#STRask

Questions about whether biblical fasting is food specific or could include things like social media, how the “faith” listed as a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9 differs from the saving faith given to all believers, and whether it’s biblical for people with a prophetic gift to predict suffering and death.   Is it biblical to abstain from something like social media as a form of fasting to...

Questions about what to say to a confused four-year-old grandson whose father is telling him there are hundreds of gods, why it’s difficult to persuade a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness, and how to engage someone who claims to be Christian yet attends a Unitarian Universalist church.   How do I respond to a confused four-year-old grandson whose father is telling him there are hundreds of gods? Why is...

Questions about evidence in Scripture that identifies the Holy Spirit as a person rather than the transforming power of God, whether Mark 13:33 means that the Holy Spirit doesn’t know the day of Christ’s return, and thoughts on contemplative prayer and other popular spiritual formation practices.   Aside from translators’ use of the male pronoun, what evidence in Scripture identifies the Holy Spir...

Questions about whether perfect justice requires that the penalty be paid by the offender rather than someone else, and whether the references in Scripture to sharing in the sufferings of Christ are only about persecution for one’s faith or include things like sickness and financial hardship.   For “perfect justice” to be accomplished, doesn’t the penalty have to actually be paid by the offender r...

Questions about whether to attend the wedding of someone who is into the New Thought movement and will have New Age items at the wedding location, whether one should not listen to hymns sung by Latter-day Saints, and how to respond to the Buddhist “Walk for Peace.”   Should I attend the wedding of my sister, who is into the New Thought movement and will have a meditation yurt, a drum circle, and o...

Questions about which Bible translation to recommend to an adult who’s new to the Bible, and what resources to recommend to an unbeliever who’s interested in reading the Bible with her son.   Which Bible translation would you recommend to an adult who’s new to the Bible? What resources would you recommend to an unbeliever who’s interested in reading the Bible with her son?

Questions about how to respond to the criticism that Christianity is narrow-minded and dangerous, and what to say to someone who thinks Christianity is a cult.   How would you respond to the criticism that Christianity is narrow-minded and dangerous? What would you say to someone who thinks Christianity is a cult?

Questions about whether God’s primary object is to not be found, how one can say God doesn’t make mistakes if the percentage of Christians in the world is so low, and whether the fact that not everyone will be in Heaven is proof that God doesn’t win every battle.   Would you say God’s primary object is to not be found? If God doesn’t make mistakes, how do you explain the fact that Christians have...

Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courage in objective reality without relying on circular definitions.   I’ve heard truth doesn’t change and doesn’t contradict itself, but how does yearly change fit into that—e.g., I’m 38 one year and 39 the next. Does this create an argument for relativi...

Questions about what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited the Jews’ covenant with God if Scripture explicitly says it was with Israel and not the Gentile nations, and why the Jews were chosen.   The covenant in Scripture is explicitly with Israel and not the Gentile nations, so what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited that covenant? Why were the Jews chos...

Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and how so many people in different denominations that believe different things can all claim to be followers of Christ.   Why is there no effort towards a neutral exegesis—i.e., without taking denominational preferences into account—in light of the fact t...

Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, and whether God only matters for the purpose of the afterlife.   How could one person trust another person on the topic of God, and how did you obtain information about God that I haven’t obtained? Aside from Heaven and Hell, does God matter? Atheists...

Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider to be sinful—a practicing homosexual can be born again as long as he sincerely believes his behavior isn’t sinful.   What would be an appropriate response to an LGBTQ person saying, “I feel good about who I am”? Since we all have sin in our life that...

Questions about whether or not God hears and answers the prayers of non-believers, and thoughts about a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just love everyone. I'll sort them out later.”   Does God hear non-believers’ prayers, and if he hears them, does he answer them? How would you evaluate a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just love everyone. I'll sort them out later”?

Questions about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, advice for someone who believes in God intellectually but struggles to understand how to have a “personal relationship” with him, and resources other than Greg’s that teach the wisdom model for making decisions.   If the Holy Spirit doesn’t give us personal instructions, what does that leave the role of the Holy Spirit to be in my life? Do...

Questions about why it’s necessary to believe Jesus is God, whether belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, and why one has to believe in the Trinity if the words “Trinity,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit” aren’t in the Bible.   Why is it necessary to believe Jesus is God? Since the Trinity is so difficult for our little human minds to comprehend, is belief in the Trinity really...

Questions about how we can know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught, and whether or not Jeremiah 1:5 supports the idea that we pre-existed in a spiritual form.   With so many divergent traditions, how can we know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught? If someone in our age has been taught by revelation, then we should forget traditions. Does Jeremiah 1:5 support the idea that we pre-...

Questions about Greg placing his faith in his personal assessment of which truth claims best match reality rather than in the revelation of God in Jesus and a personal encounter with the Spirit, and how to fight thoughts that God isn’t real when you know he is real.   Please respond to this critique of Greg Koukl: “Those who place their faith in their personal assessment of which truth claims best...

Questions about the claim that if Christians really want to be open-minded, they need to read and study other religions before committing to Christianity, and with so many paths claiming to be the sole path, what is to be said about those who choose incorrectly?   How would you respond to someone who says, “If Christians really want to be open-minded, they need to read and study other religions be...

Questions about whether it’s possible there’s a being that’s greater than God and that’s outside of God’s comprehension and omniscience, and how to explain to people who don’t believe in the spiritual realm or the existence of God that we have eternal souls.   Is it possible there’s a being that’s greater than God and that’s outside of God’s comprehension and omniscience? How do I explain to relat...

Questions about whether we should be praying for our souls rather than for material things, why we need to pray about decisions, whether the devil can hear our prayers and tempt us with “answers,” and whether it’s okay to pray for someone’s death rather than healing.   Shouldn’t I be praying for my soul rather than for material things such as a house or a new job—i.e., a diet version of the prospe...

Questions about why we should pray if God already knows what’s going to happen, how the effectiveness of prayer is measured, and whether or not things would have happened the way they did if no one had prayed for them.   Why should we pray if God already knows what’s going to happen? How is the effectiveness of prayer measured—e.g., would Christopher Yuan have been saved if his mother hadn’t praye...

Questions about why we should think Jesus is not a created being, and what it means to say God became fully human if part of being human means not being God.   Prove to me that Jesus is not a created being, that “begotten” doesn’t mean he was created, and that he has always existed. What does it mean to say God became fully human if part of being human means not being God?

Questions about good books on Christian apologetics, philosophy, and theology with more in-depth information and ideas, and resources to help an intellectually-inclined person with spiritual formation and developing the non-cerebral side of living a Christian life.   As a high school student, I have read many baseline books on Christian apologetics, theology, and philosophy, so could you recommend...

Questions about whether there’s an issue with churches advertising on social media, whether it’s weird if we pray along with a YouTuber, and whether Christian social media influencers are going against Matthew 6:1–2 when they film themselves doing good deeds.   What are your thoughts on churches advertising on social media? Is it weird that I often find myself praying along with a YouTuber when he...