Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Greg reflects on how we know that Christians believe the right thing, then he answers questions about the phrase “That’s just your opinion” shutting down conversations and whether calling YWWH “God” and “Jesus” is a blasphemy.   Topics: Commentary: What are the reasons? (00:00) A challenge to Greg’s view that forgiveness requires repentance (12:00) The phrase “That’s your opinion” or “Everyone’s e...

Greg responds to a sign he saw that read, “Knowledge is not faith,” then he answers questions from a caller about how God can be sovereign over our decisions and just at the same time, how God can blame people he didn’t save, and where free will ends.   Topics: Commentary: Faith is not opposed to knowledge. (00:00) How is God sovereign over our decisions and just at the same time, how can he blame...

In a talk given to leaders attending STR’s Reality Conference, John Stonestreet explains how and why to cultivate a true Christian worldview in students that’s big enough to enable them to live with hope and embody a life of reconciliation as they respond to the challenges of our cultural moment.   Topics: Commentary: John Stonestreet on cultivating a “big enough” worldview in students (00:00) Men...

Greg talks about Jesus’ reference to “the least of these” in Matthew 25, then he answers questions about whether all things are good or evil, implications of saying one shouldn’t do anything one thinks is wrong, and how we can make moral judgments about suffering if it’s all working for good.   Topics: Commentary: Who are the “least of these”? (00:00) Are all things good or evil? (35:00) If someon...

Greg answers questions from callers about who sits on the left side of God, why we would matter to God and he would require anything of us, whether it’s wrong to be grateful when other people are suffering, principles for living in a world with AI, and how a Calvinist knows he’s saved.   Topics: Who sits on the left side of God? (04:00) My atheist friend admits there must have been an Architect of...

Greg talks about the marks of a good young man, then he answers questions about why someone would trust dispensationalism when it wasn’t around until the 19th century, and whether Muslims and Jews worship the same God as Christians.   Topics: Commentary: What a good young man looks like (07:00) Why should Christians trust dispensationalism when it didn’t exist until the 19th century? (23:00) Do Mu...

Greg chats with Alan Shlemon, Stand to Reason’s new president-elect, discussing how he became a Christian, how he ended up at Stand to Reason, the controversial topics he often speaks on, and more.   Topics: Commentary: Greg announces Stand to Reason’s new president-elect. (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  The Ambassador’s Guide to Islam by Alan Shlemon

Greg answers questions from callers about how one could reconcile the presence of death before the fall with Romans 5 and 8, whether the Bible will still play a role in the new earth, how we know when a psalm is a messianic prophecy, and whether there are strings attached to our free salvation.   Topics: How could one reconcile the presence of death in the world before Adam and Eve with Romans 5 a...

Greg talks about distinguishing between descriptive and prescriptive passages, then he answers questions about a secular case against legalizing prostitution, how a good God could send a lying spirit, fulfilling a rash vow to God, and attending a wedding between a Christian and a non-Christian.   Topics: Commentary: Distinguishing descriptive passages from prescriptive ones (00:00) How would you m...

Greg answers questions about why we weren’t made sinless in the first place, the morality of using donor sperm to conceive, whether we would conclude the Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and Jesus without the Nicene Creed, how God knows the future, and baptism for the dead.   Topics: If our evil will be removed in Heaven, why weren’t we made that way in the first place? (02:00) Would it be moral...

Greg answers questions about why Jesus lists heart, soul, and mind separately in Mark 12:29–30, whether the Bible is written for laypeople rather than scholars, responding to someone who thinks life is a simulation, and whether it’s wrong to forgive someone who hasn’t repented.   Topics: What’s the difference between heart, soul, and mind, and why does Jesus list them separately in Mark 12:29–31?...

Greg answers questions about relationships between former offenders and the offended on the new earth, applying Ezekiel 33:1–9 to Christians, handling a Sunday school situation, reading enough to get the author’s intent, and deceased loved ones communicating with us.   Topics: Given that Christians are required to forgive but not to reconcile with each other, what will relationships between former...

Greg answers questions about whether God has always been Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, his thoughts on women in ministry, how a layperson who isn’t into apologetics can defend the idea that Jesus is the only way, and how to approach loved ones who are following a false prophet.   Topics: Has God always consisted of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was Jesus always intended to come in the same for...

Greg responds to objections to last week’s shows on antisemitism, talks to a caller who objects to the term “antisemitism” and says it’s not hateful to notice patterns about people, and responds to a question about whether our justice system should also allow for substitutions like God does.   Topics: Commentary: Objections to last week’s shows on antisemitism (00:00) If you say you can’t recogniz...

Greg interviews Scott Keith, author of Being Family: Passing Down the Faith Through the Generations, discussing the beauty and importance of the Christian vocations of marriage and family and how God works through both.   Topics: Interview: Scott Keith, author of Being Family: Passing Down the Faith Through the Generations (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Scott Keith Being Family: Passing Down the...

Greg and Amy continue their discussion about antisemitism, explaining what Romans 9–11 has to say about how we ought to view and treat the Jews and answering questions about the meaning of Revelation’s reference to the “synagogue of Satan” and whether Jews worship a different God.   Topics: Commentary: How should Christians view and treat the Jews? (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  The Bible: Fast F...

Greg and Amy talk about the antisemitism spreading among young conservative men and begin a discussion about what the Bible says about God’s relationship with the Jews and how Gentile believers in Christ ought to treat them.   Topics: Commentary: A response to the rising antisemitism (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  The Bible: Fast Forward – DVD (Also available as a digital download or audio )

Greg talks about a card he received from a group saying we have to follow the Old Testament laws to be saved, then he answers questions about what happens to everyone who doesn’t trust in Jesus, making a case God sustains the universe, and a couple in a celibate same-sex marriage serving in a church.   Topics: Commentary: Your salvation doesn’t depend on following the Old Testament laws. (00:00) I...

Greg talks to Stephen Meyer about The Story of Everything, a film based on Meyer’s book Return of the God Hypothesis, discussing the two competing stories of reality in our culture—one materialist and one theist—and scientific evidence that points to God.   Topics: Interview: Stephen Meyer discusses The Story of Everything, a film based on his book Return of the God Hypothesis. (00:00) Mentioned o...

Greg tells an April Fools’ Day story from his past, then he answers questions about using people’s preferred names and pronouns, what becoming saved looks like if it doesn’t involve asking Jesus into your life, and not feeling the love for God that other people seem to feel.   Topics: Commentary: An April Fools’ Day story (00:00) What is your view on using people’s preferred names and pronouns? (1...

Greg talks about the grounding for morality, then he answers questions about whether the criteria for the canon is contained in Scripture, how it’s possible that Satan rebelled if there was no sin in Heaven, and how Satan was able to be in the garden of Eden in the first place if it was perfect.   Topics: Commentary: Is morality just limited to God’s say-so? (00:00) Are the criteria for the canon...

Greg goes step by step through the passage in Hebrews 10 that many interpret to mean you can lose your salvation, then he answers questions about 1 Corinthians 2:10–16 in light of his view on hearing God’s voice and the mechanism by which the Holy Spirit comforts, convicts, etc.   Topics: Commentary: Does Hebrews 10 teach that you can lose you salvation? (00:00) What do you think about 1 Corinthia...

Greg talks to Jon Noyes about his new YouTube project, Noyes on the Streets, where he has conversations about spiritual and ethical topics with people in public places and then breaks them down for viewers and gives tips on how to make your case with clarity and compassion.   Topics: Interview: Jon Noyes – Noyes on the Streets (00:00) Mentioned on the Show:  Noyes on the Streets Reality Student Ap...

Greg answers questions about apologetics resources for young children, the fate of people who never heard the gospel, catering to those who have been historically marginalized, reconciling Romans 3 with the idea that those who seek God find him, and whether the atonement is illogical.   Topics: Do you know of any apologetics resources for children who are ages six and ten? (03:00) What happens to...

Greg responds to the claim that there’s no proof for God, then he answers questions about whether the parables in Luke 12 indicate salvation can be lost, Sarah sending away Hagar, how sin moved from an angel to a tree, and what it means to say Jesus took on the sins of the world.   Topics: Commentary: Where’s the proof for God? (00:00) Are the parables in Luke 12 specifically directed at believers...