect to whether or not Christianity is ultimate...
Jan 21, 2020•9 min•Ep. 110
The other night at men’s small group, we began discussing sin and its consequences. I spoke up because something occurred to me in a unique way that I thought would be valuable for the group. Namely, why is it that sin is actually bad anyway? So in this week’s episode we discuss the concept of sin. We look at what sin is, what sin is not , and why it matters. Enjoy the show! The post Why Sin is Bad appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Jan 16, 2020•12 min•Ep. 109
I can only be honest—this week’s post will likely be a bit of a rant. I am really tired of educated people thinking they have a monopoly on truth. (How’s that for a loaded statement?) Ok, so there’s nothing wrong with education. Nor is there anything wrong with having the truth. What’s wrong is when someone thinks they have the truth in virtue of their specific education. It’s really sad how often I see this kind of thing within Christian circles. Brothers and sisters will absolutely lambaste ea...
Jan 14, 2020•16 min•Ep. 108
Dr. Stephen Lloyd I love to discuss the topic of creationism; both the science and theology of it are simply fascinating to me. In fact, I love it so much that I have decided to create a special edition of S3 that focuses in on the creation discussion, called Creation Conversations . This week is the first episode of these special edition podcasts. I invited on a friend from across the pond, Stephen Lloyd, to kick us off. The goal of the discussion was to give an overview of what young age creat...
Jan 02, 2020•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 107
Tim Stratton One of the most important internal discussions I think Christians can have involves whether or not we have been endowed with free will by our Creator. I think that we have been, but not everyone agrees. Sadly, though, I do think an important dimension to this discussion is often overlooked: The question of why . Why does it matter whether or not we have free will? Why even have this discussion? To answer that question (and a few more!), I brought on my good friend Tim Stratton. Tim ...
Dec 26, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 106
Many times, good questions are the best way to get to the bottom of what people believe. Since we don’t have access to their hearts, we need to pry, probe, and ask them to prove why what they believe is true , lest we get caught having to give reasons for claims we haven’t even made! So what are some of the advantages of asking questions, and how can we work them into practical conversation? That’s what we’re discussing in this episode of the show. The post The Power of Asking Good Questions app...
Dec 05, 2019•33 min•Ep. 105
I am BEYOND excited to announce a new podcast from our ministry called Theology on the Road ! Links: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify PocketCasts I hope you’ll join me on this adventure! The post Introducing Theology on the Road appeared first on Steve Schramm Ministries ....
Oct 05, 2019•26 min•Ep. 104
The other week I was privileged to be interviewed by David Pallman for his new YouTube channel, Faith Because of Reason. In this interview, I was given the opportunity to share young age creationism with an audience of folks who mostly disagree with it, and even believe it is harmful for the church. No matter where you land on this issue, as you listen to this interview, I will you will be encouraged and motivated to learn more about it. So this is part 2 of my interview with David Pallman on yo...
Sep 19, 2019•48 min•Ep. 103
The other week I was privileged to be interviewed by David Pallman for his new YouTube channel, Faith Because of Reason. In this interview, I was given the opportunity to share young age creationism with an audience of folks who mostly disagree with it, and even believe it is harmful for the church. No matter where you land on this issue, as you listen to this interview, I will you will be encouraged and motivated to learn more about it. So this is part 1 of my interview with David Pallman on yo...
Sep 12, 2019•48 min•Ep. 102
A fairly recent article written by a well-known apologist claims that young age creationism destroys the faith of young people, but I think his claim is misguided and wrongheaded. What does the Bible say about the nature of faith? When we examine closely, it appears faith is never actually an intellectual problem—rather, it’s a moral/spiritual problem. A person may choose to blame intellectual difficulty and ideas like young age creationism for their unbelief, but I believe the Bible grounds unb...
Aug 22, 2019•14 min•Ep. 101
What is the chief end of man? According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.” But what does that mean for us? The Bible is clear (see Revelation 4:11) that we are created for God and his glory. Thus, we can only be truly human by coming into a personal relationship with the One who created us. In this 100th episode of the show, we reflect a bit on the goodness of God and what it means to be created in his image, for his glory, and to ou...
Aug 01, 2019•16 min•Ep. 100
When evaluating the evidence for Christian truth claims, many skeptics assert there simply is no evidence. What can we make of such an assessment? When folks talk about evidence (whether atheist, Christian, or otherwise), they often make the mistake of relegating the objective to the subjective . By understanding what evidence actually is, one can avoid the error of reducing reality to mere psychological misunderstanding. Listen in to this podcast as we discuss both the nature of evidence and wh...
Jul 25, 2019•28 min•Ep. 99
What’s the best way to know exactly what truths God meant to convey in his Word? Read the text! It’s easy in a world full of scholarly opinion to rest on the laurels of those you trust as faithful interpreters, but scholars have competing opinions, and you should be ready and able to adjudicate between them. By having thought through the context, historical setting, and genre of a given passage, you are much more likely to gain an accurate understanding of what a text meant to its original reade...
Jul 18, 2019•24 min•Ep. 98
The Christian faith is robust and able to withstand even the most challenging of attacks. But some attacks are really only challenging prima facie (at face value). A deeper dive reveals that many challenges are so superficial they hardly require a defense. In this week’s episode, we spend some time making the case for Christians to hold a more studied and rational faith. Then, we examine a recent atheist tirade I encountered and show how his questions—while seemingly difficult for the average Ch...
Jul 11, 2019•47 min•Ep. 97
It’s the 4th of July here in America—a day we celebrate our independence as a nation. And, for Christians, a day to remember how good God is to us to live in the country we do. In my Bible reading I recently came across Exodus 13:8–9 which reads: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may...
Jul 04, 2019•19 min•Ep. 96
When discussing origins, the claim is often made that God made a “perfect” creation in the beginning. It’s easy to see why many think this, but is it correct? I think the answer is a resounding “no!” Now, if that sounds troublesome to you, then let me invite you to listen in to the episode before casting judgment. In the final analysis, I think you’ll agree with me! But we need to do some careful reflection in order to get there. Thanks for joining us this week! I hope you enjoy the show. ——— Th...
Jun 27, 2019•51 min•Ep. 95
Are moral facts obvious, and if so, can they be accounted for objectively? That’s the question before us in this week’s episode of the Steve Schramm Show. We’ll take a look at what philosophers mean by the notion of “intuition” and make the case that objective moral values and duties do, in fact, exist, and require a metaphysical grounding in order to be meaningful. Then, we answer questions about scientific evidence for God and how Satan was “allowed” to tempt Jesus. This week’s questions: Q: T...
Jun 20, 2019•44 min•Ep. 94
Recently, noted Christian philosopher William Lane Craig announced his next area of study to be the Historical Adam. Dr. Craig is a researcher who is both highly respected and misunderstood by many, so I thought it might be useful and edifying to provide a commentary on his research as he provides updates on it. Our goal is to remain thoughtful and charitable, while taking the time to point out the strengths and weaknesses of his position. Enjoy the show! Mentioned in this lesson: Reasonable Fai...
Jun 13, 2019•47 min•Ep. 93
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Marc Lambert of the Hey, Pastor! Podcast on how to argue for young age creationism without an appeal to Genesis 1. This was an eye-opening discussion for many, but the question was left open as to what Genesis 1 can actually tell us. So I open this episode with some thoughts about what Genesis tells us given different understandings of its genre, and aim to show that our contention that Genesis 1 by itself does not answer the age of the earth question still s...
Jun 06, 2019•59 min•Ep. 92
