# podcasts

title: Dr. Benjamin Wiker: The Morality of Darwinism
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/22/2002
source: https://www.str.org/w/september-22-2002
link: https://str-legacy.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/podcast/weekly/092202.mp3
file: ./podcasts/september-22-2002-092202.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the morality of Darwinism with Dr. Benjamin Wiker, Gov. 
Davis defies Pres. Bush on stem cell research, then takes calls on if God 
can regret, dealing with truth in a pluralist society, and more.


title: Jonathan Wells: Recent Fossil Finds
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/11/2002
source: https://www.str.org/w/august-11-2002
link: https://str-legacy.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/podcast/weekly/081102.mp3
file: ./podcasts/august-11-2002-081102.mp3
description:
Jonathan Wells (Icons of Evolution) discusses recent fossil finds that are 
claimed to be evidence of ape like ancestry of humans.


title: Ken Samples: Residual UFOs
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/18/2002
source: https://www.str.org/w/august-18-2002
link: https://str-legacy.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/podcast/weekly/081802.mp3
file: ./podcasts/august-18-2002-081802.mp3
description:
Greg talks about residual UFOs with Ken Samples, then takes calls on other 
natural explanations for UFOs, the oddity that UFO sightings are never in 
population centers, someone having seen a UFO, and more.


title: Cheryl McGuineness: Wife of 9/11 Flight 11 Co-pilot
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/25/2002
source: https://www.str.org/w/august-25-2002
link: https://str-legacy.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/podcast/weekly/082502.mp3
file: ./podcasts/august-25-2002-082502.mp3
description:
Greg interviews Cherly McGuineness, the wife of 9/11 Flight 11 co-pilot, 
then takes calls on if Jews believe in the same God as Christians, if 
cremation is okay, replacement theology, and more.


title: #STRask: November 15, 2018
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/15/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-15-2018
link: http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/str-podcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/strask/2018/STRask_294.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-15-2018-STRask_294.mp3
description:
Greg answers questions on God’s responsibility for sin, asking for 
directions from God, whether apologetics is for everybody, and churches 
blessing pets.


title: Can We Give Evidence for God without Using the Bible?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/06/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/can-we-give-evidence-for-god-without-using-the-bible-
link: http://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/str-podcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/weekly/2018/070618.mp3
file: ./podcasts/can-we-give-evidence-for-god-without-using-the-bible--070618.mp3
description:
Greg answers questions about giving evidence for God without using the 
Bible, resurrected bodies, altar calls, and deciding on a seminary when 
you’re unsure of your theology.


title: Dr. Greg Ganssle: Thinking about God & A Reasonable God
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/07/2010
source: https://www.str.org/w/dr.-greg-ganssle-thinking-about-god-a-reasonable-god-february-7-2010-
link: https://str-legacy.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/podcast/weekly/020710.mp3
file: ./podcasts/dr.-greg-ganssle-thinking-about-god-a-reasonable-god-february-7-2010--020710.mp3
description:
Greg talks about teaching kids the Christian worldview, Thinking About God 
& A Reasonable God with Greg Ganssle, then takes calls on if Christians 
need to follow the Old Testament laws, if when we die, we go to the grave 
not Hell, and if it is effective to use Bible codes to prove the Bible’s 
reliability.


title: #STRask - November 5, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/05/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-5-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4nqa7x/STRask_494.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-5-2020-STRask_494.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s fair for God to punish us when we have an 
inherited sinful nature, resolving free will vs. God’s sovereignty in 
evangelism, and advice on when to pass on opportunities to defend the faith 
on social media.


title: If There’s No Judgment, There’s No Justice
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/06/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/if-there-s-no-judgment-there-s-no-justice
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6k48am/110620.mp3
file: ./podcasts/if-there-s-no-judgment-there-s-no-justice-110620.mp3
description:
Greg discusses how to explain God’s final judgment and Hell to others, then 
he answers questions about how one can be a therapist and not enable sin in 
clients who have different values and an objection to fine-tuning.


title: #STRask - November 16, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/16/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-16-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rgi28j/STRask_497.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-16-2020-STRask_497.mp3
description:
Questions about what to say to someone who says he can live however he 
wants now that he’s saved by grace and whether praying for forgiveness for 
habitual sins is an abuse of God’s grace.


title: #STRask - November 12, 2020
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/12/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-12-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/sicf6u/STRask_496.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-12-2020-STRask_496.mp3
description:
Questions about maneuvering a “gauntlet” strategy of questions in a 
discussion and whether Christians shouldn’t seek fear as a form of 
entertainment.


title: The Role of Science for Christians
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/11/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-role-of-science-for-christians
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4igxae/111120.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-role-of-science-for-christians-111120.mp3
description:
Greg and Tim respond to an article that says Christians either rest their 
faith on science and risk having science disprove Christianity, or they 
“just believe” and don’t ground their worldview in evidence.


title: Has God’s Morality Changed?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/13/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/has-god-s-morality-changed-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3fdib9/111320.mp3
file: ./podcasts/has-god-s-morality-changed--111320.mp3
description:
Greg answers questions about whether or not the Reformation has been good 
for Christendom, how to respond to the charge that God’s morality has 
changed, and hearing the voice of God.


title: #STRask - November 9, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/09/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-9-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yyjvd6/STRask_495.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-9-2020-STRask_495.mp3
description:
Questions about the point of following Christ and whether Jesus’ physical 
body has always existed or was created.


title: The Explanatory Power of Christianity vs. Naturalism
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/18/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-explanatory-power-of-christianity-vs.-naturalism
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k45245/111820.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-explanatory-power-of-christianity-vs.-naturalism-111820.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the explanatory power of Christianity vs. that of 
naturalism, then he responds to questions about balancing spiritual 
development with professional development and God placing people in 
situations where he knows they will choose him.


title: #STRask - November 19, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/19/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-19-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hcg5qt/STRask_498.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-19-2020-STRask_498.mp3
description:
Questions about whether or not we should think Hebrews is inspired and why 
the Bible uses women to represent sinful figures.


title: Divine Foreknowledge Is Not the Same Thing as Omniscience
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/20/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/divine-foreknowledge-is-not-the-same-thing-as-omniscience
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/m2yp4u/112020.mp3
file: ./podcasts/divine-foreknowledge-is-not-the-same-thing-as-omniscience-112020.mp3
description:
Greg talks about divine foreknowledge then answers questions about tactics 
used with LDS (Mormon) missionaries and whether there’s anything God 
promises to give Christians in this life.


title: Coffee Cup Christianity
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 11/17/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/coffee-cup-christianity-2
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/twzb6w/as_1120.mp3
file: ./podcasts/coffee-cup-christianity-2-as_1120.mp3
description:
Alan sounds the alarm on a pop Christian culture habit called Coffee Cup 
Christianity. He unpacks three of its harms and explains how they are 
fueling biblical illiteracy.


title: #STRask - November 26, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/26/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-26-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8nxqqg/STRask_500.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-26-2020-STRask_500.mp3
description:
Questions about whether bad behavior by Christians can excuse others’ 
unbelief and how to respond when it’s said that religion is dangerous 
because it creates guilt and shame.


title: Why Give Thanks This Year?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/25/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/why-give-thanks-this-year-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4d57fc/112520.mp3
file: ./podcasts/why-give-thanks-this-year--112520.mp3
description:
Greg explains why we should give thanks in all circumstances, then he 
answers a question about how churches should think about the government 
restrictions being placed on them.


title: You Can Always Make Deposits That Have an Eternal Significance
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/02/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/you-can-always-make-deposits-that-have-an-eternal-significance
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z8ekpt/120220.mp3
file: ./podcasts/you-can-always-make-deposits-that-have-an-eternal-significance-120220.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how, when you’re unable to improve your life as you hoped, 
it's satisfying to know you can still make deposits that have an eternal 
significance, then he answers questions about the morality of political 
assassinations and whether there are “lost” books of the Bible.


title: The Seven Books You Should Have in Your Library
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/04/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-seven-books-you-should-have-in-your-library
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uhg3yz/120420.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-seven-books-you-should-have-in-your-library-120420.mp3
description:
Greg recommends books in a well-rounded variety of categories that you 
ought to have in your library, then he responds to questions about how to 
properly use the accountability process in Matthew 18, whether Mark 16:9–20 
should be in the Bible, and what we should do to reach out to famous people 
who are lost.


title: #STRask - November 23, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/23/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-23-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8agnet/STRask_499.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-23-2020-STRask_499.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Matthew 23:23 indicates we’re obligated to tithe 
and whether the beauty of art is objective or subjective.


title: #STRask - November 30, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/30/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-november-30-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5xgs7v/STRask_501.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-november-30-2020-STRask_501.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s just for a sinner to be tormented for eternity 
and what the point of the resurrection is if we'll already be with God 
after we die.


title: #STRask - December 3, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/03/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-3-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/27nvca/STRask_502.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-3-2020-STRask_502.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the fact that people interpret Scripture 
differently should cause someone to doubt the truth of Christianity, what 
“divine inspiration” means, and why we consider a short letter like 
Philemon to be inspired.


title: The Three Things Your Worldview Needs to Explain
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/27/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-three-things-your-worldview-needs-to-explain
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/nixdxi/112720.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-three-things-your-worldview-needs-to-explain-112720.mp3
description:
Greg talks about three features of the world that any worldview would need 
to explain: the world exists, the world is ordered, the world is broken, 
then he answers a question about how to respond to three challenges to the 
reliability and trustworthiness of the Bible.


title: #STRask - December 17, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/17/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-17-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/un3fc9/STRask_506.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-17-2020-STRask_506.mp3
description:
Questions about how to respond to a logical challenge to Jesus’ deity and 
whether one should not use therapy to help a misbehaving child.


title: #STRask - December 14, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/14/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-14-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kwmdgg/STRask_505.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-14-2020-STRask_505.mp3
description:
Questions about the significance of Melchizedek, whether God would love 
clones, and whether 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 means that Christians who have 
sinned in one of the ways described will not inherit the kingdom of God.


title: #STRask - December 10, 2020
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/10/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-10-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kh9xdg/STRask_504.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-10-2020-STRask_504.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the institution of marriage was created by man and 
how to respond when two Christians who are dating get pregnant out of 
wedlock.


title: #STRask - December 7, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/07/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-7-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vcy3zj/STRask_503.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-7-2020-STRask_503.mp3
description:
Question about how to respond to an atheist who says we don’t follow the 
Mosaic Law because we know it’s wrong, and by knowing it’s wrong, we show 
that our moral code is already greater than God’s.


title: Does the Parable of the Lost Sheep Support a Seeker-Sensitive Church Model?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/11/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-the-parable-of-the-lost-sheep-support-a-seeker-sensitive-church-model-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/wqjsvu/121120.mp3
file: ./podcasts/does-the-parable-of-the-lost-sheep-support-a-seeker-sensitive-church-model--121120.mp3
description:
Greg answers questions about how to engage a conspiracy theorist and 
whether or not it’s appropriate to use the parable of the lost sheep to 
support a seeker-sensitive church model.


title: Atheism’s Empty Soul
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 12/08/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheism-s-empty-soul-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5nzkfg/as_1220.mp3
file: ./podcasts/atheism-s-empty-soul-1-as_1220.mp3
description:
A worldview that denies God and embraces naturalism has serious 
repercussions, the most egregious being a logical slide to nihilism. Alan 
unpacks three reasons why nihilism flows logically from naturalism.


title: Kingdom Work Is 100% God and 100% Man
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/09/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/kingdom-work-is-100-god-and-100-man
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z32s4n/120920.mp3
file: ./podcasts/kingdom-work-is-100-god-and-100-man-120920.mp3
description:
Greg explains that when it comes to the Holy Spirit’s role vs. our role in 
kingdom work, the formula is 100% God and 100% man, then he answers a 
question about Abraham insisting on paying for the field to bury his wife.


title: Some Perspective at the End of a Crazy Year
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/16/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/some-perspective-at-the-end-of-a-crazy-year
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/spt645/121620.mp3
file: ./podcasts/some-perspective-at-the-end-of-a-crazy-year-121620.mp3
description:
Greg offers some perspective at the end of this crazy year, then he answers 
a question about how to respond to a Christian family member who requests 
everyone use a male name and pronouns for their five-year-old daughter.


title: Some Christmas Thoughts
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/18/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/some-christmas-thoughts
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zgzfbq/121820.mp3
file: ./podcasts/some-christmas-thoughts-121820.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on the Christmas story, Christmas cards, and Christmas 
carols, then he answers questions about engaging a post-Christian culture, 
how free will fits into Romans 9:14–23, a struggle with spiritual numbness, 
and whether people are in Hell by choice and how that can be reconciled 
with Revelation 5:13.


title: #STRask - December 24, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/24/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-24-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mukh87/STRask_508.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-24-2020-STRask_508.mp3
description:
Questions about the unforgivable sin of “blaspheming the Holy Spirit,” what 
the non-elect are rejecting if God’s grace is only offered to the elect, 
and what it means to be baptized by the Holy Spirit.


title: Primer on Clear Thinking – Part One
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/23/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/primer-on-clear-thinking-part-one
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/x3962n/122320.mp3
file: ./podcasts/primer-on-clear-thinking-part-one-122320.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how to recognize spiritual warfare then goes through some 
principles of critical thinking to help you craft better arguments for the 
truth and spot bad arguments when you hear them (part one of two).


title: #STRask - December 21, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/21/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-21-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5gazsr/STRask_507.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-21-2020-STRask_507.mp3
description:
Questions about whether there’s sufficient evidence of God’s existence 
available to every human being and whether it’s appropriate to respond to 
the worldview expressed in a lighthearted post from a friend.


title: #STRask - December 28, 2020
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/28/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-28-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8462mm/STRask_509.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-28-2020-STRask_509.mp3
description:
Questions about why Christians don’t pray imprecatory prayers (or if they 
do, when it would be appropriate) and who is represented by the older 
brother in the parable of the prodigal son.


title: #STRask - December 31, 2020
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/31/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-december-31-2020
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jvdevx/STRask_510.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-december-31-2020-STRask_510.mp3
description:
Questions about how to respond to an atheist who rejects the Bible because 
it contains miracles and thoughts about churches requiring liability 
waivers to attend worship services.


title: Primer on Clear Thinking – Part Two
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/30/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/primer-on-clear-thinking-part-two
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jjba4w/123020.mp3
file: ./podcasts/primer-on-clear-thinking-part-two-123020.mp3
description:
Using illustrations from apologetics arguments, Greg continues explaining 
principles of critical thinking that will help you craft better arguments 
for the truth and spot bad arguments when you hear them (part two of two).


title: #STRask - January 7, 2021
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-7-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/gg5aca/STRask_512.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-7-2021-STRask_512.mp3
description:
Questions about whether God’s justice is an emergent property as a result 
of creation and sin rather than an essential trait and why Christians 
believe in God’s promises if they can’t prove he fulfills them.


title: #STRask - January 11, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-11-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rs8nq8/STRask_513.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-11-2021-STRask_513.mp3
description:
Questions about responding to “happy Newchrismahanukwanzakah” and whether 
it’s biblical to say Christians are supposed to suffer.


title: Reading through the Bible Isn’t a Goal, It’s a Lifestyle
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/reading-through-the-bible-isn-t-a-goal-it-s-a-lifestyle
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/v6kfqk/010821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/reading-through-the-bible-isn-t-a-goal-it-s-a-lifestyle-010821.mp3
description:
Greg talks about making Bible-reading part of your life habits, then he 
takes calls about biblical inerrancy, brain chemistry vs. one’s soul, 
praying to Mary, using transgender names and pronouns, and COVID-19.


title: #STRask - January 4, 2021
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-4-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ih89bk/STRask_511.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-4-2021-STRask_511.mp3
description:
Questions about why it isn’t merciful to euthanize human beings as we 
euthanize animals and what “good” came from a specific evil that could 
outweigh that evil (and how God can be good if he let it happen).


title: The Importance of Grasping the Grace of God
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/06/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-importance-of-grasping-the-grace-of-god
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jb9sw5/010621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-importance-of-grasping-the-grace-of-god-010621.mp3
description:
Greg talks about our need to grasp the grace of God, then he answers 
questions about how to respond to charges of homophobia and how to make an 
argument for biblical inerrancy.


title: Will Faith as Small as a Mustard Seed Save You?
topic: Theology
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 01/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/will-faith-as-small-as-a-mustard-seed-save-you-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/46z6n5/as_0121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/will-faith-as-small-as-a-mustard-seed-save-you-1-as_0121.mp3
description:
Does God require a certain amount of faith before he accepts it? Alan 
addresses this question by clarifying the nature of faith.


title: #STRask - January 14, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/14/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-14-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/wdx9fe/STRask_514.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-14-2021-STRask_514.mp3
description:
Questions about what Paul meant when he told husbands to live as if they 
had no wives, how the church can be both the body and bride of Christ, and 
correcting a church’s regular misuse of 2 Chronicles 7:14.


title: A Close Look at Acts 15
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-close-look-at-acts-15
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7k9ycm/011321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-close-look-at-acts-15-011321.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on what we learn from the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 about 
law vs. grace, baptism, and decision making, then he answers questions 
about interacting with a family member who’s a steamroller and the rapture.


title: #STRask - January 18, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-18-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/gmzqdz/STRask_515.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-18-2021-STRask_515.mp3
description:
Questions about why Christ had to die if Old Testament believers already 
had access to Heaven, why we needed Jesus to be our sacrifice rather than a 
goat, and whether the Old Testament’s lack of discussion of the afterlife 
is inconsistent with the New Testament.


title: Questions about the Rapture, Bible Discrepancies, and Vishnu
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/questions-about-the-rapture-bible-discrepancies-and-vishnu
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3wfkf8/011521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/questions-about-the-rapture-bible-discrepancies-and-vishnu-011521.mp3
description:
Greg continues a call from the last episode about the rapture, then he 
answers questions about discrepancies in the Bible, the flood, and 
responding to the claim that Vishnu and Jesus are the same person.


title: #STRask - January 21, 2021
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-21-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zciuh5/STRask_516.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-21-2021-STRask_516.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s inconsistent for a pro-lifer to say it’s okay 
to end life in the womb to save the mother and whether regulating abortion 
is any different from God regulating divorce, something he hates.


title: What Are High School Students Thinking?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-are-high-school-students-thinking-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fq226q/012021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/what-are-high-school-students-thinking--012021.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Rich Bordner, an English and philosophy teacher, about what 
he’s seeing in his interactions with his high school students—their 
worldview, their view of truth and morality, etc.


title: Five Things to Look for in a Christian College
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/five-things-to-look-for-in-a-christian-college
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uuau8t/012221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/five-things-to-look-for-in-a-christian-college-012221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about five things to look for in a Christian college, then he 
answers questions about universalism, a “too high” view of Scripture, 
whether Jews and Christians worship the same God, your culpability if a 
friend uses something you made in pagan ceremonies, and when a fetus 
becomes a human being.


title: Why Is It Rational to Believe in the Soul?
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/why-is-it-rational-to-believe-in-the-soul-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ucf4wk/012921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/why-is-it-rational-to-believe-in-the-soul--012921.mp3
description:
Greg gives reasons why it’s rational to believe in the soul, explaining the 
difference between something being rational and rationalism, then he takes 
calls about how evil entered the world, intersex conditions proving we can 
choose our gender, answering “Where was God?” and more.


title: #STRask - January 28, 2021
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/28/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-january-28-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uetxkj/STRask_518.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-january-28-2021-STRask_518.mp3
description:
Question about how to transition from being an apologist to an evangelist 
when the person you’re talking to starts thinking about converting.


title: Questions about Faith and Science
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/27/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/questions-about-faith-and-science
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pmpi2i/012721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/questions-about-faith-and-science-012721.mp3
description:
Tim joins Greg to talk about a variety of questions regarding faith and 
science (their compatibility, how they inform each other, miracles, etc.).


title: If God Told You to Kill Someone, Would You Do It?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/if-god-told-you-to-kill-someone-would-you-do-it-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qikqak/020521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/if-god-told-you-to-kill-someone-would-you-do-it--020521.mp3
description:
Greg responds to the question “If God told you to kill someone, would you 
do it?” then he answers questions about ultimate meaning in an atheistic 
universe, why we need to repent if Jesus already paid for our sins, and 
whether the Bible has been changed too much to be trusted.


title: #STRask - February 1, 2021
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-1-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hyda9p/STRask_519.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-1-2021-STRask_519.mp3
description:
Questions about responding to the claim that it’s our subjective opinion 
that there is objective truth and whether it’s a fallacy to say 
Christianity is bad because Christians did bad things.


title: The State of Free Speech on University Campuses
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-state-of-free-speech-on-university-campuses
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5nvzzr/020321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-state-of-free-speech-on-university-campuses-020321.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Corey Miller, president of Ratio Christi, about free speech 
on university campuses, then he answers questions about eternal punishment 
for limited sin and whether something existed before the Big Bang.


title: #STRask - February 4, 2021
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-4-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rxc65z/STRask_520.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-4-2021-STRask_520.mp3
description:
Questions about using a vaccine created from cells from aborted fetuses and 
whether one must keep “toxic” parents in one’s life in order to honor them 
the way God commands.


title: #STRask - February 8, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-8-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fptq33/STRask_521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-8-2021-STRask_521.mp3
description:
Questions about whether there’s a second chance for salvation after death 
and how there can be no sin in Heaven if we’re all sinners by nature.


title: Making Sense of Fallen Spiritual Heroes
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/making-sense-of-fallen-spiritual-heroes
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hptwaw/021721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/making-sense-of-fallen-spiritual-heroes-021721.mp3
description:
Greg responds to the investigative report on Ravi Zacharias with advice on 
how to make sense of fallen spiritual heroes, then he answers questions 
from a young listener about how to write a good book.


title: Clearing up Confusion about Humility
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/clearing-up-confusion-about-humility
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8aq48g/021021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/clearing-up-confusion-about-humility-021021.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on what humility is and isn’t, giving practical advice for 
living in humility, then he answers questions about praying in tongues and 
reconciling 2 Corinthians 5:17 with membership in Alcoholics Anonymous.


title: #STRask - February 11, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-11-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5rjqt6/STRask_522.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-11-2021-STRask_522.mp3
description:
Questions about what to ask a pastor to determine if he has progressive 
Christian beliefs and why anyone would say “no one has perfect theology” 
when we can’t know whether or not that’s true.


title: #STRask - February 15, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-15-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cs3bgq/STRask_523.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-15-2021-STRask_523.mp3
description:
Questions about what Jesus meant by “gods to whom the word of God came,” 
whether Jacob was engaging in sex slavery, and how the authors of Scripture 
knew what was said in various private conversations.


title: #STRask - February 18, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-18-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/x3j7rb/STRask_524.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-18-2021-STRask_524.mp3
description:
Questions about whether one can validate rioting by pointing to Jesus’ 
actions cleansing the temple and whether or not the biblical command 
against incest applies to step-siblings.


title: More Pointers on Writing a Book
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/more-pointers-on-writing-a-book
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/itg8z2/021921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/more-pointers-on-writing-a-book-021921.mp3
description:
Greg continues giving a caller pointers on how to write a book, then he 
answers questions about whether evolution is a peripheral issue and how to 
respond to an atheist’s objection to intelligent design probability 
arguments.


title: Jesus Prayed to a Person, Not a Nature
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/jesus-prayed-to-a-person-not-a-nature
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bkm8na/021221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/jesus-prayed-to-a-person-not-a-nature-021221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the Trinity, answers questions about whether it was 
appropriate for a Canadian judge to be removed from the bench and whether 
Christianity could still be true if the universe were eternal, then 
reflects on God and time and the type of answers we find (and don’t find) 
in the Bible.


title: You Never Know the Difference Your Efforts Will Make
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/you-never-know-the-difference-your-efforts-will-make-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/34yke5/031021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/you-never-know-the-difference-your-efforts-will-make-1-031021.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the website of a 13-year-old he met last week, reminds us 
God uses both big and small efforts to do great things, then answers 
questions about churches catering to the world and arguments for the 
resurrection.


title: #STRask - March 11, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-11-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ezp6h7/STRask_530.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-11-2021-STRask_530.mp3
description:
Questions about what the Bible says about astrology and whether Matthew 
11:11 says John is greater than Jesus and is not in the kingdom.


title: The Fear of “Phobic”
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 02/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-fear-of-phobic-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mrbmxx/as_0221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-fear-of-phobic-1-as_0221.mp3
description:
Have you ever been called a "phobic" term like homophobic, Islamophobic, 
transphobic, or xenophobic? Alan discusses three reasons why you don’t have 
to fear the “phobic” label.


title: What to Do When You’re Feeling Spiritually Dry
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-to-do-when-you-re-feeling-spiritually-dry
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8aa3ex/022421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/what-to-do-when-you-re-feeling-spiritually-dry-022421.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how you can deepen your relationship with God, then he 
answers questions about the difference prayer makes and the difference 
between God causing vs. allowing things to happen.


title: The Word “Evolution” Doesn’t Magically Explain Everything
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-word-evolution-doesn-t-magically-explain-everything
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qxn79j/031221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-word-evolution-doesn-t-magically-explain-everything-031221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about people declaring “evolution” over things they see without 
being able to show the pathway of that evolution, then he answers questions 
about conversing with conspiracy theorists, whether baptism is essential, 
comforting people whose prayers aren’t answered, and getting a marriage 
license.


title: #STRask - March 15, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-15-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/trk4zf/STRask_531.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-15-2021-STRask_531.mp3
description:
Questions about the appropriate age to get a child a smart phone and what 
pronouns to use when talking to a gender-confused person.


title: #STRask - March 8, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-8-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9ak2us/STRask_529.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-8-2021-STRask_529.mp3
description:
Questions about whether there could have been a better way for God to do 
things than to have us all inherit a sinful nature from Adam and whether 
Romans 5:15 implies the number of people saved through Jesus will be 
greater than those who died through Adam.


title: #STRask - February 22, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-22-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mwf2hi/STRask_525.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-22-2021-STRask_525.mp3
description:
Question about how to more fully understand, accept, and have confidence in 
the fact that it’s by grace and not by works that we’re saved.


title: #STRask - February 25, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-february-25-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/utgywa/STRask_526.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-february-25-2021-STRask_526.mp3
description:
Some additional thoughts on whether or not step-siblings can marry and 
Bible reading, then a question about applying the “taking the roof off” 
tactic to our culture’s belief that we can choose our gender.


title: More on Deepening Your Relationship with God
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/more-on-deepening-your-relationship-with-god
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/emv9k4/022621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/more-on-deepening-your-relationship-with-god-022621.mp3
description:
Greg continues his advice on what to do if you’re feeling spiritually dry, 
then he answers a question about what we mean when we say something is 
inspired.


title: #STRask - March 1, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-1-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6nvaah/STRask_527.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-1-2021-STRask_527.mp3
description:
Questions about engaging people who use Jesus to promote liberal politics 
without delving too deep into politics and whether or not it’s a stretch to 
apply Jesus’ admonition to love others to government regulations.


title: Interview: Dan Kimball – How (Not) to Read the Bible
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-dan-kimball-how-not-to-read-the-bible
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3zibdi/030321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-dan-kimball-how-not-to-read-the-bible-030321.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Dan Kimball about his new book, How (Not) to Read the Bible: 
Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and 
Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture.


title: #STRask - March 4, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-4-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/iqcd4c/STRask_528.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-4-2021-STRask_528.mp3
description:
Questions about the New Apostolic Reformation, associating with Christian 
leaders who associate with false teachers, and how Proverbs 20:30 applies 
to life today.


title: An Hour of Questions
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/an-hour-of-questions
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/n8ixvj/031921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/an-hour-of-questions-031921.mp3
description:
Greg answers questions about submitting to the government, apathetic 
Christians, spending time with non-believers, attending a local church, why 
God didn’t destroy the Moabites, and advice for singles.


title: #STRask - March 18, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-18-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4xeyrr/STRask_532.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-18-2021-STRask_532.mp3
description:
Questions about balancing “turning the other cheek” with having 
self-respect in the face of abuse, whether you can testify against someone 
you’ve forgiven, and whether or not we’ll study the Bible in Heaven.


title: Live According to a Plumb Line, Not a Pendulum
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 03/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/live-according-to-a-plumb-line-not-a-pendulum-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tsd7kw/as_0321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/live-according-to-a-plumb-line-not-a-pendulum-1-as_0321.mp3
description:
When you realize your theology is in error, do you overcorrect by swinging 
wildly to the opposite position? Alan offers a biblical approach to 
correcting your view, one that looks more like using a plumb line than a 
pendulum.


title: #STRask - March 25, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-25-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/durh6t/STRask_535.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-25-2021-STRask_535.mp3
description:
Questions about why sincere and unselfish prayers are unanswered and what a 
polygamous convert to Christianity should do about his wives.


title: #STRask - March 22, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-22-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cezc6a/STRask_533.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-22-2021-STRask_533.mp3
description:
Questions about why God doesn’t give grace to everyone, the fear that 
family members aren’t in the elect, and why God would condemn someone who 
doesn’t have access to the Bible or Jesus.


title: You Need to Understand the Whole to Understand the Parts
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/you-need-to-understand-the-whole-to-understand-the-parts
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zir8uf/032421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/you-need-to-understand-the-whole-to-understand-the-parts-032421.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how we need to understand the big picture in the Bible so 
we’re not shaken by challenges about the parts, then he answers a question 
from a single man in his mid-twenties about how to deal with a pornography 
addiction.


title: Our Desires Aren’t Our Identity
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/our-desires-aren-t-our-identity
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j29j7w/032621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/our-desires-aren-t-our-identity-032621.mp3
description:
Greg talks about Christopher Yuan’s story and the idea that our desires do 
not define our identity, then he answers questions about retaliation for 
not participating in CRT training at work, power in Jesus’ name, whether 
abortion is better than Hell, and whether Hell is punishment or merely 
suffering as a result of being separated from God.


title: When Does False Doctrine Become a Salvation Issue?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/when-does-false-doctrine-become-a-salvation-issue-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dvv85v/040221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/when-does-false-doctrine-become-a-salvation-issue--040221.mp3
description:
Greg continues responding to a question about when a deviation from 
doctrine becomes a salvation issue, then he answers questions about charity 
for people who created their situation, God torturing people in Hell, being 
unequally yoked, and more.


title: An Encouraging Testimony
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/31/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/an-encouraging-testimony
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d72743/033121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/an-encouraging-testimony-033121.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Max Babshinskiy about how he became a Christian, then he 
answers questions about why Jesus didn’t inherit a sinful nature and how 
far one can deviate from the core doctrines of Christianity before it 
becomes a salvation issue.


title: #STRask - April 1, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-1-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fnvwef/STRask_536.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-1-2021-STRask_536.mp3
description:
Questions about when to fight or leave a church that has taken on 
progressive views, whether the offspring of regenerate Christians inherit a 
regenerated nature, and Jesus’ DNA.


title: #STRask - March 29, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-march-25-2021-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/durh6t/STRask_535.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-march-25-2021-1-STRask_535.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the Mosaic Law’s prohibition against eating blood 
was a moral or ceremonial law and how Jesus could be “the same yesterday, 
today, and forever” if he took on a human nature.


title: #STRask - April 8, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-8-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w3uxyc/STRask_538.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-8-2021-STRask_538.mp3
description:
Questions about whether stoning to death was too harsh a punishment for 
breaking the Sabbath in Numbers 15:32–36 and whether one can divorce a 
non-adulterous spouse if he has broken all of his other wedding vows.


title: #STRask - April 5, 2021
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-5-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/aigrxm/STRask_537.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-5-2021-STRask_537.mp3
description:
Questions about responding to the idea that since we’re all energy, we can 
influence lives by having good energy, whether Paul’s command to “have 
nothing to do with silly myths” pertains to learning about other beliefs, 
and the American five-day workweek.


title: Some Hills Are Worth Dying On
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/some-hills-are-worth-dying-on
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vfgavx/040721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/some-hills-are-worth-dying-on-040721.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the issue of using people’s preferred pronouns, then he 
answers questions about resources for understanding the Bible and being 
judgmental of people’s entertainment choices.


title: Signs of Legislation to Come
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/signs-of-legislation-to-come
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cubhfk/040921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/signs-of-legislation-to-come-040921.mp3
description:
Greg talks about a bill that was proposed and then, thankfully, modified in 
California, then he answers questions about whether your lifestyle can 
disqualify you as a Christian, whether justification by faith alone is an 
essential doctrine, and how to respond to claims about the percentage of 
intersex people.


title: Three Common Informal Fallacies
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/three-common-informal-fallacies
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3275vv/042321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/three-common-informal-fallacies-042321.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how to recognize and disarm three informal fallacies, then 
he answers questions about cessationism, praying for someone’s salvation, 
whether killing one's kidnapper would be considered murder, and the role of 
Christians in America.


title: How to Receive Critical Feedback
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 04/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-receive-critical-feedback-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/judh4u/as_0421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/how-to-receive-critical-feedback-1-as_0421.mp3
description:
Alan received some harsh feedback from a recent event. He explains three 
steps he takes when he gets these kinds of critical comments.


title: #STRask - April 12, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-11-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8pdhsg/STRask_539.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-11-2021-STRask_539.mp3
description:
Questions about the Old Testament Scripture Paul is referencing when he 
says Jesus was crucified and buried “according to the Scriptures” and 
whether it’s biblical to say, “I’ve made Jesus Lord of my life.”


title: Define What You Mean by “Hate” and “Hater”
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/14/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/define-what-you-mean-by-hate-and-hater-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/iymhvm/041421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/define-what-you-mean-by-hate-and-hater--041421.mp3
description:
Greg and Tim talk about some negative reactions they’ve received (and seen 
others receive) and give some thoughts on how to respond.


title: Everything Is Political Now
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/everything-is-political-now
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d4ncua/041621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/everything-is-political-now-041621.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the need for us to engage the ideas of our culture that 
are relevant to Christianity, even when those ideas have been declared 
political, then he answers questions about demons, character development, 
the progressive church, and interacting with people in a post-truth 
society.


title: #STRask - April 22, 2021
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-22-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yxwawe/STRask_542.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-22-2021-STRask_542.mp3
description:
Questions about the difference between David having many wives and someone 
practicing homosexuality today, whether one should have children and risk 
their going to Hell, and questioning the Father’s purposes in the Old 
Testament “atrocities.”


title: The Paradox of Tolerance
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-paradox-of-intolerance
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2hwd4k/042121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-paradox-of-intolerance-042121.mp3
description:
Greg responds to a question about not tolerating intolerance, then he talks 
to a caller about the difference between Martin Luther King’s views and BLM 
and responds to a challenge to his opening commentary.


title: #STRask - April 15, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-15-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k5ua94/STRask_540.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-15-2021-STRask_540.mp3
description:
Question about how we should treat remarriages after a non-biblical divorce 
and how that situation compares to other non-biblical marriages.


title: #STRask - April 19, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-19-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ue3xs4/STRask_541.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-19-2021-STRask_541.mp3
description:
Questions about carrying over Roman Catholic traditions into evangelicalism 
and why someone like Bart Ehrman isn’t transformed by all the time he 
spends in Scripture.


title: #STRask - April 29, 2021
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-29-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/igmnhm/STRask_544.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-29-2021-STRask_544.mp3
description:
Questions about whether using a transgender person’s preferred name conveys 
an acceptance of the idea that our gender is changeable and how to respond 
when we’re asked to state our pronouns in an email signature or refer to 
transgender students by their preferred pronouns.


title: Everyone Starts at the Beginning
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/28/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/everyone-starts-at-the-beginning
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2h9a3v/042821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/everyone-starts-at-the-beginning-042821.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on Stand to Reason’s anniversary and encourages people not to 
fear beginning new things, then he answers questions about the wisdom of 
Christians entering certain professions and aspects of an atheistic 
worldview.


title: Keep the Culture from Changing You
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/keep-the-culture-from-changing-you
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ter4qu/043021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/keep-the-culture-from-changing-you-043021.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how you may not be able to change the culture, but you can 
keep the culture from changing you, then he answers questions about 
role-playing games, an employer prohibiting talk about religion, calling 
out false teachers without reviling, and more.


title: #STRask - May 3, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-3-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9zzqfq/STRask_545.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-3-2021-STRask_545.mp3
description:
Questions about how some lifestyles could keep you out of the kingdom of 
God if salvation is by faith alone, whether Romans 14:23b means that if you 
have doubt about an action it automatically becomes sin, and the order of 
the punishments given in Genesis 3.


title: #STRask - April 26, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-april-26-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ej8vt3/STRask_543.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-april-26-2021-STRask_543.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Jesus is talking about literally eating his flesh 
and drinking his blood in John 6:53–58 and thoughts on participating in the 
Lord’s Supper virtually.


title: Should We Refuse to Put Pronouns in Our Email Signatures?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/should-we-refuse-to-put-pronouns-in-our-email-signatures-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d7xhwn/050721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/should-we-refuse-to-put-pronouns-in-our-email-signatures--050721.mp3
description:
Greg talks to callers about putting pronouns in an email signature, 
forgiving someone who doesn’t want to be forgiven, a Christian’s role in 
politics, expressing complex ideas to people with short attention spans, 
and the role of apologetics in evangelism from a Reformed perspective.


title: #STRask - May 6, 2021
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/06/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-6-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/c4abm7/STRask_546.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-6-2021-STRask_546.mp3
description:
Questions about responding to an atheist who asks what it would take to 
convince you God doesn’t exist and problems with the idea that we should 
live however we want as long as we don’t hurt anybody.


title: Just Keep Showing Up
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/just-keep-showing-up
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7uz7gm/050521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/just-keep-showing-up-050521.mp3
description:
Greg talks about accomplishing things by being faithful, then he answers 
questions about what Christians should expect to experience in terms of 
communication with God and how to respond to a gay brother-in-law and his 
partner in a variety of situations.


title: #STRask - May 13, 2021
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-13-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3c6nhx/STRask_548.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-13-2021-STRask_548.mp3
description:
Questions about Greg’s opinion on extraterrestrials, what kind of humor God 
has, and whether humor is culturally determined or has objective rules 
behind it.


title: #STRask - May 10, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-10-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zmzjyg/STRask_547.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-10-2021-STRask_547.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the lack of ability to sleep is the sin of anxiety 
and whether our having an account of the explanations Jesus gave only to 
his disciples gives us an unfair advantage over those who lived during 
Jesus’ ministry.


title: How Can We Discern Truth in This Divided World?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/14/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-can-we-discern-truth-in-this-divided-world-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ftznnu/051421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/how-can-we-discern-truth-in-this-divided-world--051421.mp3
description:
Greg talks about his current Solid Ground series then answers questions 
about discerning truth when sources differ wildly, demons influencing 
Christians, a possible inconsistency in condemning Amazon’s book banning, 
and submitting to authority.


title: Is a Mistranslation Responsible for Christian Opposition to Homosexuality?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-a-mistranslation-responsible-for-christian-opposition-to-homosexuality-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z394kg/051221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/is-a-mistranslation-responsible-for-christian-opposition-to-homosexuality--051221.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Frank Turek about the upcoming CrossExamined Instructor 
Academy, then he chats with Alan about a new film that claims Christian 
opposition to homosexuality is based on a mistranslation of a Greek word in 
1946.


title: The Claim about Homosexuality in the Film 1946 Is Irrelevant
topic: Theology
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 05/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-claim-about-homosexuality-in-the-film-1946-is-irrelevant-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mn6kpv/as_0521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-claim-about-homosexuality-in-the-film-1946-is-irrelevant-1-as_0521.mp3
description:
An upcoming film claims that Christian opposition to homosexuality is based 
on a 1946 mistranslation of a Greek word in the RSV Bible. Alan explains 
why their argument doesn’t change the Christian understanding of sexuality.


title: #STRask - May 17, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-17-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/m666q9/STRask_549.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-17-2021-STRask_549.mp3
description:
Questions about what Hebrews 8:10 means when it says God will put his laws 
in our minds and hearts and whether God’s final justice for the evil in 
this world will be satisfying to us.


title: #STRask - May 20, 2021
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-20-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pvcwmh/STRask_550.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-20-2021-STRask_550.mp3
description:
Question about how to respond to someone who cites the “paradox of 
tolerance” as a reason to not tolerate Christian views.


title: A Case against Premarital Sex That Doesn’t Use the Bible
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-case-against-premarital-sex-that-doesn-t-use-the-bible
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2dq5tk/051921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-case-against-premarital-sex-that-doesn-t-use-the-bible-051921.mp3
description:
Sean McDowell makes a case against premarital sex that doesn’t use the 
Bible, then he answers a question about how to share the gospel with people 
who are hurting and talks about doubting.


title: Thoughts on Reaching Gen Z
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/thoughts-on-reaching-gen-z
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mg3rzw/052121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/thoughts-on-reaching-gen-z-052121.mp3
description:
Sean McDowell talks about the unique aspects of Gen Z and how to reach this 
digitally-native generation, then he describes the Bible study plan he’s 
following this month.


title: #STRask - May 24, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-24-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yi938w/STRask_551.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-24-2021-STRask_551.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s okay for a church to hire a custodian who’s an 
unbeliever, how to account for the use of “led by the Spirit” in Matthew 4, 
and why Judas was called an apostle in Matthew 10 if he wasn’t saved.


title: #STRask - May 27, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/27/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-27-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3jhae9/STRask_552.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-27-2021-STRask_552.mp3
description:
Questions about whether to engage controversial political statements from 
family members, where the Bible says drugs are wrong, and a book 
recommendation for discussing abortion in a group with varying views.


title: Can You Be a Christian and a Police Officer?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/can-you-be-a-christian-and-a-police-officer-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mgab8b/052621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/can-you-be-a-christian-and-a-police-officer--052621.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about how the Christian worldview interacts with 
police work, then he answers questions about communicating effectively to 
LDS missionaries and bringing Mormons to Jesus.


title: Guard Yourself against the Dangers of Fame
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/28/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/guard-yourself-against-the-dangers-of-fame
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xvatxf/052821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/guard-yourself-against-the-dangers-of-fame-052821.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about our need to guard ourselves against the 
dangers of fame, then he takes calls about the Bible’s view on premarital 
sex, gender vs. sex, and the Christian view of the psychedelic drug DMT.


title: Promises Secure the Future, Forgiveness Repairs the Past
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/promises-secure-the-future-forgiveness-repairs-the-past
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yze64a/060921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/promises-secure-the-future-forgiveness-repairs-the-past-060921.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the centrality of promises and forgiveness in both 
marriage and our salvation, then he answers questions about finding a good 
church and the biblical way to judge.


title: #STRask - June 7, 2021
topic: Arts and Culture
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-7-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/frgm6e/STRask_555.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-7-2021-STRask_555.mp3
description:
Questions about whether any form of art brings glory to God regardless of 
the intent of the artist and whether one should go to a baby shower for a 
same-sex couple having a baby via IVF.


title: #STRask - June 3, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-3-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w9ztv8/STRask_554.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-3-2021-STRask_554.mp3
description:
Questions about whether “staying in our lane” as Christians is an excuse to 
avoid responsibility and the difference between the LDS “burning in the 
bosom” and John Wesley’s “warming of the heart.”


title: An Evangelistic Note on My Door
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/an-evangelistic-note-on-my-door
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/q2kiae/060421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/an-evangelistic-note-on-my-door-060421.mp3
description:
Greg talks about our need to keep the culture from changing us, answers a 
question about whether there are topics we should not talk to our kids 
about when they’re young, and then discusses an evangelistic note he 
received on his door.


title: Should We Argue against a Fellow Christian’s Misinformed Conscience?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/should-we-argue-against-a-fellow-christian-s-misinformed-conscience-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/gwxpsm/060221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/should-we-argue-against-a-fellow-christian-s-misinformed-conscience--060221.mp3
description:
Greg tells stories about his vacation then talks to callers about the Red 
Cross’s question about gender when you donate blood and whether we should 
leave things as a “matter of conscience” or try to determine which position 
is correct.


title: #STRask - May 31, 2021
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/31/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-may-31-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qcgfxt/STRask_553.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-may-31-2021-STRask_553.mp3
description:
Questions about whether a person who makes a negative claim has the burden 
of proof and the top apologetic topics that are most relevant for the times 
we’re living in.


title: #STRask - June 10, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-10-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jqbwde/STRask_556.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-10-2021-STRask_556.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the story of Jonah supports Arminianism or 
Calvinism and the role evangelism plays in Reformed doctrine.


title: When It Comes to Spiritual Truths, You Need to Get Reality Right
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/when-it-comes-to-spiritual-truths-you-need-to-get-reality-right
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/wvbjk5/061121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/when-it-comes-to-spiritual-truths-you-need-to-get-reality-right-061121.mp3
description:
Greg talks about why he’s a Christian, then he answers questions about the 
claim of LDS missionaries that Jesus was created by God the Father and 
whether abortion is okay when the mother’s life is in danger.


title: #STRask - June 14, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/14/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-14-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cdet4e/STRask_557.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-14-2021-STRask_557.mp3
description:
Questions about whether a Christian woman who was married and divorced at a 
young age when she was an unbeliever can remarry and who is called to 
interpret Scripture.


title: Arguments for Christianity by Young Case Makers
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/arguments-for-christianity-by-young-case-makers
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/sibagr/061621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/arguments-for-christianity-by-young-case-makers-061621.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about two statements by teenagers arguing for the 
truth of Christianity, then he answers questions about how evidence relates 
to Hebrews 11:1 and how to move past having an unforgiving spirit.


title: #STRask - June 17, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-17-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/i3wpmk/STRask_558.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-17-2021-STRask_558.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it would be unwise for a Christian to pick a career 
where they might lose their job for their beliefs and advice for someone 
preparing to go into the mission field in Japan.


title: Three Reasons to Celebrate Your Christian Worldview
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/three-reasons-to-celebrate-your-christian-worldview
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2zn84y/061821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/three-reasons-to-celebrate-your-christian-worldview-061821.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about three reasons to celebrate your Christian 
worldview, then he answers questions about whether Ezekiel 38 is about the 
future or the past, advice on being a better “one dollar apologist,” and 
wearing masks.


title: #STRask - June 21, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-21-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w7hgz4/STRask_559.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-21-2021-STRask_559.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s wise for a married man to build relationships 
with the opposite sex for the purposes of evangelism and how to respond to 
Christian relatives who say there’s nothing wrong with consensual same-sex 
relationships.


title: Christianity Is the Best Explanation for Reality
topic: Philosophy
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 06/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/christianity-is-the-best-explanation-for-reality-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/reqnfh/as_0621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/christianity-is-the-best-explanation-for-reality-1-as_0621.mp3
description:
If someone asked you how you know Christianity is true, how would you 
answer them? In this episode, Alan offers his response to that question by 
appealing to some powerful truths that people live by.


title: Responding to Deconversion Stories
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/responding-to-deconversion-stories
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cygehe/062321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/responding-to-deconversion-stories-062321.mp3
description:
Jon Noyes and Tim Barnett talk about different aspects of the recent public 
deconversion stories and discuss how we can respond when people close to us 
leave Christianity.


title: #STRask - June 24, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-24-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8dwps7/STRask_560.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-24-2021-STRask_560.mp3
description:
Questions about praying before eating when out to dinner with nonbelievers 
and whether Jesus could motivate someone to act truly righteously and be 
saved without any awareness of doctrine.


title: Do You Know What the Love of God Is?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/do-you-know-what-the-love-of-god-is-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hqhju6/062521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/do-you-know-what-the-love-of-god-is--062521.mp3
description:
Jon Noyes fills in for Greg and talks about the counter-cultural, biblical 
understanding of God’s love.


title: #STRask - June 28, 2021
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/28/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-june-28-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8ppgks/STRask_561.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-june-28-2021-STRask_561.mp3
description:
Questions about how to convince a progressive Christian she has a gender, 
whether someone is not trusting God if he’s preparing for retirement, and 
how Melinda is doing.


title: Reasons to Trust the Eyewitness Accounts of Jesus
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/reasons-to-trust-the-eyewitness-accounts-of-jesus
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/h3862p/063021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/reasons-to-trust-the-eyewitness-accounts-of-jesus-063021.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about reasons to trust the eyewitness accounts of 
Jesus, then he answers a question about which sources to trust for 
information, reminds us that just because the other side can make a case, 
that doesn’t mean it’s true, explores Peter Pan vs. Jesus, and more.


title: #STRask - July 1, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-1-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6uuh5d/STRask_562.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-1-2021-STRask_562.mp3
description:
Questions about whether there are standard ways we should expect God to 
answer prayers and what Greg thinks about instances when people “feel led” 
to do specific things that seem to answer specific prayers.


title: Communicating the Case for Christianity
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/communicating-the-case-for-christianity
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ke7diy/070221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/communicating-the-case-for-christianity-070221.mp3
description:
J. Warner Wallace talks about the power of the cumulative case and how the 
overall weight of the evidence for Christianity convinced him it’s true, 
then he discusses how to respond to the charge that Christian hypocrites 
disprove Christianity, how to answer your questions about Christian 
doctrine, and more.


title: #STRask - July 5, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-5-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/462qzf/STRask_563.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-5-2021-STRask_563.mp3
description:
Questions about how to respond to a Oneness Pentecostal’s claim that you’re 
not saved if you believe in the Trinity and the purpose of having a 
perfected, resurrected body rather than just our soul being with God.


title: Jesus Did Not Call Us to “Like” Him, but to Follow Him
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/jesus-did-not-call-us-to-like-him-but-to-follow-him
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6s8jnd/070721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/jesus-did-not-call-us-to-like-him-but-to-follow-him-070721.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the nonchalant attitude many Christians have about serious 
sin and warns about a desire to please the world (Mark 15:15), then he 
answers a question about whether the rapture can be found in the Bible.


title: #STRask - July 8, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-8-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tk59bd/STRask_564.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-8-2021-STRask_564.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s biblical to believe that Christians no longer 
sin after being saved and whether the parable of the wheat and the tares 
means we’re not supposed to try to put a stop to the ministry of false 
teachers.


title: The World Will Not Endure Sound Doctrine
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-world-will-not-endure-sound-doctrine
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ewyh9h/070921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-world-will-not-endure-sound-doctrine-070921.mp3
description:
Greg answers a question about how he became a published author, discusses 
the world’s desire to follow false views of reality (2 Timothy 4:3), and 
talks about how to respond to someone who shows no interest in the gospel.


title: #STRask - July 12, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-12-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/t3bu5n/STRask_565.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-12-2021-STRask_565.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Jesus must have sinned because he was fully human, 
how to gracefully start a conversation about Christ with a Hindu who’s been 
diagnosed with a terminal illness, and how those who have been conditioned 
from birth to believe something other than Christianity will be judged.


title: Jesus Did Not Come to Preach Social Justice
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/14/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/jesus-did-not-come-to-preach-social-justice
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kq4k4u/071421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/jesus-did-not-come-to-preach-social-justice-071421.mp3
description:
Greg discusses why social justice was not Jesus’ purpose and whether 
Christians force their religious morality on others, then he answers a 
question about female pastors.


title: #STRask - July 15, 2021
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-15-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d24pz5/STRask_566.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-15-2021-STRask_566.mp3
description:
Questions about whether there’s a question that should be asked before 
asking if there’s a God, whether Adam and Eve were amoral before eating 
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the standard for 
prophets.


title: A Biblical Answer to Abortion
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-biblical-answer-to-abortion
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4fwanb/071621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-biblical-answer-to-abortion-071621.mp3
description:
Greg explains how the issue of abortion is addressed in the Bible and 
responds to an article that recommends a woman get an abortion and lie to 
her husband about it.


title: #STRask -July 19, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-19-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/658mdv/STRask_567.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-19-2021-STRask_567.mp3
description:
Questions about how to respond to a Christian who says she’s now 
gay-affirming because she wants to be loving and whether believing in the 
earliest books of the Bible is blind faith because history can’t verify 
their stories.


title: Three Big Bangs
topic: Philosophy
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 07/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/three-big-bangs-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2h35ix/as_0721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/three-big-bangs-1-as_0721.mp3
description:
You've heard of the Big Bang, but are you aware of the other two big bangs, 
each of which represents the beginning of a fundamentally new thing that 
didn't exist before? Alan explains what they are and their theistic 
implications.


title: Good Parents Discipline Their Children
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/good-parents-discipline-their-children
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fnbh2r/072121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/good-parents-discipline-their-children-072121.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on God’s discipline of his children, then he answers a 
question about when we should trust the early church councils.


title: #STRask - July 22, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-22-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jpgic5/STRask_568.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-22-2021-STRask_568.mp3
description:
Questions about whether becoming more convinced Christianity is true by 
immersing yourself in the Bible is an example of confirmation bias and how 
to respond to the claim that our God is “nothing more than the 
amplification of our own core ethics.”


title: Can I Have Assurance of My Salvation?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/can-i-have-assurance-of-my-salvation-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/nxzgm5/072321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/can-i-have-assurance-of-my-salvation--072321.mp3
description:
Greg comments on what John 16:13 means when it says the Spirit “will guide 
you into all truth,” then he answers questions about the parables of the 
kingdom in Matthew 13, assurance of salvation, the eternal destiny of the 
Philistine soldiers, and how the Gospel writers knew details about events 
they didn’t witness.


title: #STRask - July 26, 2021
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-26-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/urc7bz/STRask_569.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-26-2021-STRask_569.mp3
description:
Questions about what parents should do if their adult child threatens to 
cut off all contact with them if they don’t use his preferred pronouns and 
an appropriate response to the claim that “God made me gay.”


title: Clarifying the Abortion Issue
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/28/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/clarifying-the-abortion-issue
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d8h3ja/072821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/clarifying-the-abortion-issue-072821.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Reality speaker Megan Almon of Life Training Institute and 
Summit Ministries about clarifying the abortion issue, then he answers 
questions about responding to people who expand the term “pro-life” to 
include a wide range of issues and recognizing God’s discipline.


title: #STRask - July 29, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-july-29-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/s5h2mq/STRask_570.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-july-29-2021-STRask_570.mp3
description:
Questions about how genetic disorders relate to God knitting us together in 
our mother’s womb and how to find out if someone is truly saved.


title: Spiritual Warfare Is a Truth Encounter
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/spiritual-warfare-is-a-truth-encounter
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8ds6iw/073021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/spiritual-warfare-is-a-truth-encounter-073021.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the nature of spiritual warfare as a truth encounter 
rather than a power encounter and applies this to the current state of our 
culture.


title: #STRask - August 2, 2021
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-2-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/96zr75/STRask_571.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-2-2021-STRask_571.mp3
description:
Questions about how to persuade a family member who responds to the Columbo 
questions with anger and what Christians should expect to experience when 
it comes to God’s discipline.


title: The Wonder of God’s Forgiveness
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-wonder-of-god-s-forgiveness
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ka9py3/080421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-wonder-of-god-s-forgiveness-080421.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Jon Noyes about his story and a recent experience he had 
telling a woman about God’s forgiveness, then they chat about the upcoming 
Reality Student Apologetics Conference and answer a question about vaccine 
requirements.


title: #STRask - August 5, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-5-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/48gnba/STRask_572.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-5-2021-STRask_572.mp3
description:
Questions about whether God, rather than being perfect, is simply the most 
powerful being and whether there’s any issue with watching ghost hunting 
videos.


title: What if Someone Gives Me Instructions from God?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/06/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-if-someone-gives-me-instructions-from-god-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5d6bjq/080621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/what-if-someone-gives-me-instructions-from-god--080621.mp3
description:
Greg and Jon Noyes answer questions about how to respond to someone who 
claims to have instructions from God, how to stay motivated when things 
look bleak, Bible study software for blind people, and Noah’s flood.


title: #STRask - August 9, 2021
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-9-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/y29u7r/STRask_573.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-9-2021-STRask_573.mp3
description:
Question about how a professional athlete should think about wearing 
pride-themed uniforms or jerseys.


title: CRT and Justice
topic: Philosophy
author: Harmony Wheeler
date: 08/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/crt-and-justice
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ph5pc3/081121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/crt-and-justice-081121.mp3
description:
Greg talks with Monique Duson of the Center for Biblical Unity about CRT 
and justice, they answer questions about their views on CRT and what we’re 
responsible for in history, a caller suggests a way to respond to the 
charge that pro-lifers don’t care about born children, and Greg answers a 
question about God’s sovereignty.


title: #STRask - August 12, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-12-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/scfe4q/STRask_574.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-12-2021-STRask_574.mp3
description:
Questions about what Jesus meant when he said, “This generation will not 
pass away until all these things take place,” and why prayer seems easier 
for some people than others.


title: Conscience Protection Laws Ignored by Justice Department
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/conscience-protection-laws-ignored-by-justice-department
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/nd863w/081321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/conscience-protection-laws-ignored-by-justice-department-081321.mp3
description:
Greg chats with a friend of Stand to Reason about why she became a 
Strategic Partner, then he discusses a recent case where a nurse was forced 
to participate in an abortion and the Justice Department declined to uphold 
federal conscience protection laws, then he talks about whether it’s wrong 
to say, “I could be wrong.”


title: #STRask - August 16, 2021
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-16-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tvjhhd/STRask_575.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-16-2021-STRask_575.mp3
description:
Question about how to respond to a progressive Christian who says one can 
“be the wrong gender” because we live in a fallen world, and it should be 
corrected just as we correct bad eyesight with glasses.


title: Faithfulness over Results
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/faithfulness-over-results
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ys7bby/081821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/faithfulness-over-results-081821.mp3
description:
Greg talks about what it means to choose faithfulness over results, then he 
answers questions about the author of Isaiah and how to convince one’s 
child to go to the Reality Conference.


title: #STRask - August 19, 2021
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Harmony Wheeler
date: 08/19/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-19-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d4ti85/STRask_576.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-19-2021-STRask_576.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s okay to invite those with different worldviews 
and different ideas about sexuality to church or a Bible study and a better 
way to explain why Jesus didn’t know the time of his return.


title: Is Free Will the Reason Why God Doesn’t Stop Evil?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-free-will-the-reason-why-god-doesn-t-stop-evil-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/x7eame/082021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/is-free-will-the-reason-why-god-doesn-t-stop-evil--082021.mp3
description:
Greg talks to a Strategic Partner about his experience with Stand to 
Reason, then he talks to callers about whether free will could really be 
the reason why God doesn’t stop evil and whether it’s morally wrong to use 
cells from aborted babies for scientific research.


title: #STRask - August 23, 2021
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-23-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rsg85a/STRask_577.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-23-2021-STRask_577.mp3
description:
Questions about whether or not the sacrificial system in the Mosaic Law 
included sacrifices for intentional sins and how to respond to someone who 
says he isn’t a Christian because his prayers were never answered when he 
believed in God.


title: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-gay-man-s-incredible-story-of-redemption
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pzwinp/082521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-gay-man-s-incredible-story-of-redemption-082521.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Becket Cook, author of A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s 
Incredible Story of Redemption, they answer a question about responding to 
a family member who requires acceptance of their homosexual lifestyle, then 
Greg continues his reflections on faithfulness from last week.


title: #STRask: Should I Question the Practice of “Hearing from God” in Leadership Meetings?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/26/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-august-26-2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xfv52g/STRask_578.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-august-26-2021-STRask_578.mp3
description:
Questions about whether someone should talk to their ministry’s leadership 
about their practice of “hearing from God” in meetings and how we should 
label someone who believes the basic facts of the gospel but no other 
Christian doctrine.


title: #STRask: How Can There Be Real Love in Heaven if Evil Isn’t Possible There?
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-can-there-be-real-love-in-heaven-if-evil-isn-t-possible-there-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dihfqe/STRask_579.mp3
description:
Questions about how there can be real love in Heaven if the possibility of 
evil is necessary for real love and whether God could have created a 
universe where no one would desire to sin and be lost to Hell.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-can-there-be-real-love-in-heaven-if-evil-isn-t-possible-there--STRask_579.mp3


title: Teaching Egyptian Pastors
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/teaching-egyptian-pastors
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/reurdh/090121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/teaching-egyptian-pastors-090121.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Alan about his recent experience teaching Egyptian pastors 
and the unique difficulties they face, then he answers a question about the 
difference between discernment and intuition.


title: #STRask: Is Every Decision We Make Part of God’s Will?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-every-decision-we-make-part-of-god-s-will-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rc3hbh/STRask_580.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-every-decision-we-make-part-of-god-s-will--STRask_580.mp3
description:
Questions about whether every decision we make is part of God’s will and 
what people in Hell will do.


title: Our Struggle Is Not against Flesh and Blood
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/our-struggle-is-not-against-flesh-and-blood
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/g6r8vv/090321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/our-struggle-is-not-against-flesh-and-blood-090321.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the lies we’re facing in our culture, then he answers 
questions about educating oneself on gay rights history and Greg’s 
philosophy on biblical discipleship.


title: Does the Bible Limit Gender to Just Male and Female?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 09/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-the-bible-limit-gender-to-just-male-and-female-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k3ea64/as_0921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/does-the-bible-limit-gender-to-just-male-and-female-1-as_0921.mp3
description:
Alan responds to a trendy new argument that claims that a non-binary 
interpretation can be imposed on the Genesis account of creation.


title: #STRask: Does Christ’s Atonement Give Us Spiritual, Physical, and Financial Health?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/06/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/yt5tk3/STRask_581.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-does-christ-s-atonement-give-us-spiritual-physical-and-financial-health-

description:
Questions about whether Christ’s work of salvation is supposed to give us 
spiritual, physical, financial (etc.) health and how to defend the idea of 
Heaven and Hell using only the Torah.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-does-christ-s-atonement-give-us-spiritual-physical-and-financial-health--STRask_581.mp3


title: Problems with Hate Crime Legislation
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/problems-with-hate-crime-legislation
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vgijdt/090821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/problems-with-hate-crime-legislation-090821.mp3
description:
Greg talks about problems with hate crime legislation, then he answers 
questions about responding to a parent who’s letting a six-year-old 
daughter transition and how to defend inerrancy when we also say some rules 
in the Bible are cultural and we don’t follow them.


title: #STRask: How Should the American Church Prepare Itself for Persecution?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-should-the-american-church-prepare-itself-for-persecution-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9urahn/STRask_582.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-should-the-american-church-prepare-itself-for-persecution--STRask_582.mp3
description:
Questions about how the “fat and happy” American church should prepare 
itself for persecution, whether the fact that Jesus only appeared to his 
followers renders their testimony suspicious, and whether it’s a sin to 
work for a Christian publisher that’s printing heretical books.


title: Is “Pro-Forced Birth” a More Accurate Term Than “Pro-Life”?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-pro-forced-birth-a-more-accurate-term-than-pro-life-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w4x3xz/091021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/is-pro-forced-birth-a-more-accurate-term-than-pro-life--091021.mp3
description:
Greg responds to a tweet by Jameela Jamil claiming “pro-forced birth” is a 
more accurate term than “pro-life,” then he answers questions about 
secondary issues in churches, a church’s use of Bethel music, and Peter 
Singer’s case for objective morality.


title: #STRask: Responding to “Denying You’re Racist Proves You’re a Racist”
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/responding-to-denying-you-re-racist-proves-you-re-a-racist-%C2%A0
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ibkvg5/STRask_583.mp3
file: ./podcasts/responding-to-denying-you-re-racist-proves-you-re-a-racist-%C2%A0-STRask_583.mp3
description:
Question about how to respond to the Kafka trap claim that denying you’re 
racist proves you’re a racist.


title: Believe in Anything?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/believe-in-anything-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/szr57s/091521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/believe-in-anything--091521.mp3
description:
Greg describes an interaction he had with someone wearing a mask that said 
simply, “Believe,” then he answers questions about responding to a family 
member who left Jesus and embraced a generic “higher power” and how much we 
need to know about the gospel in order to be saved.


title: #STRask: Did God Tell Abraham to Sin?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-did-god-tell-abraham-to-sin-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dxzyi4/STRask_584.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-did-god-tell-abraham-to-sin--STRask_584.mp3
description:
Questions about whether God told Abraham to sin when he told him to 
sacrifice Isaac and how so many angels could fall if God is so loving and 
Heaven so great.


title: Religion Doesn’t Fly You into Buildings
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/religion-doesn-t-fly-you-into-buildings
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2b79th/091721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/religion-doesn-t-fly-you-into-buildings-091721.mp3
description:
Greg responds to a popular quote, “Science flies you to the moon. Religion 
flies you into buildings.”


title: #STRask: How Can We Square God’s Desire for All to Be Saved with the Existence of Hell?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/20/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/j8pcuw/STRask_585.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-can-we-square-god-s-desire-for-all-to-be-saved-with-the-existence-of-hell-

description:
Questions about God wanting all to be saved, taking seriously a profession 
of faith from a child, whether it’s better to be in a church with good 
doctrine that lacks community or vice versa, and whether Christians should 
be looking for the signs in the stars mentioned in the Bible.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-can-we-square-god-s-desire-for-all-to-be-saved-with-the-existence-of-hell--STRask_585.mp3


title: Salvation Army Promoting CRT
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/salvation-army-promoting-crt
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9mmatb/092221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/salvation-army-promoting-crt-092221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the CRT materials the Salvation Army is promoting, then he 
answers a question about how to start a conversation about salvation with 
Catholic relatives.


title: #STRask: What Do You Wish You Had Known about Apologetics Work?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-what-do-you-wish-you-had-known-about-apologetics-work-%C2%A0
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vcwn9d/STRask_586.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-what-do-you-wish-you-had-known-about-apologetics-work-%C2%A0-STRask_586.mp3
description:
Questions about how to steer the conversation in a Bible study towards 
discussing the text in context and whether there are things Greg and Amy 
wish they had known about apologetics work before getting into it.


title: Tips for Christian College Students
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/tips-for-christian-college-students
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bwzjbw/092421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/tips-for-christian-college-students-092421.mp3
description:
Greg gives tips to Christian college students, then he talks to callers 
about whether objective truth can be grounded in external principles, 
whether it’s biblically okay for a woman to be an apologist, how to respond 
to a Mormon interpretation of the Bible, and committing to a church one 
disagrees with on prophecy.


title: #STRask: Will There Be Things We Don’t Like in Heaven?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/27/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/will-there-be-things-we-don-t-like-in-heaven-%C2%A0
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mzia6j/STRask_587.mp3
file: ./podcasts/will-there-be-things-we-don-t-like-in-heaven-%C2%A0-STRask_587.mp3
description:
Questions about whether we will have individual preferences (i.e., things 
we don’t like) in Heaven and when it’s okay in apologetics to simply say, 
“I don’t know, but the Bible teaches it.”


title: Greg’s Spiritual Birthday
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/greg-s-spiritual-birthday
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/gd6rhs/092921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/greg-s-spiritual-birthday-092921.mp3
description:
Greg talks about becoming a Christian 48 years ago, then he answers a 
question about how much Christians should be concerned about what’s 
happening in this country when our citizenship is in Heaven.


title: #STRask: Was Jesus “Woke”?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-was-jesus-woke-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4v85z8/STRask_588.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-was-jesus-woke--STRask_588.mp3
description:
Questions about the claim that the point of Old Testament justice is the 
protection of the poor and powerless and whether Jesus being “woke” proves 
it’s a good thing.


title: A Culture of Offense
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-culture-of-offense
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/z9qrss/100121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-culture-of-offense-100121.mp3
description:
Greg talks about Peter Boghossian’s resignation from Portland State 
University due to their “culture of offense” stifling free inquiry, then he 
answers questions about Christian leaders endorsing CRT, how to start 
discipling people, and whether it’s equally heinous to have an abortion at 
one month as it is at eight months.


title: #STRask: What Can Parents Do to Ensure Their Children Continue in the Faith?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-what-can-parents-do-to-ensure-their-children-continue-in-the-faith-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4w532m/STRask_589.mp3
description:
Questions about what parents can do to help ensure their children continue 
in the faith and whether Christians should be concerned by the fact that 
near-death experiences so often don’t seem to match Christianity.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-what-can-parents-do-to-ensure-their-children-continue-in-the-faith--STRask_589.mp3


title: The Exponential Impact of Faithfulness
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/06/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-exponential-impact-of-faithfulness
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w6gqmv/100621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-exponential-impact-of-faithfulness-100621.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the difference one pastor made over 50 years, then he 
answers a question about whether it’s possible there are levels of Heaven 
as the Mormons claim.


title: #STRask: Why Isn’t the Sabbath a Universal Commandment?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-why-isn-t-the-sabbath-a-universal-commandment-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/68mnrj/STRask_590.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-why-isn-t-the-sabbath-a-universal-commandment--STRask_590.mp3
description:
Questions about responding to the objection that the New Testament 
mistranslated and misrepresented the Hebrew Bible and why the Sabbath isn’t 
a universal commandment like the other nine.


title: American Christians’ Extreme Theological Illiteracy
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/american-christians-extreme-theological-illiteracy
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5bjsnz/100821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/american-christians-extreme-theological-illiteracy-100821.mp3
description:
Greg talks about a recent study that shows only 6% of American adults have 
a biblical worldview, then he answers questions about whether God is just a 
puppet master and whether it’s hypocritical to buy products from companies 
that promote things you disagree with but then not give money to the 
Salvation Army because they promote CRT.


title: Biology’s Divorce from Teleology
topic: Philosophy
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 10/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/biology-s-divorce-from-teleology
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vva7sg/as_1021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/biology-s-divorce-from-teleology-as_1021.mp3
description:
Alan takes notice of a cultural trend to reject teleological language when 
describing human anatomy and shows how this explains modern thinking on sex 
and sexuality.


title: #STRask: Now God Suddenly Cares about Unborn Babies?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/11/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-now-god-suddenly-cares-about-unborn-babies-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w9hedy/STRask_591.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-now-god-suddenly-cares-about-unborn-babies--STRask_591.mp3
description:
Questions about God suddenly caring about unborn babies, whether it’s 
hypocritical to support freedom of choice for the vaccine but not abortion, 
and responding to the argument that an aborted fetus has not died because 
it doesn’t receive a death certificate.


title: Interview: J. Warner Wallace – Person of Interest
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-j.-warner-wallace-person-of-interest
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5adgqs/101321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-j.-warner-wallace-person-of-interest-101321.mp3
description:
Greg chats with J. Warner Wallace about his new book, Person of Interest: 
Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible.


title: #STRask: Why Would an Omniscient God Test Hezekiah to Know What Was in His Heart?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/14/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3jus55/STRask_592.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-why-would-an-omniscient-god-test-hezekiah-to-know-what-was-in-his-heart-

description:
Questions about how the death of David’s son squares with Ezekiel 18:20, 
what 2 Chronicles 32:31 means when it says God tested Hezekiah’s to know 
what was in his heart, and financing the wedding of a child who may marry 
an atheist.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-why-would-an-omniscient-god-test-hezekiah-to-know-what-was-in-his-heart--STRask_592.mp3


title: An Example of the Tactical Game Plan
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/an-example-of-the-tactical-game-plan
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bssusj/101521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/an-example-of-the-tactical-game-plan-101521.mp3
description:
Greg talks about a recent spiritual conversation he had with a waitress, 
then he answers a question about the nature of idolatry, talks about how he 
got into apologetics, and reflects on how the culture has changed.


title: #STRask: How Do You Explain the Harshness of the Old Testament vs. the New Testament?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/18/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3fys7d/STRask_593.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-do-you-explain-the-harshness-of-the-old-testament-vs.-the-new-testament-

description:
Questions about the alleged inconsistency between the harshness of the Old 
Testament vs. the New Testament (and why God would set up a system of Law 
and redemption) and why the command given to Noah and the New Testament 
believers against eating blood wouldn’t be binding on us today.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-do-you-explain-the-harshness-of-the-old-testament-vs.-the-new-testament--STRask_593.mp3


title: Politics Is a Moral Enterprise
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/20/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/politics-is-a-moral-enterprise
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cutpux/102021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/politics-is-a-moral-enterprise-102021.mp3
description:
Greg explains that your salvation doesn’t depend on your politics, but your 
politics should reflect your salvation, and in a culture where everything 
is now political, Christians can’t avoid politics, then he answers a 
question about the difference between the NAR’s Dominion theology and 
postmillennialism and discusses the rapture.


title: #STRask: Does God Consider a Divorced Couple to Still Be Married?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/21/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-does-god-consider-a-divorced-couple-to-still-be-married-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5yske6/STRask_594.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-does-god-consider-a-divorced-couple-to-still-be-married--STRask_594.mp3
description:
Questions about whether God considers a divorced couple to still be married 
and whether one can vote for a national political candidate who is openly 
transgender.


title: Discrimination at the Art Institute of Chicago
topic: Arts and Culture
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/discrimination-at-the-art-institute-of-chicago
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2m34r7/102221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/discrimination-at-the-art-institute-of-chicago-102221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the volunteer docents at the Art Institute of Chicago all 
being dismissed because they were wealthy and white, then he answers a 
question about what Colossians 1:19–20 means when it says Jesus reconciled 
all things in Heaven and on earth to God.


title: #STRask: Why Does the World Consider Offending Someone to Be the Greatest Sin?
topic: Arts and Culture
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-why-does-the-world-consider-offending-someone-to-be-the-greatest-sin-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cap4xs/STRask_595.mp3
description:
Questions about a winsome response to someone who defends abortion by 
arguing that an unwanted pregnancy could lead to the mother’s suicide and 
why the world considers offending someone to be the greatest sin.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-why-does-the-world-consider-offending-someone-to-be-the-greatest-sin--STRask_595.mp3


title: Would Jesus March in a Pride Parade?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/27/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/would-jesus-march-in-a-pride-parade-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/d3ury3/102721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/would-jesus-march-in-a-pride-parade--102721.mp3
description:
Greg responds to an article that says Jesus would have marched in a pride 
parade, then he answers  a question about Christians disagreeing on whether 
the COVID vaccine is a hill to die on.


title: #STRask: Does God Have a Covenantal Interest in the Unbelieving Jewish People Today?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/28/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2tmbmz/STRask_596.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-does-god-have-a-covenantal-interest-in-the-unbelieving-jewish-people-today-

description:
Question about whether God has a covenantal interest in the unbelieving 
Jewish people today, who are distinct from the believing Jewish remnant.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-does-god-have-a-covenantal-interest-in-the-unbelieving-jewish-people-today--STRask_596.mp3


title: What Jesus Said about Sex
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-jesus-said-about-sex
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ndhwew/102921.mp3
file: ./podcasts/what-jesus-said-about-sex-102921.mp3
description:
Greg talks about what Jesus said about sex, then he answers questions about 
participating in Halloween, what qualifies as idolatry, Romans 13 and 
illegal immigration, whether Romans 14:23 is legitimate grounds for a 
religious exemption from the COVID vaccine, and ending abortion by adding 
more social programs.


title: #STRask: Do I Need a Physical Bible?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-do-i-need-a-physical-bible-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cfp9aw/STRask_597.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-do-i-need-a-physical-bible--STRask_597.mp3
description:
Questions about whether we should command healing in Jesus’ name or ask for 
it and whether we need a physical Bible or a phone app is sufficient.


title: #STRask: Is It Ever Okay to Pull the Plug on Life Support?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/04/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-it-ever-okay-to-pull-the-plug-on-life-support-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/as7mf6/STRask_598.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-it-ever-okay-to-pull-the-plug-on-life-support--STRask_598.mp3
description:
Questions about pulling the plug on life support, when it’s appropriate for 
Christians to stay and fight vs. leave, and whether vows of silence, 
poverty, and celibacy taken by Christian monks are morally praiseworthy.


title: The Transition from the Mosaic Law to Jesus
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-transition-from-the-mosaic-law-to-jesus
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xtxg9s/110321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-transition-from-the-mosaic-law-to-jesus-110321.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the Mosaic Law at the time of Jesus, then he hears from 
someone who benefitted from Stand to Reason in prison and answers questions 
about a friend who’s having premonitions and the idea of “hating the sin 
but loving the sinner.”


title: Original Sin Doesn’t Absolve Us of Responsibility for Our Sin
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/05/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/original-sin-doesn-t-absolve-us-of-responsibility-for-our-sin
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/w65vzb/110521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/original-sin-doesn-t-absolve-us-of-responsibility-for-our-sin-110521.mp3
description:
Greg talks about why original sin doesn’t absolve us of responsibility for 
our sin, then he answers questions about an argument for preterism, 
idolatry, a church sponsoring a workshop on hearing the voice of God, and 
whether it’s okay for Christians to do yoga.


title: #STRask: Are Wiccans’ Beliefs Proved by the Efficacy of Their Spells?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-are-wiccans-beliefs-proved-by-the-efficacy-of-their-spells-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vugan5/STRask_603.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-are-wiccans-beliefs-proved-by-the-efficacy-of-their-spells--STRask_603.mp3
description:
Questions about what to say to a Wiccan who says her beliefs are proved by 
the efficacy of her spells, how to explain people having spiritual 
experiences outside of Christianity, and recommended materials for teaching 
elementary-aged kids critical thinking.


title: #STRask: If Suffering Has a Purpose, Should We Pray for It to End?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/if-suffering-has-a-purpose-should-we-pray-for-it-to-end-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/iviuyz/STRask_601.mp3
file: ./podcasts/if-suffering-has-a-purpose-should-we-pray-for-it-to-end--STRask_601.mp3
description:
Questions about whether we should pray for our suffering to end or simply 
that it accomplishes its purpose, what kind of influence Satan has on our 
sin, and whether general revelation is enough to lead to salvation.


title: The Problem with Saying Christians Should Avoid Politics
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-problem-with-saying-christians-should-avoid-politics
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pxasza/111021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-problem-with-saying-christians-should-avoid-politics-111021.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the problem with saying Christians should avoid politics, 
then he answers questions about singing Bethel or Hillsong music and 
whether moral relativism is the same thing as moral subjectivism.


title: Interview: Josh Brahm – Responding to “My Body, My Choice”
topic: Bioethics
author: Tim Barnett
date: 11/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-josh-brahm-responding-to-my-body-my-choice-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5mpia4/111721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-josh-brahm-responding-to-my-body-my-choice--111721.mp3
description:
Tim Barnett chats with Josh Brahm of Equal Rights Institute about how to 
respond to the different kinds of “my body, my choice” bodily rights 
arguments for abortion.


title: #STRask: How Do You Get over Being Harmed by Another Christian?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-do-you-get-over-being-harmed-by-another-christian-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5pfye8/STRask_599.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-do-you-get-over-being-harmed-by-another-christian--STRask_599.mp3
description:
Questions about how, if the infinite has no beginning or end, we can 
“begin” to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven and how to get over being 
harmed by another Christian.


title: I Love the Problem of Evil
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/12/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/i-love-the-problem-of-evil
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ksrqu4/111221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/i-love-the-problem-of-evil-111221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about how the problem of evil itself points to the truth of 
Christianity, then he answers questions about whether it’s okay to tell 
someone they’re believing a lie, Hillsong music, and whether Christian 
business owners should use their platforms to explicitly glorify God.


title: #STRask: How Does the Holy Spirit Work in Our Lives?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/18/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-does-the-holy-spirit-work-in-our-lives-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3uumw6/STRask_602.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-does-the-holy-spirit-work-in-our-lives--STRask_602.mp3
description:
Questions about how God guides, comforts, empowers, etc. through the Holy 
Spirit and advice for Christians who want to work in Hollywood.


title: Abortion Is Unjust Discrimination
topic: Bioethics
author: Tom Puls
date: 11/07/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/abortion-is-unjust-discrimination-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ggm7at/as_1121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/abortion-is-unjust-discrimination-1-as_1121.mp3
description:
Do abortion-choice advocates hold a morally superior view or is their 
position discriminatory? Alan unpacks this question in this month’s 
episode.


title: #STRask: Can We Reasonably Conclude Something Is Designed?
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/25/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-can-we-reasonably-conclude-something-is-designed-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/eucbem/STRask_604.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-can-we-reasonably-conclude-something-is-designed--STRask_604.mp3
description:
Question about whether or not there’s a conclusive way to differentiate 
designed things from undesigned if some designed things appear undesigned 
and some undesigned things appear designed.


title: Interview: Stephen Meyer – Return of the God Hypothesis
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-stephen-meyer-return-of-the-god-hypothesis
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5a45eu/112421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-stephen-meyer-return-of-the-god-hypothesis-112421.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Stephen Meyer about his newest book, Return of the God 
Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the 
Universe.


title: #STRask: Is It Okay to Use Violent Force to Defend Your Family and Home?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/02/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-it-okay-to-use-violent-force-to-defend-your-family-and-home-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/8sk5gf/STRask_606.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-it-okay-to-use-violent-force-to-defend-your-family-and-home--STRask_606.mp3
description:
Questions about how to tell the difference between the conviction of the 
Holy Spirit and the accusation of Satan and whether there’s a biblical 
argument for using violent force in defense of family and home.


title: Advice for Raising Christian Kids
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/03/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/advice-for-raising-christian-kids
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/bintg6/120321.mp3
file: ./podcasts/advice-for-raising-christian-kids-120321.mp3
description:
Greg gives advice to Christian parents for “training up their children in 
the way they should go,” then he answers questions about dialoguing with 
Christians who have a low view of God and a high view of man, whether the 
fifth commandment is conditional, and whether a church ought to be 
comparing itself to a business.


title: Treasuring God’s Word
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/01/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/treasuring-god-s-word
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3jxrez/120121.mp3
file: ./podcasts/treasuring-god-s-word-120121.mp3
description:
Greg talks about his love for his Bible, a caller tells his story about 
becoming blind and reading the Bible as a blind Christian, and Greg answers 
questions about why Peter wanted to get out of the boat in Matthew 14 and 
follow-up questions from the last episode about the ideology behind CRT.


title: #STRask: Since Skin Cells Have Human DNA, Would Killing Them Be Murder?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 11/29/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-since-skin-cells-have-human-dna-would-killing-them-be-murder-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/q9q7fr/STRask_605.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-since-skin-cells-have-human-dna-would-killing-them-be-murder--STRask_605.mp3
description:
Questions about whether killing skin cells (which have human DNA) is 
murder, how to know when to stop engaging someone who is antagonistic, how 
to graciously decline to engage in a discussion with someone who just wants 
to argue, and what to do when you hear Christians misinterpret and misquote 
Scripture.


title: #STRask: Are Demons and Fallen Angels the Same Spiritual Beings?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/06/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-are-demons-and-fallen-angels-the-same-spiritual-beings-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tpxyf9/STRask_607.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-are-demons-and-fallen-angels-the-same-spiritual-beings--STRask_607.mp3
description:
Questions about whether demons and fallen angels are the same spiritual 
beings (and if so, why angels don’t possess people) and why Hell wouldn’t 
bring Satan pleasure.


title: Interview: Scott Klusendorf on the Dobbs v. Jackson Abortion Case
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/08/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-scott-klusendorf-on-the-dobbs-v.-jackson-abortion-case
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pzdqhf/120821.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-scott-klusendorf-on-the-dobbs-v.-jackson-abortion-case-120821.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Scott Klusendorf about the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health 
Organization case on abortion argued before the Supreme Court last week.


title: #STRask: Is Jesus Evil because He Drowned Babies in the Flood?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/09/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-jesus-evil-because-he-drowned-babies-in-the-flood-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qtn5vb/STRask_608.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-jesus-evil-because-he-drowned-babies-in-the-flood--STRask_608.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Jesus is evil because he drowned babies in the 
flood, why Scripture talks about “innocent blood” being shed when no one is 
innocent, and whether the context of the Suffering Servant passage in 
Isaiah really points to Jesus.


title: A Response to “Jesus Gave up His Weekend for Your Sins”
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/10/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-response-to-jesus-gave-up-his-weekend-for-your-sins-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/nevec4/121021.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-response-to-jesus-gave-up-his-weekend-for-your-sins--121021.mp3
description:
Greg answers a question about knowing the person you’re dating is really 
the opposite sex, takes a follow-up call about a situation where a friend 
announced his daughter was transitioning to a boy, then reads a note from a 
listener and responds to a meme that says Jesus “gave up his weekend for 
your sins.”


title: Tim Barnett Joins Greg on the Show
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/15/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/tim-barnett-joins-greg-on-the-show
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3z4z5f/121521.mp3
file: ./podcasts/tim-barnett-joins-greg-on-the-show-121521.mp3
description:
Tim Barnett joins Greg on the show and they chat about Reality and Red Pen 
Logic, then they answer a question about what Greg means by “silly prayers” 
and hear a report from a caller on his meeting with his pastors about their 
“hearing God’s voice” workshop.


title: Are Your Questions Seeking Answers or Exits?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/17/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/are-your-questions-seeking-answers-or-exits-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/pt4r6w/121721.mp3
file: ./podcasts/are-your-questions-seeking-answers-or-exits--121721.mp3
description:
Greg talks to Tim Barnett about a book he’s reading by progressive 
Christians about deconstructing one’s faith, then they answer questions 
about Jeff Durbin and reconciling the Christmas stories.


title: #STRask: How Should I Respond to Someone Who Says He’s Offended?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/13/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-should-i-respond-to-someone-who-says-he-s-offended-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/88nqpk/STRask_609.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-should-i-respond-to-someone-who-says-he-s-offended--STRask_609.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s biblical to refer to God as the Divine Mother 
and tactical ways to respond to someone who says he’s offended by your 
views.


title: #STRask: If the Wages of Sin Is Death, How Could God Take Enoch without Death?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/16/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-if-the-wages-of-sin-is-death-how-could-god-take-enoch-without-death-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/4mbw5u/STRask_610.mp3
description:
Questions about how God could take Enoch away without death if the “wages 
of sin is death,” whether having a special service for vaccinated people 
threatens the unity of a church, and how to reconcile Jesus’ compassion 
with his harsh response to people who asked to follow him.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-if-the-wages-of-sin-is-death-how-could-god-take-enoch-without-death--STRask_610.mp3


title: #STRask: Will People Make Mistakes in Heaven?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/23/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-will-people-make-mistakes-in-heaven-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/32qtny/STRask_612.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-will-people-make-mistakes-in-heaven--STRask_612.mp3
description:
Questions about whether we will still be fallible and make mistakes in 
Heaven, whether the people who will never come to Christ are collateral 
damage in the best of all possible worlds where the most people will freely 
choose Christ, and whether a change in one’s theology is sufficient grounds 
for seeking a new church home.


title: The Meaning of Christmas vs. the Spirit of Christmas
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/24/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-meaning-of-christmas-vs.-the-spirit-of-christmas
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hrq7je/122421.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-meaning-of-christmas-vs.-the-spirit-of-christmas-122421.mp3
description:
Greg reflects on why it’s hard for him to get into “the spirit of 
Christmas,” then he answers questions about responding to someone who says 
he’s a good person and how to distinguish between the power of the tongue 
talked about in the Bible and the New Age “Law of Attraction,” chats with 
Tim about a Christmas-related challenge, and closes with some more thoughts 
on Christmas.


title: #STRask: Should Christians Expect to Receive the Blessings Listed in the Mosaic Covenant?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/27/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dsr3c8/STRask_613.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-should-christians-expect-to-receive-the-blessings-listed-in-the-mosaic-covenant-

description:
Questions about whether Christians should expect to receive all the 
blessings listed in the Mosaic Covenant and whether modern Christians 
over-emphasize the Ten Commandments.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-should-christians-expect-to-receive-the-blessings-listed-in-the-mosaic-covenant--STRask_613.mp3


title: #STRask: How Would You Tell Someone Who Believes in Her Tribe’s Gods and Goddesses about Jesus?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/20/2021
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dqn6gt/STRask_611.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-would-you-tell-someone-who-believes-in-her-tribe-s-gods-and-goddesses-about-jesus-

description:
Questions about how to tell someone about Jesus when her cultural heritage, 
including her belief in her tribe’s gods and goddesses, is her entire 
identity and whether one is morally required to use a defibrillator to 
restart a person’s heart after cardiac arrest.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-would-you-tell-someone-who-believes-in-her-tribe-s-gods-and-goddesses-about-jesus--STRask_611.mp3


title: Is Christianity an Oppressive Religion?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/22/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-christianity-an-oppressive-religion-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3yyyyz/122221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/is-christianity-an-oppressive-religion--122221.mp3
description:
Greg talks about what you have to look forward to from Stand to Reason in 
2022, then he answers questions about responding to the ideas that all 
whites are racist and Christianity is an oppressive religion and how to 
explain why good people in other religions go to Hell.


title: The God of Scripture Has Always Been Narrow
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/19/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-god-of-scripture-has-always-been-narrow
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tuaar2/011922.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-god-of-scripture-has-always-been-narrow-011922.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the narrowness of the way of salvation and the idea that 
zeal and sincerity aren’t enough, then he answers questions about William 
Lane Craig’s new book on the historical Adam.


title: The Most Important Thing Followers of Christ Need to Know
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/05/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-most-important-thing-followers-of-christ-need-to-know
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k7f7du/010522.mp3
file: ./podcasts/the-most-important-thing-followers-of-christ-need-to-know-010522.mp3
description:
Greg discusses a pitfall to avoid when reading and interpreting the Bible, 
talks about the necessity and beauty of the unmerited grace of God, answers 
a question about the saying “Preach the gospel; use words if necessary,” 
then chats with a caller about how he became a Christian.


title: #STRask: How Does Christ’s Momentary Ordeal Equal the Torment of Sinners for Eternity?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/06/2022
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9qdinx/STRask_616.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-does-christ-s-momentary-ordeal-equal-the-torment-of-sinners-for-eternity-

description:
Questions about how Christ’s “momentary ordeal” could equal the continuous 
torment of sinners for eternity and how the sun could have stopped shining 
while Jesus was on the cross when there couldn’t have been a solar eclipse 
that day.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-does-christ-s-momentary-ordeal-equal-the-torment-of-sinners-for-eternity--STRask_616.mp3


title: #STRask: Does a Literal Interpretation of the Bible Refute the Divinity of Christ?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/13/2022
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/m5sjrx/STRask_618.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-does-a-literal-interpretation-of-the-bible-refute-the-divinity-of-christ-

description:
Questions about responding to someone who says a literal interpretation of 
the Bible led him to believe Arianism is true and how to respond when you 
hear people express bad theology.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-does-a-literal-interpretation-of-the-bible-refute-the-divinity-of-christ--STRask_618.mp3


title: #STRask: Is It Okay to Read the Writings of Other Religions?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/10/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-it-okay-to-read-the-writings-of-other-religions-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/rq4bhr/STRask_617.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-it-okay-to-read-the-writings-of-other-religions--STRask_617.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s okay for Christians to read the writings of 
other religions in order to gain a better understanding of the people 
they’re evangelizing and whether a Christian who witnesses to Mormons 
should read the Book of Mormon.


title: #STRask: Will Remembering Our Life on Earth Make Us Sad in Heaven?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/03/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-will-remembering-our-life-on-earth-make-us-sad-in-heaven-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cxnpnx/STRask_615.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-will-remembering-our-life-on-earth-make-us-sad-in-heaven--STRask_615.mp3
description:
Question about how to respond to someone who thinks we won’t recognize our 
loved ones in the afterlife because if we were to remember this life, then 
we would feel sadness in Heaven.


title: #STRask: Did Lazarus Go to Heaven Because of His Poverty?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/17/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-did-lazarus-go-to-heaven-because-of-his-poverty-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2v8m4r/STRask_619.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-did-lazarus-go-to-heaven-because-of-his-poverty--STRask_619.mp3
description:
Questions about whether the parable of the rich man and Lazarus teaches 
that Lazarus went to Heaven because of his poverty and how to respond when 
someone refuses to answer Columbo questions.


title: Must You Remain Silent on Abortion Unless You Adopt a Baby?
topic: Bioethics
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 01/18/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/must-you-remain-silent-on-abortion-unless-you-adopt-a-baby-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hubkgf/as_1221.mp3
file: ./podcasts/must-you-remain-silent-on-abortion-unless-you-adopt-a-baby-1-as_1221.mp3
description:
If you’ve never adopted a child, does this disqualify you from speaking out 
against abortion? Alan offers five reasons why this challenge is mistaken.


title: Greg Introduces Robby Lashua and the Upcoming STR Outposts
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/12/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/greg-introduces-robby-lashua-and-the-upcoming-str-outposts
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/52jw7s/011222.mp3
file: ./podcasts/greg-introduces-robby-lashua-and-the-upcoming-str-outposts-011222.mp3
description:
Greg introduces our newest speaker, Robby Lashua, and they talk about the 
new STR “outposts” Robby will be creating in churches later this year.


title: #STRask: Is It Better to First Argue for Jesus’ Divinity or God’s Existence?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/30/2021
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-it-better-to-first-argue-for-jesus-divinity-or-god-s-existence-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7ts2dq/STRask_614.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s a better apologetics tactic to begin with 
Jesus’ divinity or to argue for God’s existence, whether the story of 
Cornelius shows that God heeds the prayers of unbelievers, and how to 
encourage a family member to resume bringing his family to church.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-is-it-better-to-first-argue-for-jesus-divinity-or-god-s-existence--STRask_614.mp3


title: We Know What the World Is Supposed to Be Like Because God Tells Us
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/14/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/we-know-what-the-world-is-supposed-to-be-like-because-god-tells-us
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f4jy3y/011422.mp3
file: ./podcasts/we-know-what-the-world-is-supposed-to-be-like-because-god-tells-us-011422.mp3
description:
Greg responds to an article about a local youth pastor who came out as gay, 
then he answers a question about making a case to an agnostic that the 
Bible is accurate and gives a caller advice about becoming an apologist.


title: #STRask: Are We Morally Obligated to Have Fewer Children?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/20/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-are-we-morally-obligated-to-have-fewer-children-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qbscph/STRask_620.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-are-we-morally-obligated-to-have-fewer-children--STRask_620.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Hell is unjust because it doesn’t seek people’s 
rehabilitation and how to respond to someone who says we’re morally 
obligated as a society to have fewer children in order to reduce our carbon 
footprint.


title: A Word about Bible Reading
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/07/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-word-about-bible-reading
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uxmhjg/010722.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-word-about-bible-reading-010722.mp3
description:
Greg encourages listeners to start reading the Bible all the way through, 
even if it takes longer than a year, then he answers questions about 
whether the definition of “evangelical” is too broad, whether Genesis 6:3 
applies to today, and why people doubt.


title: What Is Truth, and Is It Knowable?
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/21/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-is-truth-and-is-it-knowable-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/hnwyix/012122.mp3
file: ./podcasts/what-is-truth-and-is-it-knowable--012122.mp3
description:
Greg responds to a question about the nature of truth and whether it’s 
knowable, then he talks to callers about questions to ask evolutionists and 
the idea that truth is abstract, not concrete.


title: #STRask: How Can You Call Atheism a Worldview?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/31/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-can-you-call-atheism-a-worldview-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2tyn9s/STRask_623.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-can-you-call-atheism-a-worldview--STRask_623.mp3
description:
Questions about whether atheism can be called a worldview and whether the 
idea of avoiding doing something “in your own strength” is a biblical 
concept and how one can tell if that’s happening.


title: Four Reasons Why People Reject Jesus
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/26/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/four-reasons-why-people-reject-jesus
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/wcp9ne/012622.mp3
file: ./podcasts/four-reasons-why-people-reject-jesus-012622.mp3
description:
Greg talks about a conversation he had during a car ride with an atheist 
listener, then he describes four reasons why people reject Jesus, answers a 
question about God’s relationship to time, and hears a story about how 
tactics worked for a listener on the first try.


title: #STRask: Why Doesn’t God Simply Destroy Satan Now?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/27/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-why-doesn-t-god-simply-destroy-satan-now-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kfpacd/STRask_622.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-why-doesn-t-god-simply-destroy-satan-now--STRask_622.mp3
description:
Questions about why God doesn’t destroy Satan now, Christians acting in 
scenes that contain R-rated elements, responding to someone who says, 
“God’s working on me,” and handling situations where people who ignore 
God’s standards have better lives than Christians who are trying to live 
for Christ.


title: Living with a Tactics Mentality
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/28/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/living-with-a-tactics-mentality
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/6trh8r/012822.mp3
file: ./podcasts/living-with-a-tactics-mentality-012822.mp3
description:
Greg reads a letter from a listener who’s living with a tactics mentality, 
talks about concerning trends in the top 100 Christian books, then answers 
questions about the place of Israel in the end times and preachers speaking 
in tongues from the pulpit.


title: #STRask: How Far Should We Go to End Suffering?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/24/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-far-should-we-go-to-end-suffering-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3bjsd9/STRask_621.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-how-far-should-we-go-to-end-suffering--STRask_621.mp3
description:
Questions about how to know when we should fight evil and when we should 
resign ourselves to God’s judgment and how far we should go to end 
suffering through technological or financial means.


title: #STRask: How Can I Lovingly Explain to Someone That I Will Not Be Using Their Pronouns?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/03/2022
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/5yq4xe/STRask_624.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-how-can-i-lovingly-explain-to-someone-that-i-will-not-be-using-their-pronouns-

description:
Questions about how to lovingly explain to someone that you will not be 
using their pronouns and how to explain to an employer that you will not be 
announcing your pronouns.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-how-can-i-lovingly-explain-to-someone-that-i-will-not-be-using-their-pronouns--STRask_624.mp3


title: Did God Promise to Guide You into All Truth?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/02/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/did-god-promise-to-guide-you-into-all-truth-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tjhatv/020222.mp3
file: ./podcasts/did-god-promise-to-guide-you-into-all-truth--020222.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the meaning of John 16:13’s promise that the Holy Spirit 
“will guide you into all truth” and discusses whether it applies to every 
Christian, then he answers questions about whether every Christian is a 
prophet and whether prophecy is fallible.


title: Does God Make up Morality on a Whim?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/04/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-make-up-morality-on-a-whim-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/x2y9ad/020422.mp3
file: ./podcasts/does-god-make-up-morality-on-a-whim--020422.mp3
description:
Greg follows up the last episode with a few more comments on prophets and 
false prophecies, then he answers questions about teaching older people 
tactics, Genesis 6:24 vs. 7:23, whether God “turned his back on Jesus” 
during the crucifixion, and whether the Euthyphro dilemma shows that God 
makes up morality on a whim.


title: #STRask: Is Pornography Grounds for Divorce?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/07/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-pornography-grounds-for-divorce-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cnv4ak/STRask_625.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-pornography-grounds-for-divorce--STRask_625.mp3
description:
Questions about whether looking at pornography is the same thing as 
committing adultery (and therefore grounds for divorce) and whether hate 
crime laws, which define crimes based on the mind of the criminal, are 
different from other laws that determine the severity of a crime based on 
intent.


title: A Helpful Description of What’s Happening in Our Culture
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/09/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-helpful-description-of-what-s-happening-in-our-culture
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/28uekb/020922.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-helpful-description-of-what-s-happening-in-our-culture-020922.mp3
description:
Greg goes through Jordan Peterson’s recent article where he details what’s 
happening in our culture, discussing the relevance it has for us as 
Christians.


title: #STRask: What Would You Say to Coworkers who Blaspheme Constantly?
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/10/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-what-would-you-say-to-coworkers-who-blaspheme-constantly-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/msag89/STRask_626.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-what-would-you-say-to-coworkers-who-blaspheme-constantly--STRask_626.mp3
description:
Questions about how to put a stone in the shoes of coworkers who blaspheme 
constantly and whether it’s reasonable to think Jesus only had 120 
followers before Pentecost.


title: #STRask: Is It Appropriate to Cast Lots to Know God’s Will Today?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/14/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-it-appropriate-to-cast-lots-to-know-god-s-will-today-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mywv48/STRask_627.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-is-it-appropriate-to-cast-lots-to-know-god-s-will-today--STRask_627.mp3
description:
Questions about whether it’s appropriate for us to cast lots in order to 
know God’s will today as the apostles did when they replaced Judas and 
whether the fact that Romans 3 references various psalms should change how 
we interpret those psalms today.


title: Interview: Natasha Crain – Faithfully Different
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/16/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/interview-natasha-crain-faithfully-different
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/f2ttn4/021622.mp3
file: ./podcasts/interview-natasha-crain-faithfully-different-021622.mp3
description:
Greg interviews Natasha Crain about her new book, Faithfully Different: 
Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture.


title: #STRask: Should I Only Pray Once for Something?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/17/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-should-i-only-pray-once-for-something-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/qvurcc/STRask_628.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-should-i-only-pray-once-for-something--STRask_628.mp3
description:
Questions about whether praying once in faith for something is better than 
repeatedly requesting the same thing and how to read and apply psalms like 
Psalm 91 that say God will save us from “deadly pestilence” and other kinds 
of suffering.


title: How to Respond to Criticism
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/18/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-respond-to-criticism
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ectfct/021822.mp3
file: ./podcasts/how-to-respond-to-criticism-021822.mp3
description:
Greg talks about the value of listening and responding to criticism and 
gives tips on how to do this well, then he answers questions about how to 
deal with doubts and why Christians don’t take the problem of junk food and 
obesity seriously.


title: #STRask: Is Saying a Woman Should Stay Pregnant a Body Violation Equal to Rape?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/21/2022
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/k8dn73/STRask_629.mp3
source:
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-is-saying-a-woman-should-stay-pregnant-a-body-violation-equal-to-rape-

description:
Questions about whether saying a woman should stay pregnant is a body 
violation equal to rape and how someone whose emotional doubt causes him to 
struggle with trusting God can turn his distrust into trust.

file:
./podcasts/-strask-is-saying-a-woman-should-stay-pregnant-a-body-violation-equal-to-rape--STRask_629.mp3


title: A Response to Genetically Modified Skeptic – Part 1
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/23/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-response-to-genetically-modified-skeptic-part-1
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cmkjzz/022322.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-response-to-genetically-modified-skeptic-part-1-022322.mp3
description:
Greg and Jon respond to a YouTube video by Genetically Modified Skeptic 
(Drew McCoy) that critiques one of Greg’s STR U courses.


title: #STRask: Do Intersex People Get to Decide What Gender They Are?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/24/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-do-intersex-people-get-to-decide-what-gender-they-are-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vgca7u/STRask_630.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-do-intersex-people-get-to-decide-what-gender-they-are--STRask_630.mp3
description:
Questions about whether intersex people get to decide what gender they are 
and whether or not that indicates gender is a matter of identity rather 
than biology and whether physical damage to our bodies could prevent us 
from experiencing a “sense of God.”


title: A Response to Genetically Modified Skeptic – Part 2
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/25/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-response-to-genetically-modified-skeptic-part-2
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/dca7be/022522.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-response-to-genetically-modified-skeptic-part-2-022522.mp3
description:
Greg and Jon continue responding to a YouTube video by Genetically Modified 
Skeptic (Drew McCoy) that critiques one of Greg’s STR U courses.


title: #STRask: Greg’s List of Pastorisms
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/28/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-greg-s-list-of-pastorisms
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/3wfiii/STRask_631.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-greg-s-list-of-pastorisms-STRask_631.mp3
description:
Greg responds to a request to hear his list of “pastorisms,” sayings 
Christians commonly repeat that have some truth to them but can be 
misleading.


title: A Philosophical Reason to Think the Universe Had a Beginning
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/02/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-philosophical-reason-to-think-the-universe-had-a-beginning
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/n8tv36/030222.mp3
file: ./podcasts/a-philosophical-reason-to-think-the-universe-had-a-beginning-030222.mp3
description:
Greg talks about a philosophical reason to think the universe had a 
beginning and discusses the difference between the brain and the mind, then 
he answers a question about tactics one can use when talking to people 
about creation vs. evolution.


title: #STRask: Why Say the Beginning of the Universe Points to God?
topic: Science
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/03/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-why-say-the-beginning-of-the-universe-points-to-god-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uhvbpv/STRask_632.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-why-say-the-beginning-of-the-universe-points-to-god--STRask_632.mp3
description:
Questions about why one should conclude the beginning of the universe 
points to God rather than another explanation and whether logic is created 
or an aspect of God’s character.


title: Christianity Is Out of Step with the Culture
topic: Arts and Culture
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/04/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/christianity-is-out-of-step-with-the-culture
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/uawd68/030422.mp3
file: ./podcasts/christianity-is-out-of-step-with-the-culture-030422.mp3
description:
Greg talks about focusing on key issues with non-believers and responds to 
the idea that Christianity is passé, then he talks to callers about the 
nature of morality, pastors who own multimillion-dollar homes, a pro-choice 
meme, whether Christians should avoid promoting satire, and whether 
self-defense and/or the military is okay for Christians.


title: #STRask: Do These Verses Contradict “Once Saved, Always Saved”?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/07/2022
source: https://www.str.org/w/-strask-do-these-verses-contradict-once-saved-always-saved-
link: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/p8qp9u/STRask_633.mp3
file: ./podcasts/-strask-do-these-verses-contradict-once-saved-always-saved--STRask_633.mp3
description:
Questions about whether Revelation 2:1–7 and Colossians 1:21–23 can be 
reconciled with a belief in “once saved, always saved.”


# videos

title: What Kind of Book Is the Bible?
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 11/02/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-kind-of-book-is-the-bible-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/PgyQOvkzuU0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim discusses whether the Bible is a supernatural book by God to men or a naturalistic book by men about God.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>So here’s my question: What kind of book is the Bible? What kind of book is it? I think you got two&nbsp;options. You can either say it’s a supernatural book by God to men and through men, by the way. Okay, supernatural book by God to men, or it’s a naturalistic book that is by men about God. There’s your options. Supernatural book or it’s a naturalistic book. What kind of indications do we have that it might be a supernatural book? Let me give you two. Let me just give you two.</p>

<p>Here’s one: The Bible has supernatural prophecy. I mean, this is exciting stuff. I wish we could spend an hour talking about prophecy in the Bible. It’s incredible stuff. You see, the Bible makes predictions about the future that end up coming to pass that are accurate and precise. Throughout the Bible, you have these prophets of God who describe events before they happen. It’s really incredible. I’d like just to give one example of a prophecy that was fulfilled, and it has to do with the Messiah’s death.</p>

<p>Now, Messiah just means “Anointed One.” The word “Messiah” in the Old Testament, the word in the New Testament is “Christ.” So, Jesus Christ—Christ is not his last name, okay? Many people just assume that. It’s a title. It’s a title. It’s Jesus, the Messiah. How was the Messiah going to die? That’s my question. Well, a number of Old Testament passages actually detail how the Messiah would die. Psalm 22 is a really good text. You should read through the whole thing. But let me just zoom in here on a couple of verses.</p>

<p>So, Psalm 22 verse 16. Check this out. “For dogs encompass me; and a company of evil doers encircles me,” stop right there. When it says “dogs” it doesn’t mean like literal dogs, okay? Like your pet at home. Okay? This is probably a derogatory term used to describe the gentiles. So maybe like the Romans or something, you know, the gentiles. “They’re encircling me a company of evildoers. They’re encircling me,” then listen to this. This is incredible, “...they have pierced my hands and my feet—”&nbsp;Now, don’t skip over these words too quickly because David is writing these words a thousand years before Jesus. A thousand years. In, fact, he’s writing these words before crucifixion is even invented. And yet, he describes what sounds like crucifixion, “piercing my hands and my feet.” It goes on to say this: “I can count all of my bones—” probably referring to the fact that he’s naked. “...they stare and gloat over me;” this is a public execution. Okay? Not all deaths are public executions, and that’s what’s being described here. “...they divide up my garments among them, and for my clothes they cast lots.” That’s exactly what happened to Jesus. You read Matthew 27, that’s precisely what happened.</p>

<p>Now, not only do we see in the Old Testament how the Messiah would die, we also are told why he would die. So, why would the Messiah die? Well, if you go to Isaiah, Isaiah was written 700 BC, so 700 years before Christ. Says this, verse 5, “But he was pierced—” there’s the piercing again, hands and feet. “...he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquity; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace; and with his wounds we are healed.” What does this text tell us? Tell you what it says. The Messiah is going to die as a substitute for your sins. In your place. Here’s how Jesus put it. He said in the New Testament, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.”</p>

<p>Now, here’s the question: How could this possibly be a coincidence? I mean, it’s not. These are the events being described hundreds of years—I mean, these events read as if you’re standing there watching a crucifixion, and yet, these are written years, in many cases hundreds of years, before the events took place. This is powerful evidence that this book is a supernatural book.</p>


title: One Way to Tell the New Testament Is True
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 08/10/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/one-way-to-tell-the-new-testament-is-true
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/AalNdn9SNgw?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim shows how some details in the Gospel of Luke—that we may be inclined to skip over—actually help point to the truthfulness of the New Testament.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now, there’s lots of skeptics out there. And they would say something like, “No, no, you read the New Testament? That’s just all mythological. It’s just—they’re making up stories. It’s kind of like, ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,’ or, ‘Once upon a time,’ or that kind of thing.”</p>

<p>You know when you hear “once upon a time,” someone’s telling you a story. But that’s not what you get—that’s not what you get when you read the Gospels. In fact, when people say, when people make the claim that the New Testament is just mythology, it’s just a bunch of stories, they’re made up, I take them directly to Luke chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, and here’s why.</p>

<p>These are actually the verses that most of us skip over during our devotional time if we’re honest, right? It’s like, why is this in the New Testament? I’ll tell you why it’s in the New Testament. It’s because this shows us it’s grounded in real history—the people, and places, and events. Let me read it to you. Let me read it to you.</p>

<p>It says this: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Ceasar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” And you’re thinking, “How do I apply that to my life?” Right?</p>

<p>The reason this is in there is because Luke is telling us these events that happened, that he’s recording, they’re actual events. They’re people, and places, and events. In fact, over and over again in these two verses, you have 22 historical people, places, and positions. 22. All confirmed.</p>

<p>If you were making up a story, your goal would be to be as vague as possible because someone could easily disprove when you start putting in details, right? Well, notice what Luke does. He adds extra details, positions, and places that aren’t even really necessary. But he adds them because he cares about the accuracy of what he’s talking about.</p>


title: They Gave Their Lives for the Truth
topic: History
author: Tim Barnett
date: 10/26/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/they-gave-their-lives-for-the-truth
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1k0uWzYgwjI?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim explains how the disciples had nothing to gain by making up what they professed about Jesus.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>So, not only do we have eyewitness testimony and embarrassing testimony, we also have excruciating testimony. What does that mean, “excruciating testimony”?</p>

<p>I want you to ask yourself this question: What did it cost the disciples to hold to their beliefs? And the answer to that question is: It cost them everything. In fact, they were willing to suffer to the point of death for the truth of their beliefs.</p>

<p>Church tradition tells us that that Peter, and Andrew, and Philip, they were all crucified. We know that Bartholomew was flayed to death. We know James was beheaded. Matthias was stoned. Matthew was killed by the sword. Thomas was stabbed with a spear. Luke was hanged. Mark was dragged to death behind a horse. Paul, he was beheaded. And of course, John, he died in exile. There’s not one record of any of these men recanting their beliefs.</p>

<p>We need to ask ourselves, “What more could these men do to communicate that they cared about truth?” I mean, they were willing to die for the truth. And that’s why Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft—I like the way he puts this—he says, “Why would the apostles lie?” I mean, why would they lie? “If they lied, what was their motive, what did they get out of it? What they got out of it was misunderstanding, rejection, persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Hardly a list of perks!”</p>

<p>So you’re not gonna make this stuff up and receive all this. No, that doesn’t make any sense.</p>


title: The Consequences of Relativism
topic: Philosophy
author: Jonathan Noyes
date: 08/24/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-consequences-of-relativism
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/yNufflDgTIQ?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Jon explains what happens when moral relativism is followed to its logical conclusion.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>So we were looking at the consequences of what happens when relativism creeps its way into our moral system of living. And one of the major consequences is, relativism undermines sin. We said, ultimately, if there’s no objective morality, there’s no sin. If there’s no sin, there’s no guilt. If there’s no guilt, there’s no need for a pardon. No pardon, well, no need for Jesus.</p>

<p>Ultimately, relativism undermines the gospel, friends. I think that’s important for us to take away tonight. It undermines the gospel. We see relativism in the Scriptures as at right at the end of Judges: “In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”</p>

<p>Relativism also undermines the mission of Jesus. What’s the mission of Jesus, friends? We all should know it, right? “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” If relativism is true, that doesn’t matter. Jesus’ words are completely—they’re just a matter of opinion. Eh, you can do it or not. You know, teach what? Teach stuff that might be true for you but not for me? If relativism is true, there’s no obligation to do that.</p>

<p>We just need to think about it. I think it makes sense as we think about these things and how the ideas of relativism may have already crept into some of you guys as you sit there. You might be struggling with this. “Oh, wait a second, is he saying that what I believed is—maybe I should question it.” If relativism is true, then Christianity is just one of many true religions. That’s just a fact if relativism is true—choosing a religion is like choosing your favorite kind of ice cream.</p>


title: Atheist Says God Isn’t All-Powerful Unless He Defeats Himself
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 06/22/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheist-says-god-isn-t-all-powerful-unless-he-defeats-himself
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/pWZxBXfbTaM?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/255354/RedPenLogic_StoneParadox_MarkDArcy_2.001.jpeg" style="display: block; width:75%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>In today’s example, molecular biologist Mark D’Arcy offers a question meant to challenge the idea of an omnipotent—that is, all powerful—God. The tweet reads: “Can God create a stone that cannot be lifted? If yes, then he is not all powerful, since he Himself cannot lift it. If he cannot create a stone that cannot be lifted, then he is not all powerful. Either way, God is not all powerful.”</p>

<p>This challenge is plagued with problems. First, omnipotence is not the power to do anything. Rather, it’s the ability to do anything power can do. Even infinite power cannot do what is contradictory or absurd. This isn’t a limit on God’s power. It’s a limit on the kinds of questions we should be asking about God’s power.</p>

<p>Second, it’s an illogical question. That’s because it subtly smuggles in a contradiction by asking if God’s omnipotence can defeat His omnipotence. It’s like asking, “Can God win in an arm wrestling match against Himself?” It’s nonsense.</p>

<p>Ironically, in his attempt to show the incoherence of an omnipotent Creator, this atheist relies on an incoherent question.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I’m Tim Barnett, and today we’re applying some red pen logic to a tweet from university professor Mark D’Arcy. Class is in session.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we assess bad thinking by using good thinking. Plus, we try to have a little bit of fun in the process. In today’s example, molecular biologist Mark D’Arcy offers a challenge to the idea of an omnipotent—that is, all-powerful—God. The tweet reads: “Can God create a stone that cannot be lifted? If yes, then he is not all powerful because he cannot lift it. If he cannot create a stone that cannot be lifted, then he is not all powerful. Either way, God is not all powerful. #Humanism, #Atheism.” This atheist, a self-described advocate of critical thinking, believes this age-old challenge refutes God’s omnipotence. Let’s see if he’s right.</p>

<p>Well, it’s time to pull out the red—wrong pen. Time to pull out the red pen and take this one from the top. This challenge puts the believer on the horns of a dilemma. Either God cannot create a stone that cannot be lifted, or God can’t lift a stone that He created. Either way, God can’t do something. And if He can’t do something, then according to this atheist, He’s not all-powerful. Therefore, an all-powerful God does not exist. Q.E.D., #atheism. Well, not so fast. I’m thinking that hashtag might have been a little premature.</p>

<p>This challenge is plagued with problems. First, it assumes a defective definition of omnipotence. Omnipotence does not mean that God can do anything. It means God can do anything raw power can do. No amount of power, though, can accomplish something logically impossible. That qualification is key.</p>

<p>D’Arcy may be surprised to learn that this challenge was answered hundreds of years ago. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Whatever implies contradiction does not come within the scope of divine omnipotence, because it cannot have the aspect of possibility.” In other words, to say that God can’t do something logically impossible does not limit God in any way. Sure, God can’t make a married bachelor or a square circle, but that’s because those words make no sense. They’re self-contradictory concepts.</p>

<p>In the same way, the question “Can God create a stone that cannot be lifted?” is also meaningless because it’s self-contradictory. Namely, an omnipotent God defeating His own omnipotence. It’s asking, “Can God be omnipotent and not omnipotent at the same time?” The answer is “no,” but it’s not because He’s not all-powerful as the tweet assumes. It’s because the task of an omnipotent God creating a stone that cannot be lifted is not really a task at all. It’s a contradictory combination of words. That’s all. A logical absurdity. And if it’s not a task, then it’s not really a problem if God can’t do it.</p>

<p>By the way, there are many things that God can’t do precisely because He’s perfect. He can��t lie because He’s morally perfect. He can’t cease to exist because He’s the perfection of being. He can’t get His sums wrong because He’s the author of math. And He’s really good at algebra. And He can’t do the logically absurd because He’s perfectly logical.</p>

<p>If the atheist responds, “You’ve just redefined omnipotence to escape the problem. Omnipotence should include the logically impossible.”&nbsp;Well, if that’s the case, then the original challenge just evaporates. We could just agree that God can create a stone that He can’t lift, and He can lift it. But if they say, “That’s logically contradictory,” we could simply reply, “That’s right. And on your definition of omnipotence, God can do the logically impossible.” So what’s the problem? You see, either way, this challenge does nothing to undermine God.</p>

<p>So, what have we learned? First, omnipotence is not the power to do anything. It’s the ability to do anything that power can do. Even infinite power cannot do what is logically contradictory or absurd. This isn’t a limit on God’s power. It’s a limit to the kinds of questions we should be asking about God’s power.</p>

<p>Second, it’s an illogical question. That’s because it subtly smuggles in a contradiction by asking if God’s omnipotence can defeat His omnipotence. That’s like asking, “Can God win in an arm wrestling match against Himself?” It’s just nonsense. God can make a bachelor into a married man—lucky for some of you guys—but He cannot make a bachelor who is a married man. Remember, there is no answer to nonsense questions.</p>

<p>Ironically, in an attempt to show the incoherence of an omnipotent Creator, this atheist relies on an incoherent question. That’s not how critical thinking works. Class dismissed.</p>


title: The Importance of Listening in Evangelism
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/13/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-importance-of-listening-in-evangelism
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/RRJAWM38u_w?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg shares how you can have a much greater impact influencing someone for Christ if you first take the time to ask questions and listen to the other person’s story.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I want you to be thinking about one thing and one thing only, and here is that one thing, the first step of the game plan: I want you to gather information. That’s it. All I want you to do is gather information. You’ve got to figure out what the lay of the land is with the person you’re talking with. And this is something almost no Christian does.</p>

<p>Now, I was sitting on the airplane next to a guy named John. I take a lot of flights, fly around quite a bit. And I got to talking with John. And in my case, we were—and I’m using my game plan, I’m drawing him out with questions, we’re talking back and forth, being friendly. He asked me what I’m doing. I know his name because I asked him. I told him I was going to an event like this, and I explained that a little bit. So, he knows I’m a Christian.</p>

<p>And then he tells me, “I’m not a Christian.” Is that important for me to know? Good. Then he says, “Nobody I know is a Christian.” Okay. Then he says, “I used to be a Christian, but I’m not anymore.” Oh. Is that valuable information for me to know? Sure. Then he says, “Actually, I used to be a preacher’s kid.” I said, “John, how did you used to be a preacher’s kid? Did your dad die?” He said, “No, my dad didn’t die. He’s just no longer a preacher anymore.” Oh, okay. “And he’s no longer a Christian.”</p>

<p>Ah.... Is that valuable information for me to know? Do you think there’s any baggage sitting here next to me on the airplane? Can you imagine if I would have jumped into my little gospel presentation? How would he have responded? I’ve been there, I’ve done that, and it hurt.</p>

<p>But that isn’t what I did. I drew him out with questions. I heard his story. I found out what was going on in his life. I listened, and I did not react. And when he got well into his enterprise, here, telling me the sad story of his experience with Christians and the church, he said, “You know, people like you”—moi?—”people like you are usually really angry when I tell them what I just told you, but you’re not mad at me, and I appreciate that.”</p>

<p>Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think it’s just possible that the fact that I listened without reacting might have put a stone in his shoe? What do you think? Sure. Absolutely. You have no idea what the Holy Spirit is going to do.</p>


title: Do Pro-Lifers Care about Born Children?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/20/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/do-pro-lifers-care-about-born-children-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/G1h7EM2LsTE?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>If you haven’t taken in foster kids, are you justified in objecting to abortion? Greg discusses this topic with a pro-choice caller.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Greg: All right, let’s go to Ann in Mississippi. Ann, welcome to Stand to Reason.</p>

<p>Ann: Thank you. I appreciate it.</p>

<p>Greg: You’re welcome.</p>

<p>Ann: My question would be—I’m not terribly familiar with your show, and maybe this is common knowledge—but I’m curious as to how many foster children you personally are raising in your home and how many the author of this book is raising in his home. I understand your need to value human life, but do you feel any obligation to these children once they’re here?</p>

<p>Greg: Well, I’ll answer the question in a straightforward fashion as to what we are doing, both Scott and I—and I know Scott personally, so I can answer specifically for him. But then I also want to discuss—after I answer it—I want to discuss with you maybe the point behind the question, and I’m sure you’ll be willing to chat about that a little bit.</p>

<p>In my case, I have two children that I’ve adopted out of crisis pregnancies, all right? And Scott has about four of his own, so he hasn’t—maybe, yeah, four of his own—so he hasn’t adopted any; he’s got his hands full. However, what both of us do is we travel around the country, he more than I, and we assist crisis pregnancy training—crisis pregnancy centers, excuse me—in raising funds so that they can offer services free of charge to women who are in crisis pregnancies who choose to keep their children. So we are actually doing quite a bit to meet that particular need. Does the answer satisfy you, Ann?</p>

<p>Ann: I understand your point, and I see that you are directing energy toward your goal—</p>

<p>Greg: Wait, I wasn’t making a point. Ann, I wasn’t making a point; I was answering the question, which was a kind of a challenge. And so I want to know, are you satisfied now that I’m doing enough for those babies that are born since I’m a pro-lifer?</p>

<p>Ann: My personal conviction would be no.</p>

<p>Greg: Oh, so I should, what—how many should I adopt before I can be justified in campaigning against abortion?</p>

<p>Ann: Well, I think you can campaign all you want. I—obviously, nobody thinks it’s a great idea for babies to not be here. I’m not arguing with you—I don’t think anybody in their right mind thinks abortion is a great idea. But I’m, I guess I’m pondering. You all have such focus, and talent, and energy, and obvious resources, and yet the gentleman who was just on the show with you from Atlanta—</p>

<p>Funny enough, I teach in Atlanta, and I have, for instance, a little girl in my classroom this year who’s being sexually molested, who has been covered in lice since the first day of school, who shows up hungry, and yet she can’t be taken from her home because there’s not a foster placement for her, and they do not consider her to be in imminent danger.</p>

<p>Greg: Okay, I’m not sure what that particular point has to do with our prior discussion, first of all. And secondly, I’m still mystified as to why the challenge that you offered me about what am I doing for those children that are born, why my answer—that I regularly raise money for organizations to give help to women in crisis pregnancies, and I’ve adopted two children out of crisis pregnancy myself—I’m wondering why that isn’t in the least bit apparently satisfying to you.</p>

<p>Ann: Well, obviously, you’ve done something, but…</p>

<p>Greg: Something?</p>

<p>Ann: …but what about those children once those children—</p>

<p>Greg: Something?</p>

<p>Ann: I’m not—I understand you need to—I’m not trying to offend you. I’m really not. This is a question, though, that always is in the back of my mind when I hear people being…</p>

<p>Greg: No, I understand—</p>

<p>Ann: …militant about these babies need to be brought here, so my question is…</p>

<p>Greg: Well, there’s nothing militant that we’ve done here.</p>

<p>Ann: …where is the obligation if this mother didn’t go through one of your trainings and chose to have this baby, or was not in contact with your—</p>

<p>Greg: Let me answer the question—</p>

<p>Ann: Where are these children being helped?</p>

<p>Greg: Okay, let me answer the question. First of all, it wasn’t a militant presentation. It was a discussion about the moral obligations that we have not to take the life of innocent human beings. Now, what was raised in the process, though, in your question, you know, I understand the point, generally—though you didn’t say this, though, my suspicion is that you meant to infer it, and you can correct me if I’m wrong—that if we are not willing to care for those children that come in the world, then we really don’t have any right to be campaigning against women who want to have abortions. And I don’t accept that moral equation. But even if I did, I have done—I would say—quite a bit to meet the challenge, and that is, to raise funds for people and to adopt children. And it sounds to me like you wouldn’t be satisfied unless I raise funds for every woman in crisis pregnancies or adopted every child, which, obviously, would be ludicrous.</p>

<p>Ann: Obviously, that’s not an option.</p>

<p>Greg: Okay, yes, but then I don’t understand why you’re not at least marginally satisfied, in my case, with my response.</p>

<p>Ann: I will give you that I’m marginally, marginally satisfied with your response—</p>

<p>Greg: Okay, fair.</p>

<p>By the way, Ann, I’m not taking umbrage at the point. My feelings aren’t hurt. I am concerned, though, so I’m not taking this personally, but I am concerned about the logic and reasoning that seems to be sitting behind this, and that is, unless we’re willing to care for those children, then we have no right to tell other women not to kill them. This is not a morally sound equation. Just because I’m not willing to hire a slave doesn’t mean I can’t object to somebody enslaving another human being. Just because I’m not willing to marry the woman that a man is beating, his wife, doesn’t mean that I can’t object to him beating her. And by the same token, if the unborn is a human being, we shouldn’t be taking their lives for the reasons that people have abortions. And even if I don’t adopt all of those kids, I’m still within my rights to say don’t abuse that child. That’s basically my point.</p>

<p>Ann: Obviously, that’s a well-researched argument on your part, and I give you credit for that. And it is logical. It is logical. And yes, just earlier you said these children—I believe the distinction was—the children are made in the image of God, and that is what makes it necessary, obviously, to save all of them.</p>

<p>Greg: No, that’s why we should value their lives, right.</p>

<p>Ann: Yes, that’s why we should—thank you, because I missed your phrasing, and that was better than what I was going to say. Yes, we should value their lives. But does that obligation to value them end—and not you, personally—I guess my question then becomes (it’s now evolving through conversation), is there something in this book, and is there something in your movement, that suggests once people have adopted this philosophy and are going forth to further it, are <em>they</em> doing anything for these children that are already here…</p>

<p>Greg: That’s a fair question.</p>

<p>Ann: …Is that part of the process?</p>

<p>Greg: Yeah, it is. And I’ve actually partially answered that question. You may be surprised to hear this, but there are actually more crisis pregnancy centers in the country than there are abortion clinics.</p>

<p>Ann: Oh, I know that. Now, but what about—</p>

<p>Greg: Wait, Ann, wait, wait, I wasn’t quite finished because I want to make sure that you—that the answer registers before you jump onto another statement, and that is, is there anything in your movement, you asked me, that goes further, essentially, than just says you can’t have an abortion. What about taking care of these kids? And then I said, actually there are more crisis pregnancy centers that are funded by private individuals, not by money they get from their services like abortion clinics, that are doing that very thing.</p>

<p>And by contrast, there is virtually none of those things that are happening like that in the pro-choice crowd. Therefore, the pro-choice crowd is not really pro-choice. It turns out to be functionally pro-abortion. So that statistic alone meets your challenge, it seems to me—the fact that there are all these crisis pregnancy centers that are operating with the funds from people who give money so that women could be cared for for free. So yes, we are doing something. It’s organized. We’ve been doing it for a long time.</p>

<p>Ann: Okay, so once the pregnancy is over and the child is here, how much further contact or how much obligation is there for the rest of this child’s life? How much follow-up is there for these kids? What about children that didn’t go through one of the centers?</p>

<p>Greg: Okay. Yes, I’ll give one more answer to this, and I’m going to have to move on—but also—and the reason that I’m only going to give you one more answer is because I’m getting the feeling that no matter what I said to you, no matter how much is done, no matter how many children are cared for, you can still find someone left behind that you can complain about instead of tipping your hat to a massive number of pro-life people who are doing way beyond—above and beyond—the call of duty to help these children that they’re saying that we should be rescuing and not killing.</p>

<p>So here is the one more thing. My wife, for 20 years—this is personal, it’s my family—has been running a support group for single moms. She calls it the single mom care group. They meet twice a month, they have a potluck, they have encouragement, they have a craft, they have a speaker, they have child care, so they get away. So these are all women who went through crisis pregnancies who are now raising their children, and we are still trying to do what we can for them.</p>

<p>Let me ask you a question just to finish up, and a simple yes or no would be fine. Are you satisfied yet?</p>

<p>Ann: No.</p>

<p>Greg: Okay. Fair enough, Ann. I’ll give you the last word. Thank you so much for the call. It was a very—it was a good, and interesting, and challenging one.</p>


title: Make Relationships with Your LGBT Friends a High Priority
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 09/07/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/make-relationships-with-your-lgbt-friends-a-high-priority
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/YVsR8LOb-lA?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares how you can make the most impact in the lives of your LGBT friends and family.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now that you know the truth, or some truth about this subject, I hope you can see why we need compassion for these people. So here are&nbsp;some principles that might help.</p>

<p>Number one, make your relationship with your person who identifies as gay or lesbian, or who says they’re transgender, make your relationship with them a high priority. I’m not saying it’s a top priority. Obviously, your relationship with God and your family should be the highest priority. But make it a high priority.</p>

<p>Because, as I said, it’s through relationships that we can show love, compassion, truth, share the gospel, right? This is why we want to do that. Your ability to speak truth in their lives will be a function of your relationship with them. And I believe the Bible is clear about how we should pursue those people who might consider to be outcasts of our society or our culture, meaning our Christian culture.</p>

<p>Think of the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 or so, right? Zacchaeus was an outcast by the Jewish community because he was stealing from his own fellow Jews. Jesus comes, sees this guy who’s basically a criminal, and says—notice, he doesn’t start with a sermon on tax collecting and the sin of it—he says, Zacchaeus, I’m coming over to your house to have a meal, right? Now, to Middle Eastern ears, this is a sign of acceptance, and love, and relationship, and friendship. Jesus goes to his house, builds a relationship with him, and later on says, “Salvation has come to this house,” to this man.</p>

<p>So it’s through our love that we can actually have an effect in their lives. So that’s why you should maintain your relationship with them.</p>


title: They Told the Truth Even When It Hurt
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 09/28/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/they-told-the-truth-even-when-it-hurt
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/JOE1EPDpe6k?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim shows how the inclusion of embarrassing personal details in the New Testament points to the reliability of the accounts.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>There’s also this thing called embarrassing testimony. What’s embarrassing testimony? Well, the New Testament writers, they include embarrassing details about themselves.</p>

<p>I want to ask you a question. You’re out there, I want you to be honest with me. How many of you out there have lied to make yourself look good? Okay, put your hand up. Like, just do it. Just humor me. Okay. And if your hand is not up, the irony is, you’re lying to make yourself look good. Right? Everybody lies to make themselves look good. That’s the point.</p>

<p>Here’s the thing, though. People don’t lie to make themselves look <em>bad</em>. Nobody does that. And so, historians have this principle called “the principle of embarrassment.” And what they do is, when they see that the author has included information that’s embarrassing about themselves, they take that as trustworthy. I mean, why else would it be in there? And if the author is willing to tell the truth when it hurts, when it’s embarrassing, well, historians can take that author to be telling the truth when it comes to other events. They’re a trustworthy source.</p>

<p>And so we see that all over the Bible, especially in the New Testament. Jesus is teaching his disciples, and man, they just don’t get it. So we have Jesus saying, “The Son of Man”—referring to himself—“is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise. And it says this: “But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.” A couple things there: Lookit, they don’t understand something. Why would you include that if you want to make yourself look good? And they’re afraid to ask. Not only do they—they don’t understand Jesus, but they’re afraid to ask him something. This is gentle Jesus we’re talking about. Why would they be afraid to ask?</p>

<p>How about this: Jesus tells parables, and do you know who doesn’t get it? His disciples. And so they ask him. Peter says, “Explain the parable to us,” and this—here’s what Jesus asked them: “Are you still so dull?” Could you imagine being called “dull” by Jesus? Some translate, “Are you still without understanding?” “Are you still so stupid?” He’s calling them stupid here, and they wrote it down.</p>

<p>You might recall the story where, right before Jesus is crucified, he’s in the Garden of Gethsemane, and he’s in his greatest time of need, and he asks his followers, his disciples, to pray with him. And do you know what happens? They fall asleep. Twice. Now, I want you to think about that, because let’s imagine your friend comes to you, and let’s say they’re sick. They’re not gonna make it, and they come to you, and they say, “Can you please pray with me? And you go, and you pray with them, but you fall asleep. Twice. And then they pass away, and you go to write a biography about their life. Would you include the part about you falling asleep? Not likely, okay? You’re gonna leave that out. But they write this down. They record it.</p>

<p>They record Peter—a leader of the church—they record Peter being called “Satan” by Jesus. Can you believe that? I mean, it’s one thing if one of you called me Satan. That would hurt. It’d sting. But man, if Jesus called me Satan? That would really pack a punch, right? And so, yeah, they record this because it really happened.</p>

<p>Here’s what Frank Turek says. He’s an apologist, a Christian apologist. He says, “If you were a New Testament writer, would you include these embarrassing details if you were making up a story? Would you write that one of your primary leaders was called ‘Satan’ by Jesus, denied the Lord three times, hid during the crucifixion, and was later corrected on a theological issue? ... The best explanation is that”—here it is—“they were really telling the truth—warts and all.” That’s it right there. The disciples were committed to the truth even when it made them look horrible.</p>


title: What Do You Mean by Tolerance?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Jonathan Noyes
date: 10/05/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-do-you-mean-by-tolerance-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0kmN70wVT5c?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Jon discusses how the word “tolerance”&nbsp;has been redefined in order to silence some viewpoints.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now, I want to just briefly touch on this. It’s called the trick of tolerance, and I think it’s important because oftentimes I think one of the reasons why relativism has become so popular is because of the fear, or the awkwardness, of saying that we think we’re right while others are wrong—where we’re afraid of being labeled intolerant, is what it is. This fear, I think, is unjustified because people are confused about what tolerance actually is.</p>

<p>I’m just going to fly through these two definitions, but this makes me sad, right? When you get called “intolerant,” it doesn’t make you feel good. But maybe you’re holding up to a certain belief. Maybe you’re saying abortion is wrong, or maybe you’re saying marriage is for one man and one woman, or maybe you’re saying Islam is false, or maybe you’re saying anything else about many of the social issues that we’re wrestling with as a society and a culture today. You get labeled as intolerant anytime you take a moral stand, it sometimes feels like. But it’s a misunderstanding and a misapplication of the definition, the true definition, of tolerance.</p>

<p>Culturally speaking, we want to believe that tolerance is total agreement with people, accepting of all ideas. More than accepting, it’s actually lent itself now to <em>affirming</em> all ideas. But the real definition—and this is one for you guys to think about—of tolerance is to recognize and respect others’ beliefs and practices without sharing them. That’s key—without sharing them. To bear or put up with. To put up with someone or something not necessarily liked. That’s important for us to understand.</p>

<p>Next time somebody says that you’re intolerant, ask them what they mean by “intolerant.” Because in order for me to tolerate something, I have to not enjoy it. I have to not agree with it. I have to not like it. That’s the very definition of tolerance.</p>


title: Atheist Accidentally Affirms Objective Morality While Denying It
topic: Philosophy
author: Tim Barnett
date: 07/06/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheist-accidentally-affirms-objective-morality-while-denying-it
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9DXIFq2njY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/255354/preview-full-RedPenLogic_MoralsAreSubjective_TheEvolvedPrimate.001.jpeg/f5059bf4-bbe2-bbe4-65d5-40586b3467ee?t=1593636228974" style="height: auto; width: 500px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>In today’s example, The Evolved Primate offers an argument against objective morality and for subjective morality. The Evolved Primate seems a bit puzzled about what it means for morality to be subjective. First, objective morality always depends on the situation or circumstances. Relativism is when right and wrong depend on (are relative to) the person.</p>

<p>Second, moral dilemmas based on the circumstances (as in Mr. Primate’s example) always demonstrate objectivism, not subjectivism.</p>

<p>Third, if it’s true that we ought to lie to save our family from a killer, then morality is objective, not subjective.</p>

<p>The Evolved Primate thinks his ethical dilemma illustrates subjective morality. Ironically, it illustrates just the opposite.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Morality that’s relative to circumstances is not moral relativism.</p>

<p>Hi, I’m Tim Barnett, and today we’re applying some red pen logic to an Instagram post from The Evolved Primate. Class is in session.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we help you assess bad thinking by using good thinking. Plus, we try to have some fun in the process. In today’s example, The Evolved Primate offers an argument against objective morality and for subjective morality. The post reads, “Morals are objective? I disagree. For every immoral action there exists a scenario where that action becomes moral. A killer asks you where your family is. Is it immoral to lie to save them? Morals are subjective.” Notice the logic: If morality is dependent on the situation, then morality must be subjective. All right, it’s time to red pen this primate.</p>

<p>The Evolved Primate seems a bit puzzled on what it means for morality to be subjective, so let’s define some terms. (Pay very close attention here because lots of little primates get confused on this.) Subjective morality, also called relativism, is the view that morality is based on what some particular person believes. On this view, what is right and what is wrong depend completely on the individual, or the subject. That’s why they call it subjectivism. On relativism, premarital sex may be wrong for me, but the exact same behavior might be right for someone else.</p>

<p>Now, here’s the payoff. (Listen closely, you little primates.) In subjective morality, right and wrong depend completely on the individual subject. But in objective morality, by contrast, right and wrong do not depend on the individual subject but on the individual situation. The Evolved Primate has actually confused morality that’s relative to situations—objectivism—with morality that is relative to subjects—relativism.</p>

<p>When Mr. Primate says that morality is always relative to situations, he’s right, but that’s moral objectivism, not moral relativism. The Evolved Primate has confused the definition of relativism with the definition of objectivism.</p>

<p>The Evolved Primate’s example actually demonstrates his mistake. He offers a moral dilemma in the form of a question. A killer asks you where your family is. Is it immoral to lie to save them? The dilemma is, if you tell the truth, your family will be killed. Bad. But if you protect your family, you’ll have to lie. Also bad.</p>

<p>But wait. If morals are subjective, as Mr. Primate says, then there is no dilemma. The answer to the question is simple. If you think it’s immoral to lie, then it is. For you. If you think it’s more moral to protect your family, then it is. For you. There is no dilemma on relativism because whatever you choose is right for you. For the moral relativist, both options are equally legitimate because there is no objective right or wrong decision.</p>

<p>For the moral objectivist, though, there is a right response and a wrong response in this particular situation. Yes, it’s wrong to lie to protect a thief from the police. But it’s right to lie to protect your family from a killer, and this is true for anyone facing the same situation. In subjectivism, the subject gets to decide what’s right and wrong, and he’s always right, by definition. In objectivism, it’s the objective circumstances that determine what’s right and wrong. See the difference?</p>

<p>The Evolved Primate has mistaken objective morality for subjective morality. Is it always wrong to lie? Well, it depends not on the subject—that’s relativism—but on the objective situation—that’s objectivism.</p>

<p>So, what have we learned? First, objective morality always depends on the situation or circumstances. Relativism is when right and wrong depend on, or are relative to, the person.</p>

<p>Second, moral dilemmas based on circumstances, like the example given by Mr. Primate, always demonstrate objectivism, not subjectivism.</p>

<p>Third, if we ought to save our family from a killer, then morality is objective, not subjective. The Evolved Primate thinks his ethical dilemma illustrates subjective morality. Ironically, it illustrates just the opposite. Class dismissed.</p>


title: A Lesson from the Early Church on Engaging Today’s Culture
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/14/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/a-lesson-from-the-early-church-on-engaging-today-s-culture
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnv3LUjmTm8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>What can we learn from the early Christians to help us engage the culture today? Greg interviews Dr. Larry Hurtado, author of <em>Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World</em>.&nbsp;Listen to the entire podcast <a href="/w/dr.-larry-hurtado-destroyer-of-the-gods-early-christian-distinctiveness-in-the-roman-world">here</a>.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Greg Koukl: I wanted to go back to something you said at the beginning of our conversation. And you said that early Christianity is a more meaningful guide to engagement with the culture than post-Constantine Christianity. Can you tell us a little bit more about what we learn from the early Christians about how they engaged that will help us in engaging our own culture now?</p>

<p>Larry Hurtado: Well, I’ll repeat myself a bit, but one thing is that these earliest Christians were unable to presume upon anything. They had no social backing or political backing they could bring to bear upon the situation. No coercion really at all. All they had was their reasoning ability. They had to persuade people by appealing to them voluntarily. And I think that that’s, again, the situation that we’re moving into, in my mind, commendably.</p>

<p>I’m not really afraid, personally, by the way. I’d say I’m guilty of being a Christian, but I’m not really afraid of our situation. I don’t really worry about losing all the official trappings, in European culture, of Christendom, or losing some of the privileged status that Christianity once may have had in the American setting or North American setting. I don’t worry about that at all. I actually think it’s quite a good thing in many respects.</p>

<p>I think Christianity was good for Western culture, but I don’t think that Western culture was good for Christianity. And in areas of the world today, including some in the United States, if I may say so, it seems to me that Christianity has been captured by certain cultural forces including some that are conservative as well as liberal.</p>

<p>And so, I think that to be once again in a situation where Christians have to think for their lives—there’s a wonderful reference by Eric Osborne, another ancient historian who referred to this period as a time in which, he said, “Fortunately for our historical inquiries, these early Christians of this period had to think for their lives.” And the writings that they produced—the apologia, the defenses of Christianity that they produced, and the appeals that they made to the government and to the society—are just very impressive as this small, vulnerable group of people&nbsp;standing up above the parapet and openly declaring their faith and engaging their society, engaging the philosophical culture of the time, engaging all the popular culture of their time.</p>

<p>So I think that these texts give early Christians a reason for not being disheartened or discouraged about no longer being in a privileged position. But once again to be able to say, “We have the t-shirt on being able to be one religious option among others.”</p>

<p>Early Christianity succeeded in spite of its disadvantageous situation. And it’s in these texts that I think Christians today can discover again something of the inspirational examples that they may need in order to be effective Christians in our setting.</p>


title: Are We Christians Because of Constantine?
topic: History
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/12/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/are-we-christians-because-of-constantine-1
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/FevY9pzGH6Y?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg corrects the&nbsp;common misconception that Constantine gave Christianity its place in history.&nbsp;Find the original podcast <a href="/w/are-we-christians-because-of-constantine-">here</a>.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>[My niece] had a friend named Eamon. I don’t know if that’s Middle Eastern or not—Eamon. But he had challenged her by saying that Christianity would not be as large a religion as it is if it wasn’t because of Constantine. Because Constantine, his understanding—this would be fourth century, the emperor of the Roman Empire—if he had not forced it to be a religion in his rule, there wouldn’t be as wide a spread of Christianity.</p>

<p>So the charge is, well, Christianity is only popular because there was an emperor who became a Christian, forced everybody else to be a Christian, so then it spread all around, and that’s why it’s like it is. So, his thinking, then, is that my niece was merely a Christian product of her culture. Because if she grew up in a different place, she would have a different—with a different history—then she’d have a different religious conviction.</p>

<p>Now, there’s a common sensibility to that, isn’t there? That, as people have raised the question, well, if I had grown up in Iran or Iraq, then I probably wouldn’t be a Christian; I would be Muslim. And incidentally, this is a challenge fairly frequently brought up by atheists: “Well, you believe in Christianity because of the culture that you were raised in,” and that’s a way of dismissing Christianity; it’s just a cultural artifact.</p>

<p>Okay, I’m going to speak to the problems with that approach in just a moment. But in any event, I needed to correct, as I responded to her, some of the history. Constantine came, beginning early fourth century. So you have three hundred years or so—one hundred, two hundred, three, maybe four hundred years after Jesus—and he was converted to Christianity, apparently. And what this resulted in—now, I’m just giving you history right now—is it resulted in the centuries-old persecution of Christians ending.</p>

<p>Diocletian came before him. He was a terrible persecutor of Christians. And when you had a friendly on the throne, then persecution of Christians stopped. Christianity did not become the religious coin of the realm, as it were, at that time. Everybody wasn’t forced to be a Christian. It wasn’t the national religion. None of that is true about Constantine. He simply made Christianity legal. That is, Christians weren’t being killed for being Christians.</p>

<p>Now, that’s a good thing that he made it legal, but it isn’t like he was the one who made Christianity, who gave it its place in history. Because the fact is, the Christian faith had already been flourishing for 400 years—oddly enough, under great persecution—and it spread to the far corners of the Roman Empire. Constantine wasn’t responsible for the spread of Christianity. It was internally driven.</p>

<p>Speaking as a Christian, my conviction is, it’s what God did through the faithful witness. But it certainly wasn’t spread by force, and it wasn’t spread by the vicissitudes of politics. It permeated and penetrated the entire region because of its internal power.</p>


title: The Case for Miracles
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/17/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-case-for-miracles
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/AufzRUaY__4?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg interviews Lee Strobel on the case for miracles and whether God answers prayer. Listen to the entire interview <a href="http://interview-lee-strobel-the-case-for-miracles">here</a>.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Greg: Some of these accounts, and we’ll talk about some of those in a bit, are so amazing, they’re so otherworldly, that they can’t simply be dismissed as a psychosomatic disorder, a psychological thing, an accidental thing. So how is it that Michael Shermer kind of prosecuted his own case against miracles?</p>

<p>Lee: Well, you know, he—in one sense, he did something that a lot of skeptics do, which is, he raises the bar of the evidence unreasonably high. For instance, there was a woman who was an atheist and a physician who wrote an article for his magazine on miracles, and she said, “What would it take for me to believe a miracle has occurred?” And she said, “Well, if a chicken learned how to read and then beat a grandmaster at chess, I may begin to think something out of the ordinary”—she wouldn’t even use the word miracle—“something out of the ordinary has taken place.”</p>

<p>Greg: Maybe, yeah.</p>

<p>Lee: Maybe. So this is what I notice: A lot of people will set the bar just unreasonably high, higher than any other area in their life.</p>

<p>Greg: Yeah.</p>

<p>Lee: And, now, you hear it said sometimes that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof...</p>

<p>Greg: Right.</p>

<p>Lee: ...and they just are requiring extraordinary proof. And I just don’t think that’s true.</p>

<p>Greg: I agree with you.</p>

<p>Lee: I think what we need is sufficient proof, incredible proof. For instance, if I said that aliens have landed in a spaceship in Washington D.C., you’d probably say, number one, how can you tell? But secondly, you know, would you believe it? Yeah, you would probably believe it if you had a credible source of information—like NBC and ABC had a report, and they’ve got eyewitnesses. You’d probably believe it even though it would be absolutely extraordinary for aliens to land in Washington D.C. So I don’t think we need extraordinary. We just need good evidence. We need persuasive evidence just as you would for any other claim that you’re making.</p>

<p>Greg: I am with you on that.</p>

<p>Lee: Often, though, they just raise that bar unreasonably high.</p>

<p>Greg: Well, I’m with you entirely on that. It doesn’t take extraordinary evidence. It just takes adequate evidence. And if you let them use that language, then what’s going to happen is, no evidence will be extraordinary enough to justify a belief that goes against their worldview. Okay?</p>

<p>Lee: That’s exactly right.</p>

<p>Greg: And I like the way that this gal put it. I mean, this is a tell, this is a giveaway. “What would it take for <em>me</em> to believe?” Well, that’s true. What would it take for you to believe? You’d have to have a chicken be a grandmaster in chess. But that says more about you than it does about the evidence.</p>

<p>Lee: Yes, that’s exactly right.</p>

<p>Greg: One wag put it this way. He said, “You, the atheist, said you’ll believe in God if God would just come down and talk to you face to face,” and he said, “If God did that to you, you wouldn’t go to God; you’d go to a psychiatrist.”</p>

<p>Lee: Exactly right. And so I think we have to say, you know, where the miracle bell goes off for me is when there’s an absolutely extraordinary circumstance in a spiritual context for which we’ve got strong evidence—that is, either scientific evidence or documentation of some sort, medical documentation, eyewitnesses—and there’s no naturalistic explanation that makes really any sense.</p>

<p>Greg: Yeah.</p>

<p>Lee: You know, when I see those things going on, that’s when the miracle bell kind of goes off for me.</p>

<p>Greg: Right. Well, I know how Michael’s going to respond to that, and I’m not sure if I read this also in your book, but I’ve heard him say it before, and he said, “Why can’t we just say we don’t know? Why not that? That’s just a perfectly good explanation.” And to me, that’s like saying you found a dead man with three bullet holes in his chest, a couple of knives in his back, and you’re trying to find a naturalistic explanation for his death, and you’re saying, “Why can’t we just say we don’t know?” Because we do know. We’ve got all the evidence we need to show that someone was involved in that.</p>

<p>Lee: Exactly. When the evidence points in a certain direction, it’s natural to take a step in the same direction the evidence is pointing and reach a conclusion. And, you know, all conclusions, I guess, are to some degree provisional—you know, open to new evidence or new interpretations—but let’s declare what the evidence tells us at this point. Otherwise, you’d never have a jury reach a verdict.</p>

<p>Greg: That’s right. That’s right. Now, I know one of Shermer’s concerns had to do with the clinical evidence for answered prayer, and he said, “Yeah, well they’ve already tested that out, and it just didn���t work out well.” Take a moment—this was one of the most fascinating parts of the book for me, partly because it was a tutorial on the kinds of claims people make about things that look different when you look closer, you know. So tell us what he was referring to and what you discovered when you looked closer.</p>

<p>Lee: Yeah, this was absolutely fascinating to me. I mean, one of the things he threw in my face during the interview was that there was a major study. He said, “Look, you can give me some anecdotes, you can suggest some anecdotes, that are kind of persuasive about miracles, but when you test it scientifically, it just shows that God does not answer prayer, that miracles are not happening.” And he specifically pointed to an in-depth study. It was a 10-year, 2.4-million-dollar study called the STEP Study that showed where you had people being prayed for who were recovering from heart surgery and another group that was not being prayed for, and they did it under clinical circumstances and used scientific rigor, and what did they find? They found that the group that was prayed for got a little worse than the group that was not prayed for. In other words, prayer either had zero effect or even maybe possibly a slightly negative effect on people who were seeking healing. And so, he said to me, “There you go. You just sort of lost everything right there with that study.”</p>

<p>Greg: It pulls the rug out from underneath you. Right.</p>

<p>Lee: Yeah. And I’m kind of scratching my head, saying, “Oh, wow, that is interesting.” But you know, I’m a journalist, so I check things out. So I go to a PhD from Harvard who’s a professor at Indiana University, Dr. Candy Gunther Brown, who studies things like miracles scientifically, and I said, “What about that? What about that circumstance?” And she looked at me, and she said, “Lee, what you have to understand about that, the only Protestants who prayed in that survey were from the Unity School of Christianity.” The Unity School of Christianity is most definitely not a Christian denomination…</p>

<p>Greg: Right, it’s not Protestant, either.</p>

<p>Lee: …It’s a cult.</p>

<p>Greg: Right, right exactly.</p>

<p>Lee: And, you know, I quote many experts in the book who say that even though they have the word “Christian” in their name, they’re anything but Christians.</p>

<p>Greg: Yeah.</p>

<p>Lee: It’s a bunch of New Age mysticism, and pantheism, and all kinds of other stuff thrown in. They reject the historic tenets of Christianity.</p>

<p>Greg: Right.</p>

<p>Lee: They have a Christian-sounding name. They’re not Christian in any respect in terms of their doctrine or teaching. In fact, they don’t even believe in a personal God. They don’t even believe that it’s appropriate to ask God for anything. It’s just absurd. So I said to her, “So what does this study tell us about the impact of prayer to heal people?” And she said, “It tells us absolutely nothing.” And I thought, that’s a great—you know, you quoted the proverb earlier that, you know, somebody presents a case that sounds persuasive until there’s cross-examination.</p>

<p>Greg: Right.</p>

<p>Lee: And it was a great example of just pulling the rug out from under <em>him</em> and showing that the study that he was relying on, honestly, they should have taken 2.4 million dollars and just flushed it down a toilet…</p>

<p>Greg: Right.</p>

<p>Lee: …because it just tells us zero about Christian prayer.</p>

<p>Greg: You know, I think—there’s a couple of thoughts I have about that, too. One of them is, our claim is not that prayer works. Our claim is that God answers prayer. That’s different. It isn’t like prayer is a certain kind of mechanism that when you pray it, then things happen, doesn’t matter who’s praying as long as they’re saying it. We’re saying that our God answers the prayers of those properly related to our God, and therefore, if you’re going to do a study like that, it’s got to match—to test <em>our</em> claim—it’s got to be our people talking to our God to see if our God is responding to their prayers. That would narrow it down.</p>

<p>Lee: That’s exactly right. And so what I thought was interesting is, Dr. Brown had heard about an outbreak of miracles supposedly happening in Mozambique where the gospel is just kind of breaking in. So she said, “I’m going to study it.” So she takes a team of researchers to Mozambique to conduct a scientific study. So what did they do? They went to these remote villages. They brought out the deaf and the blind and people who could barely see or hear. They tested them scientifically to determine the level of hearing and vision that they had. They were then immediately prayed for, not in some emotional atmosphere, but immediately prayed for by Christians who have a track record of God using them in healings. And hands are laid on them, they’re prayed for in the name of Jesus, and then immediately after that, they’re measured scientifically again. So what did they find? They found that there was some degree of improvement in virtually every single case. Some of them astoundingly so, like Martine, a woman who, before prayer, they tested her and her hearing was so bad she couldn’t hear the equivalent of a jackhammer next to her. She’s prayed for in the name of Jesus, she’s measured again, she could hear a normal conversation.</p>

<p>Greg: Wow.</p>

<p>Lee: And then they took—they went to Brazil. The results were so astounding they said, “We gotta see if we can replicate this.” They went to Brazil, did the same thing, got the same results. And this was a scientifically valid experiment that was published in a secular, scientific, peer-reviewed medical journal. And so she said to me, you know, she’s reluctant as a scholar to draw too many conclusions, but she said, “Something’s going on.”</p>

<p>Greg: Yeah. I’ll say something’s going on.</p>

<p>Lee: Yeah.</p>

<p>Greg: I have another thought about this. I think that that approach may be helpful, as you just demonstrated, to qualify the power of prayer or the efficacy of prayer, but I don’t think it’s the right approach to try to disqualify it. And I’ll tell you why I think this. C.S. Lewis wrote about prayer just towards the end of his life, a short piece—[<em>Letters] to Malcolm:&nbsp;Chiefly on Prayer</em> is the name of it. But he mentions that God is not a machine. God is a person. You make requests of a person, and a person can either answer or not, dependent on that person’s own reasons, you know. And so, I mean, one could imagine—what if we tested Michael Shermer’s daughter to see how many times she asked her dad about something and her dad, Michael Shermer, said yes. And maybe, because she’s a kid, she only gets 10% of her requests answered positively because she doesn’t know how to ask properly. That doesn’t mean, “Well, that 90% error—so that’s not statistically significant. Her dad, Michael Shermer, doesn’t exist.” You see the point I’m making?</p>

<p>Lee: I think it’s a great point. I think it’s very astute, you know, and interestingly, there would probably be requests that Michael Shermer would deny out of care and love for his daughter, knowing that if he granted that request, there’d be a problem.</p>


title: The Bible Doesn’t Say What He Thinks It Says
topic: Bioethics
author: Tim Barnett
date: 10/19/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-bible-doesn-t-say-what-he-thinks-it-says
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/b8tJHsY9f2s?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/374271/RedPenLogic_LifeBeginsAtFirstBreath_JohnFufelsang+Edit4.001.jpeg/9033d88d-6982-237d-0849-3294f07df69c?t=1602856588650" style="height: auto; width: 433.991px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>John Fugelsang attempts to show a contradiction between what the pro-life Christian believes (“life begins at conception”) and what he thinks the Bible teaches (“life begins at first breath”). There’s a problem, though. It does not say life begins at “first breath.” It says God breathed into Adam after forming him from dust, and he came to life. Genesis 2 is describing a special act involving a special couple. It’s not teaching when every human being comes to life.</p>

<p>There’s a second problem. The Bible clearly recognizes personal human life before first breath. The clear example is how Luke describes Jesus and John the Baptist before either took their first breath.</p>

<p>But&nbsp;even if the Bible didn’t explicitly state when life begins, so what? The science of embryology is clear: Human life begins at conception. And this is perfectly consistent with Scripture.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>One way for a skeptic to undermine a Christian’s convictions is to show what the Christian thinks conflicts with what the Bible actually teaches. But for this to work, you actually have to know what the Bible teaches.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we help you assess bad thinking by using good thinking. And we have a lot of fun while we’re doing it.</p>

<p>In today’s example, John Fugelsang tries to use the Bible to correct a pro-life Christian’s claim, “life begins at conception.” His tweet says: “Well don’t tell God, because the Bible says life begins at first breath. Sorry, I didn’t write it.” John Fugelsang is trying to show a contradiction between what the Christian believes (“life begins at conception”) and what the Bible teaches (“life begins at first breath”). It’s a smart strategy, but let’s take a deep breath and see if it works.</p>

<p>Fugelsang doesn’t give us any Bible references to show that the Bible says life begins at first breath, but I think it’s safe to assume that he’s referring to the account of the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. But if that’s the case, we have a problem. Because the Bible doesn’t teach there that life begins at first breath. Fugelsang needs to take a closer look at his Bible. It says that God breathed into Adam, and Adam came to life (Genesis 2:7). So the author of Genesis is describing what God did in the unique circumstance of the creation of man and woman. He’s not telling us how all human beings come to life. The Bible doesn’t teach that every man comes to life at first breath any more than it teaches that every woman comes from the rib of a man. This was a special case. It only applied to the man made out of mud.</p>

<p>Fugelsang is guilty of taking a descriptive account of Adam and Eve’s unique creation and making it a prescriptive rule for when all life begins. If we want to know what the Bible teaches about when life begins, we’re going to have to look elsewhere. And when we do, we find the Bible consistently elevates the status of unborn humans to valuable individuals. In other words, the Bible recognizes personal life before first breath. That includes this passage from Psalm 139:13: “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” The Bible affirms that we exist in the womb as ourselves before we’re born.</p>

<p>And Luke makes the exact same point the psalmist makes. In Luke 1:41–44, he records—get this—a pre-birth interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist that tells us exactly what the biblical view is. When John is in the presence of Jesus, he’s filled with the Holy Spirit and leaps for joy. Why is this significant? Because this happens when John is a second trimester fetus and Jesus is a first trimester embryo. And by the way, embryos and fetuses don’t breathe. The text makes it very clear that Jesus and John the Baptist were living human beings before either took their first breath.</p>

<p>Now someone might say, “Well, Tim, the Bible never explicitly says that life begins at conception.” That’s true. Science does. The medical text book <em>The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology </em>says, “Human development begins at fertilization.... This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.” And the medical textbook titled <em>Before We are Born</em> says, “Embryology is concerned with the origin and development of a human being from zygote to birth.” And near the end of the same book, the authors say, “There are different opinions of when an embryo becomes a human being because opinions are often affected by religious and personal views. The scientific answer is that the embryo is a human being from the time of fertilization because of its human chromosomal constitution. The zygote is the beginning of a developing human.”</p>

<p>According to embryology, then, it’s a scientific fact that human life begins at conception. Therefore, abortion at any stage in development kills a human being. That’s science, not religion. So even if the Bible doesn’t say that life begins at conception, what it does say is totally consistent with what science says.</p>

<p>So, what have we learned? First, John Fugelsang is just mistaken about what the Bible says. It does not say that all life begins at first breath. It says that God breathed into Adam after forming him from the dust, and he came to life. Genesis 2 is describing a special act involving a special couple.</p>

<p>Second, the Bible clearly recognizes human life before first breath. And finally, even though the Bible doesn’t explicitly say when life begins, so what? Embryology is clear. Human life begins at conception. And this is totally consistent with Scripture. The Bible does not teach that life begins at first breath. But it does teach that human beings like Jesus and John were themselves long before their first breath.</p>

<p>Sorry, I didn’t write it either, John. But I did read it. Class dismissed.</p>


title: Is It Wrong to Think You’re Right?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/27/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-it-wrong-to-think-you-re-right-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ph56kXfMScc?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg responds to a common challenge from relativists that Christians face when trying to share their views.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I want to know what they think. I want them to think about what they think because I think most ideas against Christianity are not good ones. I think there’s some reasonable, understandable objections that have substance that need to be addressed, and I think can be, but a lot of the challenges to Christianity just turn out to be hot air. Okay?</p>

<p>“You shouldn’t be pushing your morality on me.” How am I—I’m confused—how am I pushing my morality on you? You notice, there’s a challenge to the Christian, and now I just ask a version of the question “What do you mean by that?” That’s all I did. Now, he’s got to explain what I’m doing wrong.</p>

<p>“Well, you think you’re right.” Now, let me ask you a question: Do you think that when I weigh in with a point of view, that I think I’m right? Yes. Of course I do. That’s why I believe what I believe. Everyone who weighs in with a point of view thinks he’s right. They all believe their beliefs are true. That’s why they believe what they believe, and if they didn’t believe they were true, they would believe something else and believe that were true.</p>

<p>So when people say, “You’re intolerant,” or, “You’re forcing your views,” well, what do you mean? “Well, you think you’re right. You think I should think the way you think.” I say, “Yeah, I do. I could be mistaken. I’m open to talking about that. But let me ask you a question.” Notice the sequence here, right? I’m tossing the ball back into their court: “Do you think <em>you’re</em> right?”</p>

<p>Now, what are they gonna say? “Oh no, my views are all wrong.” Of course they think they’re right. Both of us think we’re right, but I’m the only one being called names, right?</p>

<p>So my final question is, why is it when I think I’m right, I’m intolerant or forcing my morality, but when you think you’re right, you’re just right? What am I missing?</p>

<p>Of course, I’m not missing anything. That person is missing it.</p>


title: Truth Exists Whether We Know It or Not
topic: Philosophy
author: Jonathan Noyes
date: 06/29/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/truth-exists-whether-we-know-it-or-not
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/NJHbRqVlOhI?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Jonathan Noyes answers the question&nbsp;“What is truth?”</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Truth is that which accurately reflects reality. Now, when I teach my kids—I’ve got four amazing little girls, and I’m teaching them about the world around them, I’m teaching about the Christian worldview—I say that truth is that which accurately reflects reality. But what do I mean by that? I mean that that truth describes the world as it actually is, as it really is. That’s important.</p>

<p>Truth is also factually and logically correct, meaning it’s not false. Something can’t be both true and false at the same time. Truth is, by definition, exclusive. That’s really important to remember. If it’s true, it’s not false. That means it’s an exclusive claim. So, when people say you’re going to be exclusivist because you’re holding a truth claim or a worldview, in our instance, or a belief that stems out of our worldview, well, everybody believes—we’re going to get to that.</p>

<p>Truth is discovered, not invented. Now this is one of my most favorite parts of this definition. Truth is discovered, not invented. You see, scientists, they discover Pluto. They don’t invent Pluto. Scientists, they discover COVID-19. It’s a huge issue right now. That’s why we’re doing it this way, this conference, the summit, because there’s a virus. And the scientists didn’t invent it, they discovered it. And they discover things about it. See, truth is discovered, not invented. And I love that, because truth exists independent of it being known.</p>

<p>And when you relate those two last definitions of truth right here—truth is discovered, not invented, and truth exists independent of it being known—it blows my mind. There are so many truths out there that haven’t even been discovered yet. I love thinking about that because as I’m talking to you, I’m 40. You guys, I don’t know how old you are in your setting right now, but you’re the future. And you, you guys are going to go discover so many more truths that are already out there waiting to be discovered. And I love that; it’s really exciting.</p>

<p>It’s also important to understand here, lastly, that truth is not belief. What do I mean by that? That’s a good question. I hold a ton of beliefs, I’m sure, that are false. Hopefully not willingly. Like I said at the onset of our discussion, right now, if you hold to a false belief and you learn that it’s false, it probably benefits you and do you well to abandon that belief. But truth is not belief. Truth is independent of that.</p>


title: Christians Are Really Atheists—Kinda, Sorta, Not Really
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Tim Barnett
date: 08/31/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/christians-are-really-atheists-kinda-sorta-not-really
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/fBPxI0cVQD8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/255354/RedPenLogic_OneLessGodTheAtheistBuddhist.001.jpg/fb4bbb0b-18a0-e651-dcfa-ae6e0b1e42b5?t=1598487069953" style="height: auto; width: 490px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It has become increasingly common—especially on the internet—to hear atheists say, “Christians are atheists too. They’re just atheists of one less god than me.” The “one less god” he’s referring to is, of course, Yahweh. In other words, the Christian is an atheist who believes in one God.</p>

<p>If that sounds weird, it should. First, it just makes no sense to call a Christian an atheist of any kind. That’s a misuse of the word. It’s akin to calling a married man, like me, a bachelor with one wife.</p>

<p>Second, pointing out that Christians and atheists both reject a pantheon of gods is a clever move&nbsp;but tells us nothing about the existence of the Christian God. Christians reject the pantheon for the same reason atheists do: no evidence. And they accept the God of Christianity because there is good evidence. It’s that simple!</p>

<p>Third, the next time you hear someone say, “You’re an atheist of one less god than me,” move towards the objection, not away from it. That is, just agree with them, then point out its irrelevance. Say something like, “You’re right, I am an atheist regarding every other god. Now what?” This neutralizes their rhetorical move&nbsp;and directs the discussion where it belongs: on the evidence for the Christian God.</p>

<p>Class dismissed.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Hey, Christian, you’re an atheist too—who believes in one God.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B., where we help you assess bad thinking by using good thinking, and we take this job very, very seriously.</p>

<p>In today’s tweet, The Atheist Buddhist offers an argument—scratch that—an observation that he thinks somehow undermines theism. The tweet says, “If you’re a Christian or a Muslim then you’re an atheist too. You’re just an atheist of one less god than me. #Atheism.” The tweet includes an image of three graves—one for Zeus, one for Odin, and one prepared for Yahweh. And it says, “Mythology is where old gods go to die. It’s time to dig a fresh grave.” Well, maybe graves are where bad ideas go to die too. And this challenge is certainly one of them. Well, here we go again.</p>

<p>It’s common to hear atheists make this point, especially on the internet. Note the thinking: Christians are atheists too. They just believe in one less God than me. The “one less God” they’re referring to, of course, is Yahweh. In other words, the Christian is an atheist who believes in one God.</p>

<p>Let me ask you a question. If you’re a married man, are you a bachelor too? You are, on this reasoning, billions of times over, because you’re unmarried to all the other women on the planet. Does this seem right to you?</p>

<p>Let’s get some terms straight. The atheist believes there is no God. The Christian believes there is. This shouldn’t be controversial. So when it comes to the God question, the difference between one and none is pretty important. It’s like the difference between being a bachelor and being married. I’m not going too quickly here, am I?</p>

<p>Now imagine one of my single friends comes to me and says, “Tim, you’re actually a bachelor too. You’re just a bachelor of one less woman than me.” Not exactly profound. Plus, I don’t think my wife would appreciate it. Of course we believe in one more God than the atheist. I mean, that’s the difference between a theist and an atheist.</p>

<p>But there’s another problem. The “I just believe in one less god than you” slogan smuggles in a faulty assumption. It assumes that the evidence for, say, Baal, or Thor, or Zeus and Yahweh is all the same. If you can dismiss one, then you can dismiss them all. In “The God Delusion,” Richard Dawkins writes, “I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist when considering Zeus, Apollo, Amon Ra, Mithras, Baal, Thor, Wotan, the Golden Calf, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I just go one God further.”</p>

<p>So imagine if someone denied the existence of actor Jack Nicholson. (You know, “You can’t handle the truth.”) Let’s call them an a-jack-ist. They don’t believe in Jack. And let’s say they wrote a book called, I don’t know, maybe “The Jack Delusion?” In it, they state, “I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I’m an a-jack-ist, to point out that they are also an a-jack-ist regarding Jack Bauer, Jack Ryan, Jack Reacher, Jack Frost, and Captain Jack Sparrow. I just go one Jack further.</p>

<p>Here’s the point: Just because you have no reason to believe in Captain Jack Sparrow does not mean you have no reason to believe in Jack Nicholson. Not all Jacks are equal. We have to weigh the evidence for each. And just because we don’t have good reason to believe in Zeus or Baal does not mean we don’t have good reason to believe in the God of Christianity. It turns out we do have good reason to believe in the Christian God, even if we don’t have good reason to believe in these other gods.</p>

<p>One more thing. Even if we accept the notion that Christians are atheists too, so what? Nothing meaningful follows. Would this mean that God doesn’t exist? No. Would this mean that Christianity is false? Not even close. So this clever meme, even if true, takes us nowhere.</p>

<p>So what have we learned? First, it makes no sense to call a Christian, or a Muslim for that matter, an atheist of any kind. That’s a misuse of the word. Second, pointing out that Christians and atheists both reject the pantheon of gods out there might be a clever move, but it says nothing about our God. Third, the next time you hear someone say, “Well, you’re just an atheist of one less god than me,” move toward the objection, not away from it. Just agree with them, and then point out its irrelevance. Say something like, “You’re right, I’m an atheist with regard to every other god. Now what?” This neutralizes their rhetorical move and directs the discussion where it belongs—on the evidence for the Christian God.</p>

<p>The Atheist Buddhist thinks it’s time to dig Yahweh’s grave? Well, I think it’s time to bury this irrelevant challenge. Class dismissed.</p>


title: Pro-Choicer Thinks Jesus’ Silence on Abortion Affirms Abortion...It Doesn’t!
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 08/03/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/pro-choicer-thinks-jesus-silence-on-abortion-affirms-abortion...it-doesn-t-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/wgBNkI6Rt3w?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/374271/RedPenLogic_JesusDidntTalkAboutUnborn_PamKeith.001.jpeg/fc944504-adcf-6bb1-49cf-8478ba086040?t=1598546866203" style="height: auto; width: 500px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In today’s example, pro-choice proponent Pam Keith tries to correct pro-life Christians by appealing to something Jesus (supposedly) did not say. Here’s her logic: If Jesus didn’t mention the unborn, then they didn’t matter to him. And if they didn’t matter to him, they shouldn’t matter to us.<br>
<br>
There are actually three fatal flaws in this approach. First, even if it is true that Jesus didn’t say anything about the unborn (and we don’t actually know that), nothing logically follows from it. We certainly cannot conclude—as Pam Keith implies—that the unborn didn’t matter to Jesus. That’s a textbook example of a fallacious argument from silence.<br>
<br>
Second, Jesus clearly did say a lot about the authority of the Old Testament. And the Old Testament affirms the value and dignity of human beings before they are born. Therefore it’s reasonable to think Jesus would affirm their dignity and value, too.<br>
<br>
Third, in the New Testament, even Jesus and John are treated as themselves—genuine, complete, valuable human beings—while they are still in utero.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>In today’s example, pro-choice proponent Pam Keith tries to correct pro-life Christians by appealing to something Jesus supposedly didn’t say. Here’s the tweet: “In the Gospels, Jesus speaks often about how to treat people. He covers a lot of turf on the sick, the lepers, the afflicted, the poor, widows, daughters, sons, tax collectors, travelers, strangers, learned men, fools, the old and the young. But not one word about the unborn.”</p>

<p>Pam seems to think that Jesus’ apparent silence is significant. In a follow-up tweet, she says, “If they were important to him, at least one of the Gospels would reflect it.” Here’s her logic: If Jesus didn’t mention the unborn, then they didn’t matter to him. And if they didn’t matter to him, then they shouldn’t matter to us. You know what we gotta do, right?</p>

<p>There are actually three fatal flaws in Pam’s approach. First, let’s just assume Pam is right and Jesus never said anything about the unborn. What then can we conclude about Jesus’ view of the unborn? The answer’s simple. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. Think about it. The historical record is also silent on Jesus’ view of slavery, sex trafficking, spousal abuse, child abuse, drug use, sexual assault, systemic racism, and gay bashing. Should we take his silence on these issues to mean that they didn’t matter to him?</p>

<p>Also, there’s a big difference between the record being silent about Jesus’ opinion on something and Jesus being silent about it. Remember, there are many things that Jesus said and did that just weren’t written down. John tells us that.</p>

<p>And by the way, we shouldn’t expect Jesus to weigh in on every moral issue. His primary purpose was to seek and to save the lost, not to construct a comprehensive code of ethics.</p>

<p>Incidentally, Jesus spent much of his time speaking to Jews who treated children, including unborn children, as a blessing, a reward, and a fulfillment of God’s promise. In other words, explicitly condemning abortion, to the Jews, was unnecessary since it was a non-issue. So even if Jesus didn’t say anything about the unborn, nothing follows. Pam’s attempt is a textbook example of an argument from silence—trying to conclude what someone did believe by what they didn’t say. Bottom line, Jesus’ silence is not approval.</p>

<p>This leads to the second flaw, the failure to realize that sometimes we can infer Jesus’ view on one thing by listening to his view on a related thing. Stay with me on this. We all know Jesus was convinced the Old Testament was authoritative. He referred to it as the Word of God that cannot be broken. That’s why he constantly refuted his opponents by appealing to the authority of the Scriptures. Yet, implicit in Pam’s tweet is the presumption that Jesus’ words, or lack thereof, are more authoritative than the rest of Scripture. But that wasn’t Jesus’ view.</p>

<p>All Scripture was God’s word to him, not just the red letters. And that includes this passage from Psalm 139:13: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Notice, according to this passage, the psalmist was himself even before he was born. So in light of Jesus’ explicit affirmation of the Scriptures, we know what he believed about the unborn—the same thing the psalmist believes—namely, that we existed in the womb as ourselves before we were born.</p>

<p>Third, Luke, the Gospel writer, makes the exact same point the psalmist makes. In Luke 1:41–44 he records a pre-birth interaction between Jesus and John the Baptist that speaks directly to a biblical view of the unborn. When John is in the presence of Jesus, he’s filled with the Holy Spirit, and he leaps for joy. And why is this significant? Because this happens when John is a second trimester fetus and Jesus is a first trimester embryo.</p>

<p>So what have we learned? First, even if Jesus didn’t say anything about the unborn—and we actually don’t know—we certainly cannot conclude, as Pam implies, that the unborn didn’t matter to Jesus. That’s a textbook example of the fallacious argument from silence.</p>

<p>Second, Jesus did say a lot about the authority of the Old Testament, and the Old Testament affirms the value and dignity of human beings before they were born. Therefore, Jesus would affirm their value and dignity too.</p>

<p>Third, in the New Testament, even Jesus and John are treated as themselves—genuine, complete, valuable human beings even in utero. So even if the Gospels are silent on the unborn—and they’re not—that does not mean Jesus would condone the taking of innocent human life through abortion.</p>

<p>Class dismissed.</p>


title: Author Defends Stealing Everyone’s Stuff...Except the Author’s Stuff
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Tim Barnett
date: 09/21/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/author-defends-stealing-everyone-s-stuff...except-the-author-s-stuff
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2aaKyddJ-U?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/255354/RedPenLogic_InDefenseOfLooting_VickyOsterweil_Update.001.jpeg/2af3c1d6-acd3-2f96-2c88-6e1469bc37fc?t=1600227146300" style="height: auto; width: 446.037px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>In this video, we show that Vicky Osterweil’s book self-destructs in three ways. One, it argues against other people’s&nbsp;property rights while using copyright law to protect the author’s property rights. Two, it rejects property rights because they support racism while appealing to intellectual property rights, thus promoting racism. Three, it condemns capitalism—“We would be able to live without a wage if we freely shared the products of society” (p. 16)—but then affirms capitalism in practice since the book is not freely shared with society,&nbsp;but rather sells for a tidy little profit at the easy-to-find capitalist mega-monster...Amazon!&nbsp;<br>
<br>
Over and over, Osterweil undermines the Marxist case by doing the very things the book says shouldn’t be done. In other words, Osterweil’s actions contradict her convictions.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>If you buy this book, you’ll find out that taking others’ property is no problem. You just can’t take the author’s property without permission because that would be theft. Confused?</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we assess bad thinking by using good thinking, and we have a lot of fun while we’re doing it. In today’s example, we look at some self-defeating inconsistencies in a new book titled <em>In Defense of Looting</em> by Vicky Osterweil. The book argues that stealing goods and destroying property are appropriate strategies to redistribute wealth and improve life for the working class.</p>

<p>Osterweil defends looting by undermining property rights. In fact, looting “rejects the legitimacy of ownership rights and property” (p.&nbsp;3), and, “The right to property is innately structurally white supremacist: support for white supremacy involves a commitment to property and the commodity form” (p.&nbsp;16). The author couldn’t be more clear. Not only is the right to property illegitimate, it’s racist. Supporting private property rights is supporting white supremacy. Stick around. You’re not going to want to miss this one.</p>

<p>Let’s start with a quick reminder. Red Pen Logic is concerned with ideas, not individuals. Some people mistakenly think that exposing bad thinking is an attack on the individual. It’s not. All people have the same value, no question, but all ideas don’t. Some ideas are just plain bad. Like this one.</p>

<p>So what about the ideas in this new book? In the opening pages, Osterweil states, “Racial settler colonialism is thus at the core of all modern notions of property. All our beliefs about the righteousness of property, ownership, and commodity production are built on the history of anti-black violence and settler-colonial extraction. The right to property is innately, structurally white supremacist: support for white supremacy involves a commitment to property and the commodity form.”</p>

<p>Sometimes the easiest way to deal with an idea is to show how it self-destructs. For example, what’s wrong with the claim&nbsp;“I can’t speak a word in English”?&nbsp;Well, my claim, “I can’t speak a word in English,” is immediately undermined by my actions when I say it in English. So the claim&nbsp;“I can’t speak a word in English” self-destructs. Speaking the claim in English undermines the claim in practice.</p>

<p>Osterweil’s argument fails in the same way. That is, there is a self-defeating inconsistency in what the author says on the one hand and what the author does on the other. Let me show you. In the beginning of the book, we find the words that I just read. Pardon the reminder. “The right to property is innately, structurally white supremacist: support for white supremacy involves a commitment to property and the commodity form,” which includes “intellectual property and copyright” (p.&nbsp;35). But wait a minute. On another page in the same book, we find the author’s copyright of the book’s intellectual property with a stern warning not to steal it: “The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.” The author must also be a racist—indeed, a white supremacist. Hear me out.</p>

<p>Remember, the book already explicitly states that the right to property is innately racist. In fact, commitment to property and commodities is support for white supremacy. Those are the author’s words, not mine. The book itself—Vicky’s commodity—relies on copyright laws to protect the author’s intellectual property. So while enforcing the rights of the commodity, the book itself, Osterweil is playing the white supremacist. Well, this is awkward.</p>

<p>One more thing. Osterweil’s Marxist worldview shows up on every page. The author defines looting as a method of redistribution of wealth from store owners and capitalists to the poor (p.&nbsp;4) and then refers to capitalism as “a cruel system, built for the creation and reification of things, not for the flourishing of people” (p.&nbsp;15). I can’t help but wonder if authors who sell their books on Amazon are part of that cruel system.</p>

<p>Osterweil seems fine redistributing other people’s wealth and even refers to looting as “shopping for free,” but we have to go to capitalist giant Amazon and pay 28 bucks if we want a copy of <em>In Defense of Looting</em>. That ain’t free, and that ain’t cheap.</p>

<p>So, what have we learned? First, when someone writes a book defending a particular view, it’s completely appropriate to evaluate the view. This is not a personal attack on the author. We’re only interested in figuring out if the idea is a good one or a bad one. That’s all.</p>

<p>Second, one way to show if an idea is a bad one is to see if it self-destructs. Some ideas sound good in theory but don’t work in practice.</p>

<p>Third, we showed that Vicky Osterweil’s book self-destructs in three ways. One, it argues against other people’s property rights while using copyright law to protect the author’s property rights. Two, it rejects property rights because they support racism while appealing to intellectual property rights, thus promoting racism. Three, it condemns capitalism—“We would be able to live without a wage if we freely shared the products of society” (p.&nbsp;16)��but then affirms capitalism in practice since the book is not freely shared with society,&nbsp;but rather sells for a tidy profit at the easy-to-find capitalist mega monster, Amazon.</p>

<p>Over and over, Osterweil undermines the Marxist case by doing the very things the book says shouldn’t be done. In other words, Osterweil’s actions contradict her convictions. Vicky Osterweil’s <em>In Defense of Looting</em> communicates two conflicting messages. It shouts from the rooftops that it’s okay to take other people’s property without their permission, but then it whispers that it’s theft to take the author’s property without permission. Sorry, Vicky. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Class dismissed.</p>


title: Apologetics Removes Obstacles to the Gospel
topic: Christian Living
author: Tim Barnett
date: 01/24/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/apologetics-removes-obstacles-to-the-gospel
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/2O2ivq-jVRY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>In this fourth part of Tim’s “Why Apologetics?” series, he explains how apologetics does the work of pre-evangelism by responding to people’s ideas at the worldview level, removing obstacles to the gospel.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>The late philosopher and theologian Francis Schaeffer referred to apologetics as pre-evangelism. This is the idea that God uses well-reasoned answers and arguments as a springboard to the gospel of Jesus Christ.</p>

<p>[In his book <em>Mere Apologetics</em>,] Oxford theologian Alister McGrath says, “Apologetics lays the ground for this invitation; evangelism extends it.”</p>

<p>That’s it exactly. Apologetics and evangelism work together. For example, for many people it makes no sense to talk about the Son of God, who communicates the word of God, who performs acts of God, and brings the salvation of God, unless there is a God. This is where apologetics is so valuable. Apologetics lays the ground—it builds the foundation—for belief in God through arguments and evidence. This is pre-evangelism.</p>

<p>In addition, the culture is deeply saturated in at least three dominant philosophies: relativism, pluralism, and naturalism. This is the cultural water that we all live in. Relativism says there is no truth. Pluralism says there’s no religious truth. And naturalism says there’s no supernatural truth. Do you see a problem in doing evangelism in this cultural climate? We are presenting absolute truth to a relativistic culture, [an] exclusivist message to a pluralistic culture, and a supernatural view to a naturalistic culture.</p>

<p>It is no surprise that Christians are confronted with questions like “How can Jesus be the only way?” or, “Hasn’t science proven that miracles are impossible?” or, “Who are you to force your morality on me?” These questions are born out of a secular worldview that we swim in. Apologetics responds to these questions at the worldview level.</p>

<p>Now, these philosophies produce questions that become obstacles to the gospel. I call them gosptacles. (Now, everyone say “gosptacle”!) The apologist’s job is to help remove these gosptacles—these obstacles to the faith. We answer questions, respond to challenges, [and] refute bad philosophy in the hope that people—with the help of the Holy Spirit—will be more receptive to hearing and receiving the gospel.</p>

<p>In an address delivered in 1912 (over 100 years ago) at Princeton Theological Seminary, J. Gresham Machen said, “False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the reception of the gospel.... Under such circumstances, what God desires us to do is to destroy the obstacle at its root.”</p>

<p>That’s the job of apologetics.</p>

<p>Not only does the Bible <a href="/w/christians-are-commanded-to-be-apologists" rel="" title="">command apologetics</a>, but the culture also demands we use apologetics to reach them.</p>


title: Thoughts, Advice, and Encouragement from Greg
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/25/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/thoughts-advice-and-encouragement-from-greg-1
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_9LSJupvY-s?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg has some thoughts, advice, and encouragement for you as we go through this crisis together. The Lord is our shepherd. Our hope is in Him.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Hi there. Just wanted to take a moment and offer some thoughts and maybe an encouragement while you’re sequestered at home like I am right now here in my office. I want you to understand that we at Stand to Reason are really with you. We are going through what you’re going through. We are challenged in the way that you’re challenged on a professional basis and also on an individual basis, and that’s okay. We’re in this together. We’re on your side. We’re not only with you, but we are praying for you. We are concerned about how everybody in our larger community is doing.</p>

<p>We’re working hard also to keep things rolling at STR so we can be available to you when you need us the most like times like now. So, things have been awkward, they’ve been hard, they’ve been challenging. We can only have one person in the office at a time, but we have a great team. We have good leadership, and I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about the whole, the executive staff that are making things really happen at the office. And we will continue our radio broadcast. I’ll be doing it from home. We’ll be continuing #STRask, we’ll be continuing fulfilling orders, we’re going to continue doing everything. And this brings me to a point that has been a big encouragement for me as I think about times like this, and it might be an encouragement for you.</p>

<p>Proverbs says that “the hand of the diligent shall rule.” The hand of the diligent shall rule. In other words, if you’re shut down in some areas of your life, do not become a couch potato. Make the best use of this time that you possibly can. And I guarantee you there’s lots of things that you can do that are productive with your family, or in your home, or in your business, or whatever opportunities you have to keep moving forward. That’s one of the best pieces of advice that I can give you. It’s what I’m doing here. It’s what our team is doing as well. We’ve got our hands to the plow. We’re going to continue to do what we can do. We’re staying active, and we’re doing our job.</p>

<p>I want to offer one other thought too. A passage from Scripture that you’re quite familiar with, I’m sure. But it’s one that I reflect on frequently when I go through times like this, and I do go through times like this just like everybody else. And I wake up in the middle of the night, and I’m concerned, and this is what I recite to myself: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; he guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the midst of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” And I might add, so will you. Greg Koukl for Stand to Reason. Keep giving them Heaven.</p>


title: Transform the Way You Think About Evangelism
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 03/30/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/transform-the-way-you-think-about-evangelism
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/SdcJKT45rmE?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg discusses John 4, outlining a process of evangelism involving one field, one team, two seasons, and two types of workers.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I began reading in John chapter four a number of years ago and saw something there that I had never seen before that really has changed my perspective on this whole enterprise that we now call evangelism, we have always called evangelism. And in John chapter 4, you know, Jesus talks to the woman at the well, and then she goes off to Sychar to tell everybody her encounter with Jesus, and the disciples are off getting food, they come by, and Jesus says to the disciples, "You are about to reap where you did not sow." You are about to reap where you did not sow. In other words, you're coming in here, somebody else did the heavy lifting, and you're gonna get the low-hanging fruit.</p>

<p>Notice though when Jesus says this, He's identifying something really important. He's identifying one field. In that case, it was Sychar. But He's identifying two seasons and two types of workers. The two seasons are the sowing season and the reaping season. And there are sowers and there are reapers. One field, one team, two seasons, and two types of workers. Now, I want you to think about a sentence. It's like an aphorism. It's just like a pithy saying that is very obviously true, and it seems almost overly simplistic, but it could transform the way you engage if you let it sink in, and here is that statement. I want you to write it down if you're taking notes. Before there can be any harvest, there always has to be a season of, let's just call it gardening, okay? Before there can be any harvest, you always have to have a season of gardening.</p>

<p>And by the way, that's always been the case. Francis Schaeffer in the 80s, when he wrote about this, he called it pre-evangelism. It's very difficult for somebody to become a Christian right away. Sometimes it happens, they get the message, they hear it, bang, they're in. But most people take a little time to think about it. This is a total transformation of your thinking about the world. It's a total transformation about the way you live your life, and you're being invited to embrace that, "Wait a minute, I want to think about it a little bit," and that's a good thing. And in my case, even in the 70s, there were months and months of me knocking things around and thinking about it. And nowadays, I think that period of gardening in people's&nbsp;lives is much much longer, usually.</p>


title: Atheist Blindly Believes Biblical Faith Is Blind
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 06/01/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheist-blindly-believes-biblical-faith-is-blind
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_pipQnQ6Qvs?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/0/2020-06-01-RPL-Graphic.jpeg/aeb0b374-ec56-ed84-8f18-d9989e964b28?t=1590675228537" style="height: auto; width: 50%; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></p>

<p>In today’s example, Atheist Quote Bot offers a definition of faith from atheist philosopher Peter Boghossian. The tweet simply reads: “Definition of Faith: Pretending to know things you don’t know.”&nbsp;This definition has two major problems. First, it isn’t biblical. That is, Boghossian’s definition of faith is not the Bible's definition. It's just the opposite. Biblically informed Christians define faith as trusting in what you have reason to believe is true.</p>

<p>Second, Boghossian's definition treats faith as a way of knowing—pretending to know things you don’t know. That’s another straw man. Christian faith is trust based on knowledge grounded in evidence. Each part of that sentence is important.</p>

<p>Sadly, many—like Atheist Quote Bot—will blindly believe Boghossian without looking into what Christianity actually teaches. Ironically, he just asserts his definition of faith without any evidence.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>If you’re going to critique something basic to Christianity, don���t be blind to what you’re critiquing.</p>

<p>I’m Tim Barnett, and today we’re applying some red pen logic to a tweet from Atheist Quote Bot quoting well-known atheist Peter Boghossian. Class is in session.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we help you assess bad thinking by using good thinking. Plus, we have some fun in the process. In today’s example, Atheist Quote Bot offers a definition of faith from atheist Peter Boghossian. The tweet simply reads, “Definition of Faith: Pretending to know things you don’t know.” This is a quote from Boghossian’s book <em>A Manual for Creating Atheists</em>. (It should have been called <em>A Manual for Creating Atheists Who Create Straw Men</em>.) All right, it’s time for Mr. B to pull out the red pen and respond to Dr. B. (See what I did there?)</p>

<p>First, Boghossian’s definition isn’t biblical. It may be <em>his</em> definition, but it’s not the Bible’s definition. If you want to critique another’s view, you have to critique <em>their</em> view and not your own distortion of their view. Otherwise, you’ll just be jousting with a straw man. Boghossian is welcome to make up his own definition of faith—have at it—but he isn’t welcome to make up what the Bible means when it uses the word.</p>

<p>Boghossian’s definition of faith is not <em>our</em> definition of faith. Ours is actually just the opposite. Biblically informed Christians define faith as trusting in what you have good reason to believe is true. And where would they get such a crazy idea? I’m glad you asked.</p>

<p>Consider John chapter 20: “Now Jesus did many other signs”—those would be miracles—“in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written”—why, John?—“so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Note, John clearly states that belief is based on evidence. The whole reason John wrote his Gospel was to provide trustworthy eyewitness evidence to base belief on. Does that sound like John wants us to believe without evidence?</p>

<p>Or how about these statements from the Bible: “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the period of 40 days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” And: “Even though you do not believe Me, believe the works“—that is, the miracles—“that you may know and understand the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.” Now, someone could say the evidence is inadequate. Fair enough. But that doesn’t mean there’s no appeal to evidence. So, Boghossian gets faith wrong. Sorry.</p>

<p>But there’s a second problem.</p>

<p>Boghossian says Christians think faith is a way of knowing—pretending to know things you don’t know. Christian faith is trust based on knowledge grounded in evidence. Each part of that sentence is important. Faith, or trust, rests on knowledge, which in turn rests on reliable evidence. So, we put our trust in something we know because of the evidence.</p>

<p>Boghossian says faith is a bad way of knowing. He’s right. But biblical faith is not a way of knowing; it’s a way of trusting. First, we know something based on reliable evidence. Then, we act on our knowledge by putting our faith in it. So, faith and knowledge are connected, but they’re in different categories. Faith is not a way of knowing (or “epistemology” for you philosophy nerds—you know who you are). Rather, it’s a way of trusting in what you have reason to believe is true. It’s an act of the will.</p>

<p>So, what have we learned? First, Boghossian misrepresents faith by defining it as “pretending to know what you don’t know.” This definition of faith may serve his own purpose, but it doesn’t accurately reflect the teachings of biblical Christianity. Boghossian doesn’t critique what biblically informed Christians actually believe, which is trusting in what you have reason to believe is true. Second, Boghossian treats faith as a way of knowing, but faith doesn’t belong in the knowledge category. Rather, faith is in the act of will category. It’s your response to what you’ve come to know through other means.</p>

<p>Sadly, many, like Atheist Quote Bot, will blindly believe Boghossian without looking into what Christianity actually teaches. Ironically, he just asserts his definition of faith without any evidence. That’s right. Boghossian, who attacks blind faith, expects you to accept his definition of faith on blind faith. Don’t take the bait.</p>

<p>Class dismissed.</p>


title: Size Is Irrelevant to Human Value
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 02/17/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/size-is-irrelevant-to-human-value
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/SR0vkWfs7KY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg explains why a difference in size does not disqualify someone from being a person.</p>
  <br>


title: What the New Testament Writers Wanted You to Know
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 05/18/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-the-new-testament-writers-wanted-you-to-know
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/rJ5wnXgggnY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim shares the importance of eyewitness testimony in understanding the reliability of the New Testament.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>You see, the New Testament was written by eyewitnesses and close acquaintances with eyewitnesses. Over and over again, the authors of the New Testament communicate that they can be trusted because of the eyewitness testimony. Why do they do that? Why do they repeat over, and over, and over again that they’re eyewitnesses? They want you, the reader, to trust them, to take them at their word.</p>

<p>And so, we could read in 2 Peter—here’s what Peter says: “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”—here it is—“but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the majestic glory”—this is God speaking—“‘This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased’”—here’s what he says, “we ourselves heard this very voice....” They were there. They were eyewitnesses. They heard the voice from Heaven, and it says, “For we were with Him on the holy mountain.”</p>

<p>So Peter goes out of his way to say that he didn’t follow some story that someone made up. That’s not what happened. He says, no, “we were eyewitnesses.��� You see, he was there at the Mount of Transfiguration, where he heard a voice from Heaven. If you were to ask Peter, “Why should I trust you? Why should I trust you, Peter?” He would say this: “I was right there on the mountain, and as sure as you can hear my voice right now, I heard a voice from Heaven.” It wasn’t hearsay. It was eyewitness testimony.</p>

<p>How about John—John, another follower of Jesus Christ, a disciple? Now, John, he writes his letters late in life, and I kind of like John because he doesn’t waste time. No special greetings at the beginning of his letters. He just gets right to the point. (He’s kind of like my grandpa. You know, maybe you have a grandpa like that who’s just no nonsense, I’m not wasting time, I’m getting right to the point.)</p>

<p>Here’s what John says: “That which was from the beginning”—now I want you to watch for the five senses coming up here, okay? I got them highlighted on the screen—“that we have heard”—he heard—“that we have seen with our eyes, that we have looked upon”—whoa, hold on a second. Seen with our eyes and looked upon—isn’t that the same thing? See, he’s reiterating this. He’s repeating this. “[That we] have touched with our hands concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it”—there it is again—“and we testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us.” And he says, “That which we have seen”—there it is again—“and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us.” He says, “Seen...heard...looked upon...touched...seen...seen...heard.” What’s he getting at? I’ll tell you. Here’s the translation of these verses. John is telling you, “Trust me,” okay? That’s what he’s saying. “Just trust me; I’m an eyewitness.”</p>

<p>How about Luke? Now, Luke’s a little different because Luke wasn’t a direct eyewitness, but he was close acquaintances with the eyewitnesses. Here’s how Luke starts: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us”—other Gospels—“and just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good for me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”</p>

<p>So why does Luke write? Well, he wants him to have certainty of the things that have been taught. But where does the certainty come from? That’s a good question. How can we trust you, Luke? And he tells us. He followed all these things closely, and he was talking with the eyewitnesses.</p>


title: It May Be Human, but It’s Not a Person?
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/06/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/it-may-be-human-but-it-s-not-a-person-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/vf_1wwAX8Mc?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Is there a legitimate dividing line between human persons and human non-persons? Greg explains why we need to be sure about the answer to this question.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>So many will say, well, we know what this is and all that other stuff, but we still think it’s okay to kill that, even though we know that that is a human being. Because, the rationale that is given is, it may be human—notice the language, the depersonalization—it may be human, but it’s not a…what? Not a person. It may be human, but it’s not a person.</p>

<p>Actually, this question came up last week. I was in Washington—not Washington, but Alaska—at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, and this issue came up in a discussion; it may be human, but it’s not a person. Here’s the question you always must ask whenever anyone raises this issue [of] “it’s human but not a person.” The question is, what’s the difference?</p>

<p>Now, this is a question they must answer, and I’ll tell you why they must answer. [It’s] because the person who said that has just divided humanity into two groups: human non-persons and human persons. Human persons get full protection of the law. In fact, if you harm any human person, the law comes down on you pretty strong. Human non-persons, you could do anything with that you want. You might even get federal aid to kill human non-persons. So if human persons are protected and human non-persons are not, you better be pretty sure where that dividing line is.</p>

<p>Let me give you an insight into personhood language. Personhood language has a bad history; it goes all the way back to Dred Scott, 1856, it goes back to ethnic cleansing, goes back to the Third Reich. What it does is it takes certain members of the human family and keeps them from being bonafide, protected members of the human community. That’s all it is. It’s just a way of dividing out the people that we want to get rid of. That’s all it is.</p>


title: The Unexpected Way to Effectively Make Your Point
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-unexpected-way-to-effectively-make-your-point
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/bz6S7wgXRJw?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Part 4: Greg shares the third step in the game plan for sharing your Christian convictions with others.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>The tactical game plan is meant to help you maneuver carefully and productively in a relaxed way, in a friendly fashion, in conversations with people who don't share your convictions while providing a tremendous amount of safety for you.</p>

<p>The first step is to gather information. You gather that information by asking some form of the question, "What do you mean by that?"</p>

<p>The second question is to reverse the burden of proof. That is, once you learn what a person's view is, you want to know why they believe that view. They made the claim, they bear the burden of proof. You can ask them, "Now how did you come to that conclusion?"</p>

<p>If it turns out that you want to go further, then the third step of the game plan is to make a point using questions.</p>

<p>You never want to abandon using questions at every stage of the tactical game plan because they give you a tremendous amount of latitude, liberty, and effectiveness without requiring you to take any responsibility on yourself. So what you want to do is, you want to enlist the other person as an ally. You want to assemble your pieces by having that person help you put them on the table, and if you help them to do that, it's going to be very difficult for them to take that piece off of the table.</p>

<p>Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. Once, somebody said, "Prove to me that God exists." I said, "First of all, do you think that things exist?" He said, "Yeah, of course." Yeah, I know. It's a simple question. Great. Now he's just put a piece on the table—things exist.</p>

<p>Second question, "The things that exist, have they always existed?" In other words, is the universe eternal? And so he said, "No, I think the universe is not eternal, that it came into existence." Then I asked the third question, "What caused everything to come into existence?" And here you only have two options: Either some thing or no-thing.</p>

<p>Now, what have I done? I'm making an argument for the existence of God based on the existence of the cosmology or the cosmos which is a cosmological argument. In other words, the universe came into existence. What caused it? It's a very very usable, fruitful kind of argument. But notice how I got there. Instead of just throwing it out, I am setting it up by asking questions to have that person give me the pieces that I need, okay? So there's me trying to make my point by asking questions to get the pieces on the table before I get to my point.</p>

<p>Another thing that you want to do, another point you may want to make, is you may want to exploit a weakness or a flaw, okay? But you want to use questions to do that. So I had a young man tell me that I was judgmental. So I asked the question, "What do you mean by that?" Clarification. He said, "Well, it's it's wrong to judge. You are you're finding fault with somebody else, and it's wrong to do that."</p>

<p>Okay now he's made another statement. I got a piece on the table, and I said to him—now&nbsp;notice, this is a question—"If it's wrong to judge, then why are you judging me right now?" Now, I could have said, "Well, you're judging me!" That's a claim. Now it's an accusation. That's a fight. But if he says, "It's wrong to judge," then I hold him responsible for his own ethical view. "Then why are you judging me right now?"</p>

<p>A little later he said, "Well I think it's wrong to push your views on other people." So I asked him a clarification question, "Is that your view?" He said, "Yes," and then I said, "Then why are you pushing it on me right now?" Another question that keeps me safe. I'm not making a claim. I'm not advancing my argument, I'm using questions to point out a weakness or a flaw in that person's view.</p>

<p>Now there are dozens and dozens and dozens of ways of doing this, and you're gonna find this out just through practice. But if you start with your game plan, and you ask questions about the person's point of view, "What do you mean by that?" Then questions regarding the reasons that they have for their view now, "How did you come to that conclusion?" And you decide you want to go further to use questions to make a point, either to advance your own view in some way or to exploit a weakness or a flaw you see in the other person's, that is the most powerful and effective way of moving forward.</p>

<p>Plus, keep in mind there's no risk to you at this point. You are asking questions almost the whole time. You're engaging in a friendly way. It is a wonderful way to powerfully make your points as a follower of Christ.</p>


title: What Can We Do to Help Race Relations?
topic: Christian Living
author: Keith Plummer
date: 06/08/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-can-we-do-to-help-race-relations-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DLb3KzEIbkA?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Keith Plummer, one of Stand to Reason’s article contributors, shares how Christians can help bridge racial divides. This clip originally aired on the Stand to Reason podcast in 2017. Listen to the full-length podcast <a href="/w/interview-keith-plummer-bridging-the-racial-divide?inheritRedirect=true">here</a>.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Melinda: So, what can we in the church do to teach and understand that would help race relationships in the church and in the culture with other Christians but also those outside the church? What can we as Christians do to help this difference of experience and, you know, actual prejudice?</p>

<p>Keith: Well, there are a couple of things. One of the things that I would say is, I would love to see Christians resist the urge to have extended conversations about this on social media. And rather, I would like to see it happen like this, though maybe not with the audience, but in terms of using social media maybe as a platform for either telephone conversations or face-to-face meetings.</p>

<p>Two incidents from things that I posted on Facebook led to some going back and forth between me and two friends of mine, both white men, one with whom I had gone to seminary and one a pastor in the south, who, you know, kind of challenged some of the things that I said. And so the comment thread started, and I suggested that we talk over the phone because I would prefer just to talk rather than try to have it played out there. And in both cases, it led to conversations of a good length that were so profitable, mutually, and some very candid comments, and questions, and answers. And I think that both of those conversations led to a fortifying of our relationship and a better understanding in both ways about some issues that, you know, had not been considered before. So that’s one thing.</p>

<p>I think that churches can do things like—I participated in a panel discussion about race with multiple minorities and whites from various backgrounds, and that was very good. I think the churches that are desirous of having their churches reflect their communities—because I do believe that when Jesus says that the unity that He prayed for is going to be a means by which the world is to know that He was sent by the Father. The love and the unity that He was talking about was a demonstrable love and unity that could not be accounted for solely on the basis of sociological factors like affinity, socio-economic commonality, ethnic homogeneity, and so forth. It’s a love that crosses the bounds that the world understands and causes them to wonder. And that being the case, I think the churches that desire that, and they’re in communities that are ethnically diverse, I think there has to be a commitment to reflecting that at the level of leadership. Oftentimes, you know, that is held up as an ideal, but the leadership is homogeneous. And I think that that has to be a commitment from the top down.</p>

<p>And I would also suggest reading some materials from believers from other ethnic backgrounds. I was reading a book once by Soong-Chan Rah, he is the author of <em>The Next Evangelicalism</em>, and a second book called <em>Many Colors</em>, and he asked at one point, “What is the last theological book that you read by a non-European author?”&nbsp;And I think that’s a good question to consider. Am I hearing voices, am I exposing myself to voices other than what I am accustomed to because, as I said in the beginning, of that phenomenon of the blind spots?&nbsp;And there are brothers and sisters from other ethnicities that may see some things that, from my perspective, I don’t see as clearly, or I don’t see at all, but they’re still dealing with the truth of God’s Word. They just have different sensitivities based on their experiences. So I’m not talking about a relativism, I’m just saying a heightened sensitivity to certain things just by virtue of what we have experienced historically, culturally, and so forth.</p>

<p>So those are some of the things that I would say. There are numerous resources on the internet in terms of voices from minority Christians, and just, you know, searching some of that out. But I think that it has to really be a commitment all around to intentionally interacting with people that are not like us.</p>


title: Atheist Disproves Immaterial God by Assuming Materialism
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 05/13/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheist-disproves-immaterial-god-by-assuming-materialism
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ymJu5wdVGw?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img class="" src="/documents/20123/0/RedPenLogic_IfGodIsImmaterialAtheistForum.001.jpeg/d0323e0f-e31d-f414-e88b-214b396d8222?t=1589320127067" style="width: 50%; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; height: auto;"></p>

<p>Questions are a legitimate way to get people to think. But if questions subtly create confusion, fallacy, or error, they only serve to conceal the truth rather than reveal the truth.</p>

<p>Atheist Forum provides <a href="https://twitter.com/ForumAtheist/status/1229292597589544960">three questions</a> designed to raise doubt about the existence of God. But, to get the answers they want, they rely on an incoherent question (strike one), circular reasoning (strike two), and a confused complaint (strike three).</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Incoherent questions, circular reasoning, confused complaints—this tweet has them all.</p>

<p>I’m Tim Barnett, and today we’re applying some Red Pen Logic to <a href="https://twitter.com/ForumAtheist/status/1229292597589544960">a tweet from Atheist Forum</a>. Class is in session.</p>

<p>This is Red Pen Logic with Mr. B, where we try to assess bad thinking by using good thinking. Plus, we try to have some fun in the process. In today’s example, Atheist Forum offers a series of questions to get you to doubt the existence of God. Questions are a legitimate way to get people to think, but if questions subtly create confusion, fallacy, and error, they only serve to conceal truth rather than reveal truth.</p>

<p>Atheist Forum provides three questions to challenge the existence of God. First, “If God is immaterial, what is he made of?” Second, “If he isn’t material then does he exist?” Third, “How do so many people believe he exists but can’t describe what he’s made of?” Atheist Forum closes with a classy “Lmao,” laughing my—well, you get the idea. Presumably, belief in God is laughable because any thoughtful person following this atheist line of reasoning should see how foolishly funny it is to believe in an immaterial God. All right, it’s time to pull out the red pen and take this from the top.</p>

<p>Atheist Forum’s first question sounds strange because it contains a fundamental flaw. It’s an incoherent question. That means it doesn’t make any sense. An immaterial being, by definition, is not made of material. I’m not going too quickly here, am I? God is not made of anything. God is spirit. He has no mass, no form, no pieces that need to be put together. He’s not extended in space. He’s not made of God particles or spaghetti. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Pastafarians.</p>

<p>The question “If God is immaterial, what is He made of?��� is like asking, “If a bachelor is unmarried, who is he married to?” A bachelor, by definition, is not married to anyone. So the first question seems to be based on a confusion about God, who is, by definition, immaterial and not assembled out of anything.</p>

<p>Next, Atheist Forum asks, “If God isn’t made of material, then does he exist?" Here, we go from confused reasoning to circular reasoning. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Stay with me on this. Imagine I said to you, “Ryan always tells the truth,” and you ask, “How do you know Ryan always tells the truth?” And I reply, “Because he said so, and if he always tells the truth, then he wouldn’t be lying.” See the problem here? The answer to your question presumes what needs to be proved.</p>

<p>The only way Atheist Forum gets the answer it wants is if it subtly starts with the answer it wants. Only material things exist. Of course they’re gonna say that God doesn’t exist, because their materialism already dictates that He can’t exist. But that’s presuming what needs to be proved. That’s called circular reasoning. Incidentally, philosophers (and atheists, by the way) routinely speak of real things that are not made of material like reasoning, and arguments, and logical fallacies.</p>

<p>Finally, Atheist Forum asks, “How do so many people believe that he exists but can’t describe what he’s made of?” This is a confused complaint. Here’s why: You don’t need to know what something is made of to know that it exists. We know that gravity exists even if we don’t know what it is.</p>

<p>So what have we learned? First, Christianity holds that God is not made of anything. Instead, He is an immaterial spirit. Therefore, asking, “What is God made of?” is an incoherent question. It’s kind of like saying the number four is immaterial and then asking, “What’s it made of?”</p>

<p>Second, if God is, by definition, immaterial, and you start by assuming that only material things exist, of course you’re gonna conclude that there is no God. But that’s because your starting place disqualifies God from the beginning. This is circular reasoning, not careful thinking. This mistake is not surprising. Christian philosopher <a href="https://www.reasonablefaith.org/question-answer/P20/is-god-made-of-energy">William Lane Craig says</a>, “We are so schooled in materialism that we find it difficult to free ourselves from its assumption.” He’s right, and that’s what’s going on here.</p>

<p>Third, we don’t need to know what something is made of to know that it is real. Ironically, science works in the opposite direction. First it discovers that something is real, like gravity, and then it tries to describe what that thing is like. So Atheist Forum provides three questions designed to raise doubts about the existence of God. But to get the answers they want, they rely on [an] incoherent question (strike one), circular reasoning (strike two), and a confused complaint (strike three).</p>

<p>But the game’s not over. Ditch materialism. Madonna was wrong. We aren’t just living in a material world. We’re living in a material and immaterial world. And those immaterial things, like God, are no less real.</p>

<p>Class dismissed.</p>


title: Atheist Completely Destroys Argument He Made Up
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 04/29/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/atheist-completely-destroys-argument-he-made-up
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Vo21hRsi3k?rel=0
transcript:
    <p><img src="/documents/20123/0/RedPenLogic_Image1_AtheistRepublicEverythingHasACreator.001.jpeg/dc9b249c-5bcb-6490-9228-d4a30d331049?t=1588104555722" width="100%"></p>

<p>Before you can refute an idea, you have to actually understand the idea. Otherwise, you end up defeating a defenseless imitation of an argument—a straw man—instead of the real thing. Atheist Republic does a masterful job destroying an argument that no thoughtful Christian actually believes.</p>

<p>Christians don’t believe “everything has a Creator,” as Atheist Republic claims. Rather, Christians argue “everything that begins to exist has a cause.” Therefore, if God did not begin to exist, then He does not need a cause or Creator.</p>

<p>Atheist Republic is promulgating a straw man—an argument that monotheists don’t actually hold to. (Not cool, Atheist Republic. Not cool.)</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Some atheists&nbsp;attempt at refuting Christianity but only end up revealing they don’t understand Christianity.</p>

<p>Hi, I’m Tim Barnett, and today we’re applying some Red Pen Logic to a tweet from Atheist Republic. Class is in session.</p>

<p>Atheist Republic offers three propositions to try to show there’s a contradiction in the theistic worldview. First, everything has a creator. Second, God is that creator. And third, God does not have a creator. And then they pull out the red pen—I wonder where they got that idea—and they write, “Your solution fails when it violates its own premise,”&nbsp;and they draw an arrow. Let’s pull out our red pen&nbsp;and break this down.</p>

<p>Atheist Republic gets off to a really really bad start. The first premise is false. Game over. This concludes our time together.</p>

<p>Just kidding. You see, no Christian apologist makes that first claim. We don’t believe that everything has a creator. We believe that everything that begins to exist has a cause. That’s a fundamental distinction&nbsp;because if God did not begin to exist, then He doesn’t need a cause or creator. Notice Atheist Republic’s faulty argument is based on a complete misunderstanding of what Christians actually believe.</p>

<p>The second premise is true with an important qualification. God is the creator of everything that begins to exist. The third premise is also true. We believe that God does not have a creator.</p>

<p>Atheist Republic says that the solution fails when it violates its own premise, but that’s not our premise. It’s theirs. We don’t believe the first premise. Therefore, the solution does not violate what we actually believe. This is a textbook example of a straw man fallacy—when you defeat a defenseless imitation of an argument, the scarecrow, instead of the real thing. In other words, it’s easier to knock over a straw man than a real man.</p>

<p>I find it really hard to believe that Atheist Republic did not know that we believe everything that begins to exist has a cause. It’s literally the most popular argument that Christians use.</p>

<p>Now, let’s summarize what we’ve learned. Christians do not believe that everything has a creator. If we did, God would also need a creator. We believe that everything that begins to exist—human beings, the universe, cool mugs—has a cause. So if God did not begin to exist, then He does not need a cause or creator. Atheist Republic is promulgating a straw man. Not cool, Atheist Republic, not cool.</p>

<p>The red pen is not a toy. Think critically before you take the cap off. Class dismissed.</p>


title: Rejoicing Together as Sowers and Reapers
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 06/15/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/rejoicing-together-as-sowers-and-reapers
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/-_npyrg4yfg?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Is it possible to be a successful evangelist without ever leading someone in “the prayer” to receive Christ? Can you be an effective ambassador for Christ without “closing the deal?”&nbsp;Greg encourages Christians not to underestimate the importance of sowing seeds of truth in a person’s life.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now I’m going to tell you something that’s gonna really shock you. I have not prayed with someone to receive Christ in over 30 years. What a loser. What have I been doing for all that time? I’ve been—what? Gardening, and I want to tell you something, by the way.</p>

<p>You ever hear of a guy named J. Warner Wallace? Cold-case detective? Torrance P.D.? Never lost a case? Atheist? Hardcore atheist? Never lost a case that went to trial. He was a great detective. Four of his cases were on TV. He was that good. And then he started using his detective skills to examine the Gospels as eyewitness testimonies, and he was so compelled by what he found, he left his atheism behind and became a follower of Christ, and then he wrote a book called <em>Cold Case Christianity</em>, which is a best-selling apologetics book. And then he wrote another one called <em>God’s Crime Scene</em>, which is a best-selling book. And then he wrote another one called <em>Forensic Faith</em>, also doing really well. Jim Wallace was in my garden. He was listening to my show when he was still an atheist.</p>

<p>You ever hear of a guy named Abdu Murray? Former Muslim, now Christian? Became a speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, and now he’s the executive vice president? Abdu Murray was in my garden. He was listening to my show when he was still a Muslim.</p>

<p>Now, I’m not trying to draw attention to me. I’m trying to help you to see a dynamic. Because I’m gardening, I didn’t pray with these guys to receive Christ. You know what happened? Somebody went into my garden. And they harvested my fruit. Get out of my garden! Is that my attitude? No. Do I care? No. Jesus says in John chapter 4, “So that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together.”</p>

<p>We’re all on the same team. We do different things. I think, frankly, that there are probably a whole lot more gardeners on the team than there are harvesters because the harvesting is easy when the gardening is done properly. And most of our gardeners are sitting on the bench because all they have at their disposal is a harvesting tool. And consequently, if we don’t garden properly, the harvest is not going to be as good.</p>


title: Explaining Romans 1
topic: Theology
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 03/02/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/explaining-romans-1
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jYXrjwYwHoA?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares the most straightforward passage in the Bible about homosexuality and explains what it means.</p>
  <br>


title: What the Bible Doesn’t Say about Gender Identity
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 05/04/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-the-bible-doesn-t-say-about-gender-identity
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/etXT_5g524U?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan explains what 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 says about gender identity.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now there’s also a New Testament passage that says the same thing basically. This is 1 Corinthians 6:9–10. It says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators (people who have sex before marriage or any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage) neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves....”</p>

<p>Now, the word “effeminate”&nbsp;there, by the way, is the word “malakoi”&nbsp;in Greek. And malakoi literally means “soft men.”&nbsp;And it is a reference to these men who would try to take on the appearance of a woman by the way they dressed, their makeup, their jewelry, sometimes through physical modifications they made to their body. And of course, notice the Bible puts these people in the category of engaging in sin. So again, both Old and New Testaments address the issue of crossing gender boundaries in a negative light.</p>

<p>Now let me make an important clarification here before we move on. This, what I’ve just said here, does not mean, nor am I suggesting, that we as males and females must adopt all of the stereotypical American perceptions of male and female, you know, masculinity and femininity, okay? That is not the case. I am not saying that. In other words, if you’re a boy, if you’re a guy, and you don’t like video games, or football, or starting fires, or blowing things up, that’s totally fine, okay? If you prefer art, or ballet, or playing the flute, that’s perfectly fine. You’re not a girl. You’re not transgender. You’re just a guy that prefers art, or ballet, or drawing. Whatever, that’s totally fine.</p>

<p>And if you’re a girl, and you don’t care about shopping, or sappy chick flicks, or Taylor Swift, that’s okay. You know, if you prefer to just be in the garage with dad as he works on the car, that’s fine. You’re not a boy. You’re just a girl who prefers that, and that’s fine. I’m not saying you have to act like the way an “American girl”&nbsp;or an “American boy”&nbsp;acts. This is not the point.</p>

<p>The point the Bible is making, and that consequently, I’m trying to share with you, is that we are not supposed to try to take on an identity or pretend to be an identity that is different than that of our biology.</p>


title: Why Should We Listen to God’s Instructions about Sex?
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 02/03/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/why-should-we-listen-to-god-s-instructions-about-sex-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/fAi9lYCXwAE?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan explains why we should care about God’s view of how we should use our bodies.</p>
  <br>


title: Two Kinds of Truth
topic: Philosophy
author: Jonathan Noyes
date: 04/13/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/two-kinds-of-truth
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0FT0l-Ee8jM?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Jonathan discusses the difference between subjective and objective truth using two helpful analogies.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Now when I say “subjective truth,” I want you to think about something. I want you to think about ice cream. Right now, if you’re sitting with a bunch of other people, right now, I want you to yell out, what’s your favorite kind of ice cream? What is it? Yell it out. Yeah, so some of you guys are probably chocolate and vanilla folks, right? The plain Janes, you know. Some of you like the real funky stuff, Chunky Monkey. One of my daughters loves cotton candy ice cream, right? We all know, we all know the best, the absolute best flavor of ice cream is mint chip. Mint chip is the best ice cream out there. Whenever there’s a bowl of mint chip in my view, I have to have it because it’s the best. Well, that’s my opinion, right? It’s the best. Who said that mint chip is the best? I’m sure somebody did. Somebody agrees with me that it’s the best.</p>

<p>But I have a question for you. Would it make sense in this situation if I said that I like—mint chip ice cream, so this is a statement that I’m going to make—mint chip ice cream is my favorite ice cream. That’s a true statement. It’s true. Would it make sense to say that I’m wrong about that? Would it make sense for you to argue, you say, “No, Jon, mint chip can’t possibly be your favorite.”&nbsp;Well, no. That doesn’t make any sense to say I’m wrong about that. Why? Because when it comes to flavors of ice cream, you can choose what you like. You have that opportunity. That option’s available to you. It’s a personal preference because it’s subjective, having to do with you, the subject. It’s not necessarily a statement about something out here. It’s a statement about what’s in here.</p>

<p>So it’s a subjective truth claim. It’s true, but in a subjective sense. This kind of claim is known as subjective truth. Like I said, it’s about the subject, you. Or in this case, me, with mint chip. It’s about our personal preference. It’s true, but it’s subjectively true. Now, that’s ice cream, so when you think of subjective truth for the rest of this conversation, think of ice cream. Whatever flavor you chose is fine.</p>

<p>Now, let’s think of objective truth. Now I have a question for you. If you had a condition known as diabetes, if you were a diabetic, your doctor, you went to him, and you said, “Doc, I think I got diabetes,��� they run all the tests, and the tests all come back positive, you have diabetes, and the doctor says to you, “All right, Jon, I’m going to prescribe that you go home everyday and eat two pints of mint chip ice cream,” is that going to be good for you? Absolutely not. Because we all know if you have a condition known as diabetes, your doctor is going to prescribe insulin. Insulin.</p>

<p>So I want you to associate objective truth with insulin. And here’s why. Because there is something that is prescribed by a doctor that helps every single person on the planet who has diabetes, and it’s insulin. It involves getting a shot, and everyone hates shots. I hate shots, my kids hate shots. They hurt. But regardless of how we feel about the mode that we get the insulin, no matter if it hurts or not, we know that we have to take the insulin if we’re diabetic because it helps independent&nbsp;of how we feel about the insulin. We might not like it. It might not be our favorite thing like mint chip ice cream. But we know that it helps.</p>

<p>See, when it comes to medicine, you have got to choose what heals, not what you like. This kind of claim is known as objective truth. So this is an objective truth claim. Because it’s about the object itself. The truth claim is out here. Not in here.</p>


title: Sharing Truth with Your Muslim Friend
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 05/25/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/sharing-truth-with-your-muslim-friend
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/-N_E_Veuxus?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares the most important topic Christians can bring up if they want to start a conversation with their Muslim friend or neighbor.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Here’s your apologetics tip of the day. When talking to Muslims, focus on the gospel. Christians love to bring up things like jihad or the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Now, though these are fascinating topics, I find they’re a distraction from the more critical subject of the gospel, and they often create a defensive posture in the Muslim. Besides, even if the Muslim were to concede your point on one of those tangential topics, their eternal destiny would still be in jeopardy because they’d still be guilty of crimes they’ve committed against God. And that’s why my suggestion is, we should focus on the one topic that affects all other subtopics, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Muslim trusts Christ, then, of course, the Holy Spirit will change him from the inside out, and their position on a whole host of subjects will change. Focus your conversation on the gospel, and avoid topics that distract from the gospel. That’s your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: How Not to Argue for the Truthfulness of the Bible
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Tim Barnett
date: 03/23/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-not-to-argue-for-the-truthfulness-of-the-bible
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/fmGCd4wL9m4?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim points out a common mistake when trying to argue for the Bible's reliability.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>And so we have all these challenges coming from many different directions. How do we respond? Well, I’ll tell you what, we don’t want to respond this way. You see, some people think, you know, how do we know it’s God’s word? Well here’s how they respond: “Because it says so.”&nbsp;And they might go to 2 Timothy 3:16:&nbsp;“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, correction, reproof, training and righteousness,”&nbsp;that kind of thing. And then you ask them, well, how do you know what the Bible says is actually true? And they’ll say, “Well, because it’s the word of God.”&nbsp;How do you know it’s the word of God? “Because it says so. 2 Timothy....”&nbsp;Well, how do you know what it says is true? You see how this just goes in a circle? In philosophy, we call this “begging the question.”&nbsp;It‘s circular reasoning. We don’t want you to reason this way, okay? The Bible has good reasons to trust it.</p>


title: Together We Can Make a Difference
topic: Announcements
author: Stand to Reason
date: 01/08/2020
source: https://www.str.org/w/together-we-can-make-a-difference
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/NarxdVbjBw8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg reflects on the year behind us and invites you to <a href="https://www.str.org/donate" rel="" target="" title="">partner with Stand to Reason</a> one more time so we can end the year strong and launch into 2020 together.</p>
  <br>


title: Want to Share the Gospel? Start with This Question
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/want-to-share-the-gospel-start-with-this-question
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ySlpcYUTvtY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Part 2: Greg explains the first step in a tactical approach to sharing your Christian convictions with others.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I talk a lot about having a tactical game plan in place that will allow you to go forward and engage somebody in a productive way for Christ without taking a lot of risk on yourself. I've talked in the past about the importance of not worrying about the harvest but thinking more about the gardening because if we garden effectively, then the harvest will take care of itself. Plus, the idea of trying to win someone to Christ and get them to sign on the dotted line is a little daunting for a lot of people, so they sit on the bench instead of getting out into the field. And so I want to suggest a means by which you can do that. Okay, what's the first step of the game plan?</p>

<p>The first step of the game plan is to simply gather information. You cannot know how to proceed effectively in a conversation unless you have basic information. Now, what does that do? It gives me a little bit of a sense of the lay of the land. I might find out whether or not they're a Christian, or if they used to be a Christian and aren't now, or whether they've ever thought about Christianity, or whether they're hostile to Christianity.</p>

<p>You see, these are all things that are really valuable to know before you move forward. This is one step that you you don't need to hurry. Do not worry about getting to the endgame, winning them to Christ, don't even think about that now. Just think about gathering information.</p>

<p>Now, I have a model question at this point that will help you, and the model question is, "What do you mean by that?" What do you mean by that? It's a model question that means you can use it different ways under different circumstances with different people.</p>

<p>Now, this is especially helpful when people are raising objections against Christianity or offering challenges. There are all kinds of challenges that require more information. And so when somebody says, "Well, everything is relative," and you ask, "What do you mean by relative?" or they say, "I believe in evolution," and you ask, "What do you mean by evolution?" or they say, "I believe the Bible is filled with errors," or, "The Bible has been changed," or that "Jesus never lived," or that "He lived, but He wasn't a miracle worker," etc., etc., etc., it is always in your favor to ask more questions. And you don't have to answer that objection, not at this point. All you have to do is get more information. And the more information you get, the better. The more you understand that person, the more you understand that person's ideas, the more clarity you have of the challenge, the better you'll be able to decide in the future which direction to go or if you don't go in any direction at all.</p>

<p>This first question, "What do you mean by that?"—meant to help you gather information—is going to get you started, and that's all we want to worry about at this point in the tactical game plan.</p>


title: Let Jesus Take the Heat
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 09/23/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/let-jesus-take-the-heat
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/6mow26mFSdc?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan encourages Christians to point to Jesus when their biblical views are challenged as politically incorrect.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Today’s apologetics tip of the day is: Let Jesus take the heat. Whenever you’re nervous about sharing a politically incorrect view about your faith, put the blame on Jesus. After all, in most cases, He’s the one responsible for your view anyway.</p>

<p>For example, if you’re asked whether there’s only one way to Heaven, let Jesus take the heat. Tell them that it’s Jesus who said in John 14:6 that He is the only way, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him.</p>

<p>Or, if they ask your opinion on homosexuality, tell them that it’s Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6 who said it’s about one man with one woman becoming one flesh for one lifetime.</p>

<p>In these cases and others, you can remind them that since you’re a disciple of Jesus, you have no choice but to adopt His view. You didn’t make this up, Jesus did. So let Him take the heat for your views. That’s your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: Reaching Your LGBT Friends with Truth and Compassion
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 12/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/reaching-your-lgbt-friends-with-truth-and-compassion
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/v33hwyhsZjc?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan helps Christians know which common phrases to avoid when talking to a friend or family member who identifies as gay.&nbsp;</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>We also need to kill clichés that are harming our relationships with people, okay? Now, what do I mean by clichés that kill? Clichés that kill are cute little statements that we think are clever, that we Christians like to say to our friends who identify as LGBT, but really end up doing more harm than good.</p>

<p>Let me give you three quick examples. Number one is this: Homosexuality is a choice, or refer to it as a "homosexual lifestyle," okay? As I've shown to you, I do not believe that homosexual attraction is just something people choose. Yes, they choose their behavior, but if you use the word "choice" in your description of who they are, you will alienate them from you, because in their mind, they'll think, "You think I chose this? You think I chose to be gay? You are completely out of touch with who I am. You have no idea what I'm experiencing." So this will just simply create a roadblock, an obstacle in your relationship with them.&nbsp;So avoid the language of choice.</p>

<p>Number two, I hear people say this:&nbsp;"God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."&nbsp;I don't know why we keep saying this as Christians, but let me just tell you, we gotta stop, okay? Because the only way I've ever heard my friends and family who identify as gay and lesbian interpret this is as an insult.</p>

<p>If you want them to believe that God made them to function in a heterosexual way, then just explain that from Scripture or from basic biology 101, all right? Don't resort to a corny cliché like this as this simply offends people and creates more distance in your relationship with them.</p>

<p>Here's another one:&nbsp;"God loves the sinner but hates the sin." Now I know this one's gonna be tough because this sounds biblically consistent. It might even sound compassionate. But let me just tell you when people who identify as LGBT hear this, they think in their mind—well, let me ask a question, actually. Do you know what's the only word they hear in this sentence? Hate. Exactly. They hear, "God hates me, and guess what, you hate them too." Because in their mind, being gay's not just what they do, it's who they are. And so if God hates me and you hate me too, then how is this a compassionate answer? This actually has the opposite effect that you intend.</p>

<p>So here's my suggestion: If you want them to believe that you love them or that God loves them despite what they're doing, here's what you should do. Don't say something.&nbsp;Rather, do something;&nbsp;and that is, love them, right? You say God loves them;&nbsp;why don't you show it by how you treat them? Spend time with them, go to the movies with them. The next Avengers movie comes out, go see it with them. Play tennis with them. Whatever you do with your other friends, do it with them. And because you're a Christian, and you might be the only Bible they ever get to know, they'll interpret that as love from you, and because you're a Christian, you represent God, that will teach them that God loves them as well.</p>


title: Why Is Apologetics so Important?
topic: Christian Living
author: Tim Barnett
date: 09/09/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/why-is-apologetics-so-important-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-7A0kq9mtA?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim introduces a series of videos he’ll be presenting called “Why Apologetics?” that explains what apologetics is and why it’s so vital.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Some days, I wish I had a normal job.</p>

<p>Some days, I wish I had a normal job. It’s usually when I’m sitting in an airplane next to a stranger, and they ask the question, “What do you do for a living?” For me, there’s no short answer to that question. Some jobs are just self-explanatory. Everyone knows what a police officer is, or what a plumber is, or even what a pastor is, but most people don’t know what an apologist is. That includes people in the church. And even after you explain what an apologist is, they wonder why that’s actually a job, why people do that in the first place. In other words, why apologetics?</p>

<p>Now apologetics is not going around saying, “I’m so sorry I’m a Christian. Please forgive me.” No, no. We make other people sorry we’re Christians. No, we don’t do that either, okay? That’s just a joke. Simply put, Christian apologetics is a branch of theology that’s concerned with giving a reason or defense for the Christian faith.</p>

<p>Now there are two sub disciplines or categories of Christian apologetics. There’s positive and negative apologetics. Now positive apologetics involves giving an argument for Christianity. The emphasis is on offense, not defense. For example, we give arguments for God’s existence, or for the reliability of the Bible, or for the deity of Christ. On the other hand, there’s negative apologetics. And by negative, I don’t mean bad. Negative apologetics involves answering objections or challenges against Christianity. So this is defense, not offense. For example, we answer the problem of evil, or respond to alleged Bible contradictions, or defend against the charge of being called intolerant.</p>

<p>Now when you hear the word “apologetics,” I want you to think of a lawyer standing in front of a judge and jury giving defense for their position. He gives arguments and counter-arguments. He’s persuasive. That’s what apologists do. They’re making a case for their position.</p>

<p>Now in the sessions that follow, we’re not going to do apologetics proper. That is, we’re not going to make the case for Christianity. Instead, we’re going to make a case for making a case for Christianity. We’re going to give a defense for giving a defense for Christianity. We’re going to provide an apologetic for doing apologetics.</p>

<p>Now, this may come as a shock to you, but not everyone is a fan of apologetics. In fact, some in the church are outright hostile to apologetics. In his book, “The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness In a Post Modern Context,” the Anglican priest Myron Penner says this, "Apologetics itself might be the single biggest threat to genuine Christian faith that we face today." Remember those words. This book openly states, “This is a book about apologetics, or more precisely, it��s a book against apologetics.” The irony is Penner’s book does the very thing he’s arguing against. Specifically, he’s making a case in his book against making a case. It’s one big lousy apologetic against apologetics. This view is becoming more popular today. In fact, in 2014, Penner’s book received an award from Christian Today in the category of—get this—apologetics and evangelism.</p>

<p>Now when people ask me why we should engage in Christian apologetics, I have four broad responses. It’s actually an approach I learned from Dr. Norm Geisler at Southern Evangelical Seminary. Simply put, the Bible commands it, the culture demands it, the church needs it, and the results confirm it. Let’s explore together the case for Apologetics.</p>


title: Apologetics Is Simply a Means to This End
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 12/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/apologetics-is-simply-a-means-to-this-end
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/o7sB1FMHMmU?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #3: If you could move the conversation with your non-Christian friends in any direction, what would you talk about? Alan offers insight.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Here's your apologetics tip of the day:&nbsp;Focus on the gospel, not on apologetic arguments.</p>

<p>You know, sometimes we're so eager to try out our arguments that we initiate discussions about some apologetic subject as if that's the most important thing to discuss. It's not. If you have the opportunity to bring up the gospel, that matters more than any other subject.</p>

<p>Now, if they reject the gospel for some reason, then you can use your apologetics to address their concern. Remember, apologetics is not an end in itself. The end is the gospel, and apologetics is simply a means to that end, and it can help you remove obstacles that people might have that keep them from accepting Christ.</p>

<p>So if you're in a conversation, and you can lead the discussion in any direction, lead them to understand what Christ has done for them.</p>

<p>That's your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: Is a Fetal Human Being a Person?
topic: Bioethics
author: Amy K. Hall
date: 08/05/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-a-fetal-human-being-a-person-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/F_QVIZlP0X8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Amy explains why all humans are also persons.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Some people will tell you that the baby that's developing inside you is not a person, so let's look at whether or not that's true. The science of embryology says that when your baby was conceived, the moment the egg and sperm came together, a new human being was created with his or her own unique DNA. That DNA will direct their development throughout their entire life through every stage of human development from embryo, to fetus, to newborn, to toddler, to teenager, to adult.</p>

<p>There's no question that your baby is human. Human parents create human children, so why do some people say that human beings who are still in the womb aren't persons? Here's what they're really saying: They're not denying that your baby is a human being. They're denying that he or she has the same rights and value as every other born human being. They're separating human beings into two groups and saying these human beings are valuable and these aren't.</p>

<p>Now, we've seen people divide human beings this way before in history, and it has always led to serious human rights violations. Think about slavery. People argued that some human beings were not persons because of the color of their skin, and that gave them the right to enslave them. Or think about the Holocaust. The Nazis argued that since Jewish people were not persons like they were, they had the right to kill them. In other words, people deny that human beings are persons when they want to unjustly discriminate against them.</p>

<p>And we can look back now and see that every time people divided human beings into persons and non-persons, they were wrong, and valuable human beings suffered and died because of it. Human beings don't have to earn their rights or their value by having the correct race, or gender, or size, or ability, or age. We don't become persons, we are persons. So what is it that we all have in common that's the source of our value and personhood if it isn't things like our size, or our level of development, or even our ability to live without depending on others? There's only one thing we all have in common and that is being human. And your baby is a human person who shares this valuable quality equally with every single born human being who has ever lived.</p>


title: The Burden-Free Step in Discussing Christian Beliefs
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/19/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-burden-free-step-in-discussing-christian-beliefs
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/NXd5ftddJw0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg explains the importance of listening and encourages Christians to remember that the one who makes the claim bears the burden.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>When we think about a tactical game plan, in other words, how we go about engaging someone in a thoughtful careful way that allows us to stay relaxed and keeps us from getting in trouble, in other words, keeps the risk level low, what I have in mind is a multiple step process. The first step is to gather information, and we can use some form of the question, "What do you mean by that?" The second step is what I call reversing the burden of proof.</p>

<p>Now the burden of proof is the responsibility someone in the conversation has to give reasons or evidence for a view. Now there's a rule here that is applied to the burden of proof. And the rule is, the one who makes the claim bears the burden. If somebody says, "the Bible has been changed," or "God doesn't exist," or "Jesus didn't exist," or "there are no miracles," it's not your job as a follower of Christ to jump in and show where the other person is wrong. It is rather that person's job first to show why he or she is right. After we ask some questions to get more clarification, "What do you mean by that?" now we have a clear picture of what they believe.</p>

<p>Now we want to know why they believe it. This is where some form of the question, "How did you come to that conclusion?" comes in. What are your reasons for saying that? How do you know that's the way it really happened? Do you have any evidence for that view? I'm interested in finding out. Notice with this second step of the game plan we are, in a sense,&nbsp; doing the same thing as the first step. We are gathering information, but we're gathering a different kind of information. First, we get clarity on their point of view. Now we want clarity on why they believe what they believe. Notice that in this stage of the game plan, just like the first step, there's no pressure on you. It's relaxed. You're being a student. You're just listening to what the other person has to say. But the other person has to make clear not only their own view, but also the reasons for their view, and that's why you shouldn't be surprised when you get silence when you ask the question because most people have not thought through their views.</p>

<p>What I want to encourage you with, though, is that you have no obligation to go any further nor need you do that. You don't have to get into theology, or apologetics, or philosophy, or anything. All you're doing in the game plan with these first two stages is you're still gathering information. You're getting an education, and you're in your mind deciding whether you're in a position to go to step three. No stress on you. That's one of the values of the tactical game plan.</p>


title: How Science Proves We’re Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 07/29/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-science-proves-were-fearfully-and-wonderfully-made
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/pliYn9GJot0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim focuses on the impossibility of life existing by chance.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I don’t have enough faith to believe that happened by chance.</p>

<p>Right? And this reminds me of a famous clip from that great—I’m not recommending this movie—“Dumb and Dumber.”&nbsp;Now, for those of you who don’t know the story, Lloyd Christmas, he met Mary in an airport, and he spends the entire movie trying to reconnect with her because he’s fallen in love with her. Kind of love at first sight. And he travels across the country and finally meets Mary face-to-face, and he declares his love for Mary and asks Mary what are the chances of them getting together, and here’s what she says.</p>

<p>“What are my chances?”</p>

<p>“Not good.”</p>

<p>“You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?”</p>

<p>“I’d say more like one out of a million.”</p>

<p>“So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”</p>

<p>Alright. You see, here’s the thing, guys. Here’s the thing. You can offer these kind of probabilities that literally are incomprehensible, one part in 10 to the 164th power. That is incomprehensible. But someone could still say, “Well, it could happen by chance. It could happen.”&nbsp;And I mean, honestly, I don’t want to be—but it sounds to me like this. What she’s saying when she says one in a million is, “You don’t have a chance, Lloyd,”&nbsp;right? That’s what she’s saying. You have no chance.</p>

<p>And that’s what we’re talking about here. Remember, the amino acid that we built was a hundred—the protein we built was 150 amino acids long. That isn’t even realistic because the average size amino acid—protein, excuse me, is more like three times that size. Okay? And so it turns out that even the simplest life has about three thousand different proteins. We tried to make a small one. Three thousand different proteins. It’s estimated that the human body contains over two million different proteins inside it. Two million different proteins, okay?</p>

<p>And then we get words like this, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”&nbsp;Right? And we often think, well that’s just like—no, get out your microscope, and you can see you are fearfully and wonderfully made.</p>


title: Does God Promise to Heal Our Land?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 09/02/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-promise-to-heal-our-land-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/hQmKtUPyYGY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg explains how 2 Chronicles 7:14 is used incorrectly by Christians thinking it’s speaking to them.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I want to speak for a moment about the danger of ellipsis in scriptural citation. What’s an ellipse? Dot, dot, dot. When you see a citation, and there’s a dot, dot, dot in there, that means something has been left out, and sometimes what’s left out is not relevant to the meaning, it’s just a trimming down to get to the point. Sometimes it’s very relevant to the meaning. And in this case, it is relevant to the meaning of a very cherished passage that you often hear cited during national days of prayer, for example. And that is 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is the “If my people...” passage.</p>

<p>Now, I want to say something about reading the Bible. We have championed the notion at Stand to Reason about never reading a Bible verse. If you want to know what a Bible verse means, you have to read not just the verse, but a paragraph or more. In particular in the Old Testament, you have to read more than a paragraph, maybe a chapter or two, to kind of get the setting that helps you understand the particulars of the individual verse.</p>

<p>Now the liability of a passage, for example, that starts, “If my people...” is for Christians to read into it themselves because God says “If my people...” and we’re God’s people,&nbsp;so this is a passage that applies to us. But in this passage in Chronicles, where God is speaking to Solomon, He does not have the&nbsp;church in view. The people that he has in mind are the Jews, not Christians.</p>

<p>Now clearly it is sound for us to pray for our country and for our leadership. In fact, we find details of that, exhortation of that, in Timothy chapter 2 towards the beginning. So, there’s nothing wrong with doing that, but if we are doing that by claiming a promise that doesn’t belong to us, then there’s a liability.</p>

<p>By the way, characteristically when this passage is cited, it’s cited in this way, “If...My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” And so, this is understood to be God responding to prayers to heal the land of all the unrighteousness and all the terrible things that had befallen us as a result of the consequences of the sin of the people of this nation. But here is how the text actually reads, and I’m going to start above it because the broader context, the paragraph, is important.</p>

<p>“Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord,” in other words, this is the temple being built, “and the king’s palace, and successfully completed all that he planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in His palace. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, ’I have heard your prayer...’ Do you think that’s relevant to the context? Yes, what prayer? It’s the prayer in the prior chapter. I’ll get to that in just a moment. “I have heard your prayer and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice if I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, and my people who are called by my&nbsp;name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”</p>

<p>In other words, if God brings direct judgement on Israel for their crimes against Him, and then they relent and repent, then God will respond and remove the judgement. Not remove the consequences of their sin by living in a sinful way like we usually talk about in this country, but rather remove His direct judgement of pestilence, of locust, etc.</p>

<p>Now what about this, “I heard your prayer” business? Well, if you go to the prior chapter, there’s Solomon praying. And what does Solomon ask for? He says, “Lord, if it turns out that we don’t do the way that we’re supposed to do and you visit judgement on us like you said you would in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28-30 for not keeping your law, and we respond to your judgement by repenting, will you relent and deliver us and restore us?” And in fact, he mentions the very same things. In fact, if you compare God’s answer with Solomon’s prayer, you will see there’s almost a line-for-line match up between the two. This is not a passage that is meant to be cited by Christians.</p>

<p>By the way, when we take a promise out of its context and we use it in a way that God did not intend it, it is no longer God’s word. It is a distortion of God’s word. And there is no rescue by saying, “We’re God’s people too.” Because God did not intend the phrase, “If my people...” to be applied to the church. He meant it to be applied to Jews in that very particular circumstance and Him sending judgement upon them. And then, given their repentance, consistent with their covenantal agreement with God, Deuteronomy 28-30, you can read it and look it up for yourself and find the answers there, God will respond with grace.</p>


title: How to Avoid the Professor’s Ploy
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 12/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-avoid-the-professor-s-ploy
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/G4TpBwwl9Ks?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Part 7: Greg addresses a situation where you may be tempted to take on the burden of proof in conversation about Christianity.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>So when you consider using the tactical game plan, which I've outlined very thoroughly in the book, "<em>Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions</em>," there are three basic steps. One is to gather information by asking the question, "What do you mean by that?" The other one is to reverse the burden of proof by asking the question, "How did you come to that conclusion?"&nbsp;And the third step is to make your own point using questions.</p>

<p>Now I want to tell you about one liability in, say, the burden of proof. It's a burden of proof trick where someone is trying to reverse the burden of proof on you. I call it the Professor's Ploy because professors like to use this. You go to class, and you have a professor that is bent on destroying your own convictions, and so they're going to go after Christianity as often as they can in the class. Now, some Christians may not be comfortable with that. They're in the class, and they want to go after the professor who's saying the Bible is just a bunch of fables or something like that. I think this is right-hearted but wrong-headed, okay? I know their heart's in the right place, but I think it's a big mistake because it violates a basic rule of engagement which is this: You never make a frontal assault on a superior force in an entrenched position. The man with the microphone is going to win. You're outgunned at that point.</p>

<p>However, I'm not saying break off the engagement. I think you can still be effective if you use your tactics, okay? So what would that look like? I don't know, if the professor was saying that the Bible is a bunch of fables, based on what you know now about the tactical game plan, what question might come to mind that you could raise your hand and ask? How about, "What do you mean by that?" Is that the kind of question a student should ask? Sure. Is that a confrontation? No. You're just getting information. So he's going to explain in more detail what he means by "the Bible's full of fables," okay?</p>

<p>Now he's done explaining that, I don't know, what other question might come to mind in light of the tactical game plan that you can ask at this point? "Now how did you come to that conclusion?" Okay? Again, it's the kind of question that a student should be asking. There's no power play here.</p>

<p>However, the professor may figure out what's going on, and he's going to say to you, "Well you must be one of those Christians who believes the Bible's the Word of God. Okay," he'll say, "I got a couple of minutes. Why don't you stand up and explain to the rest of the class why you think the Bible is not a bunch of fables but it is actually the Word of God?"</p>

<p>Okay, now what has the professor just done? You probably figured it out. He's reversed the burden of proof. It's on the student now. Now why is that an illicit move here? It's because the student, the Christian, has not made any claim. He's just asked questions, right? Therefore, the student, the Christian, bears no burden of proof, but the professor is pushing it on him saying, "You disprove me." That's the Professor's Ploy, and here's my advice. Don't take the bait.</p>

<p>In other words, don't take the burden of responsibility on yourself to disprove the other person's point of view. If you haven't made any claims, and at this stage in the game plan we haven't. We're just probing, asking questions, gathering information. Then you bear no burden of proof. Just that simple. And so what you can say to the professor, or whoever, you say, "Professor, you actually don't even know my view because I never said it. I'm just trying to figure out what it is that you believe and what your reasons are for it."</p>

<p>So you don't want to take the bait when somebody tries to push the burden of proof on you when you have not made any claims. That is the professor's ploy, and do not fall for it.</p>


title: Anti-Intellectualism in the Church
topic: Philosophy
author: Tim Barnett
date: 11/18/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/anti-intellectualism-in-the-church
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/hfmZlWsLZfI?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>In this third part of the “Why Apologetics?” series, Tim talks about the value of developing the mind through apologetics as a way of pushing back against anti-intellectualism in the church.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>If you walked into most churches in North America and asked what they teach on apologetics, they would probably look at you like you have two heads. This is because apologetics is treated as if it’s an extra at best or an error at worst. And whether it’s apathy or animosity towards apologetics, both are fuelled by anti-intellectualism in the church.</p>

<p>In his book <em>The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind</em>, Mark Noll writes this: “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.” Ouch! Many Christians don’t think very deeply anymore.</p>

<p>[In his book <em>Reasonable Faith</em>,] Philosopher William Lane Craig states this:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Our churches are filled with Christians who are idling in intellectual neutral. As Christians, their minds are going to waste. One result of this is an immature, superficial faith. People who simply ride the roller coaster of emotional experience are cheating themselves out of a deeper and richer Christian faith by neglecting the intellectual side of that faith.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Writing four decades ago in <em>Christianity Today</em>, 1980, academic Charles Malik says this:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I must be frank with you: the greatest danger confronting American evangelical Christianity is the danger of anti-intellectualism. The mind in its greatest and deepest reaches is not cared for enough.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Caring for the life of the mind is the job of apologetics. Unsurprisingly, it’s the uncared for Christian mind that leads to the undoing of Christian faith.</p>

<p>So the real danger isn’t apologetics—nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, apologetics is pushing back against the real threat: anti-intellectualism.</p>

<p>Let me say it as plainly as I can: If you want to know the mind of God, you need to learn to use your own.</p>


title: Does Jesus Endorse Blind Faith?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/19/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-jesus-endorse-blind-faith-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8P1sMlIP0_k?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Taken out of context, John 20:29 is often used to justify faith without evidence. Greg looks at the whole passage to clarify the true meaning of the verse.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I commonly get a push back on the idea of defending your faith with evidences as opposed to having blind faith because of something Jesus said to Thomas at the end of the Gospel of John. Remember Thomas, the doubter, he said, “I’m not going to believe that you actually saw Jesus unless I could put my fingers in the palm of his hand or into the wound in His side.” And then of course, Jesus appears to all of them, this time when Thomas is there, and He invites Thomas to go ahead and to touch His wounds. And then Jesus says, “...because you have seen, you believe? Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet believe.”</p>

<p>Now the way this is understood by many people is as Jesus’ affirmation of blind faith. “You haven’t seen, but believe.” Blind people don’t see, so this is blind faith that Jesus is commending. Now, this can’t possibly be what Jesus means, and the reason is is because of what John writes in the very next verse. He says, “Many other signs and wonders Jesus also performed that were not written in this book; but these,” he says, “have been included...” Why did John include the evidence of miracles in the Gospel of John? “...so that you would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and in believing have life in His name.”</p>

<p>In other words, the whole reason that John wrote the Gospel of John, according to John, is so that he could give evidence that Jesus was the Christ, and the evidence would encourage you to believe in Him and be rescued. Okay, now why is this significant? Because John can’t be recording a statement that Jesus is making that essentially promotes blind faith as a virtue when the very next verse he tells the reason for writing his gospel is to encourage thoughtful evidence-based faith, alright? It would be a direct contradiction. That is not what Jesus had in mind.</p>

<p>Remember Jesus’ words, “...because you have seen, you believe... Blessed are those who have not seen...” That is, seen with the eyes. Most people since the time Jesus rose from the dead who believed in Jesus didn’t see him. They trusted the testimony of those who did, which is exactly what Thomas should have done. He had seen Jesus work miracles, even raised the dead. So when they said they saw Him, he should have believed him. Instead, he said, “I’m not going to believe until I stick my finger in the wound,” and basically, Jesus was saying, “That’s a little bit much, but if that’s what you require, here you go.”</p>

<p>Jesus is not arguing against a thoughtful evidenced faith. He is chastising Thomas for requiring an extreme level of evidence, that’s all. You and I haven’t seen. What do we have? We have the evidence of the eyewitnesses. One of them being John writing the Gospel of John so that we’d have the evidences to put our confidence in Christ and be rescued by Him.</p>


title: Christians Are Commanded to Be Apologists
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 10/21/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/christians-are-commanded-to-be-apologists
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/xFn3sYnEos8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>In the second part of the “Why Apologetics?” <a href="/w/why-is-apologetics-so-important-" id="" rel="" target="" title="">series</a>, Tim shows us where the Bible says Christians are commanded to be apologists.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Why apologetics? Well, the Bible commands it. Apologetics is not optional. Every follower of Christ is instructed—<em>commanded</em>—to be an apologist. You might be thinking, well, where does it say that? Well, I’m glad you asked. Let me give you a few verses to back this up.</p>

<p>Probably the most often cited passage comes from the Apostle Peter. He writes, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” That’s 1 Peter 3:15. The Greek word translated “defense” there is <em>apologia</em>. It’s used eight times in the New Testament and literally means a formal defense or reasoned argument for one’s position.</p>

<p>My favorite passage on this subject comes from Paul. He <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+10%3A4-5&amp;version=ESV" rel="" target="" title="">says</a>, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”</p>

<p>Did you know that there are arguments and lofty opinions that are raised up against the knowledge of God, and your job is to destroy them—the arguments and opinions, not the people? Paul also tells the Church of Philippi that they “are all partakers with [him] of grace, both in [his] imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (Philippians 1:7). Similarly, Jude—he says that it was necessary for him “to write appealing to [them to] contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”</p>

<p>So, as we’ve seen, God commands apologetics. Therefore, those who refuse to make a defense, or answer each person, or contend for the faith are disobeying God’s command, and that alone, for the Christian, should be reason enough.</p>

<p>So, why apologetics? Quite simply, the Bible commands it.</p>


title: The Role of Hadith Literature in Islam
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 11/04/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-role-of-hadith-literature-in-islam
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/nBFHjuUhcW0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan explains hadith literature and its role as a source of authority in the lives of Muslims.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>A second source of authority is what’s called the hadith—or the hadith literature. And hadith literature are simply written traditions that record what Mohammed said, did, or approved of, and these are categorized by subject.</p>

<p>So, for example, maybe Mohammed one day in Saudi Arabia was walking around, and somebody comes up to Mohammed and says to him, “Hey, Mohammed, these men over here are praying, but there are some dogs barking over here, and this is very distracting. What should we do? And Mohammed might say, “Well, whenever someone’s praying, we don’t want any dogs barking near them, so no dogs for 50 yards (not that they used yards as a measure of distance at the time, but you know what I mean). And so these people remembered that, okay, Mohammed said no dogs when people are praying. And eventually, hundreds of years later, people wrote that down and said, okay, this is what Mohammed said about prayer—or regards to prayer.</p>

<p>And so Mohammed said a whole bunch of things about prayer, about fasting, about fighting, about marriage, about divorce, about a whole host of subjects. And everything that Mohammed said, did, or approved of, has been brought together and categorized by subject and put into these large volumes called hadith literature.</p>

<p>Now, it’s important to realize that hadith literature is not on par with the Quran, but nevertheless, hadith literature is extremely authoritative, and here’s why. The hadith literature provides very practical applications to the broad principles that are taught in the Quran. So, for example, the Quran might command a Muslim to pray, but the hadith will tell you how to pray, when to pray, what to do before prayer, what to do during prayer, what to do after prayer. The Quran might command a person to fight, but the hadith will tell you how to fight, when to fight, when to start, when to stop, what are the conditions in order for you to begin fighting, and so on and so forth. And that’s what I mean by, the hadith literature gives very practical applications to the broad principles that are in the Quran, and it helps the Muslim know how to live.</p>


title: Do Science and the Bible Conflict?
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 08/12/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/do-science-and-the-bible-conflict-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/__QNdaZ_fB8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim explains what kind of book the Bible is and how it relates to science.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>The Bible is not a science textbook. It's not a science textbook. And that's a good thing because those things get updated like every couple years, right? It's not a science textbook. You won't find the equations for special relativity or quantum mechanics inside it because it's not that kind of book. The Bible was written for a different purpose. But listen, when the Bible touches on issues that relate to science like the origin of the universe that Frank looked at or the origin of life that we just looked at, it can be trusted. It can be trusted. Why? Because listen, it's been confirmed over, and over, and over again. In fact, there has never been a more exciting time to be both a Christian and a scientist. Friends, science has not disproven the Bible, far from it. Science has helped confirm the Bible in many places. You can trust the Bible, and more importantly, you can trust the One who wrote it.</p>


title: The Importance of Being Precise
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 07/22/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-importance-of-being-precise
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mlyzv3pkWqs?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan explains the importance of using exact numbers when sharing statistics to get your point across.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series <a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: The Importance of Being Precise
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 07/22/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/importance-being-precise
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mlyzv3pkWqs?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan explains the importance of using exact numbers when sharing statistics to get your point across.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Here’s your apologetics tip of the day. Use precise numbers for greater impact. Pro-lifers often say, “In America, 3000 unborn children are killed each day by abortion.”&nbsp;Rather than giving an approximation, find out the most precise number you can, and use that in your sentence. So instead, say, “2,899 unborn children are killed each day by abortion.”&nbsp;Now that’s more powerful for at least two reasons. First, non-specific numbers can sound suspicious. Second, precise numbers sound more credible because it appears like you did the research and have retrieved the exact number. Try to be as precise as possible, and your audience will be more likely to believe you. That’s your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: What We Can Learn from Mr. Rogers’ Understanding of Salvation
topic: Christian Living
author: Greg Koukl
date: 07/15/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-we-can-learn-mr-rogers-understanding-salvation
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_3pwNYrEnvA?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg reflects on how Mr. Rogers’ parting words exemplified a common misunderstanding of God’s grace.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I want to talk for just a moment, offer you a reflection about something I heard about a very good man. His name is Mr. Rogers. You might have grown up with him on TV, died about 15 years ago now. But I watched a documentary on his life, and there were so many remarkable things that I learned about Mr. Rogers that I was very impressed with him as an individual.</p>

<p>Now, he was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and I don’t know a lot about his deep theological convictions, very little came up regarding that in the documentary. However, it was pretty clear that his theology was dictating a lot of his behaviors towards other human beings, that is, helping people feel accepted, and loved, and cared for in ways that he actually hadn’t felt loved, and accepted, and cared for as a kid, and he was magnificent in that regard. So I have no qualms about that.</p>

<p>But I was troubled that at the end of his life, he had a conversation with his wife, and he had just been reading Matthew 25, the separation of the sheep from the goats, and he said to his wife, “Do you think that I’m one of the sheep?”&nbsp;And his wife said to him, “Honey, if anyone was a sheep, you are.”&nbsp;Now I want you to think about that for a moment from the perspective of the grace of God in Christian theology.</p>

<p>At the end of my life, I am not going to look back on my life and recount all of the good things that I have done in order to make myself feel comfortable as I face death that I have done enough good things to qualify for the Kingdom of God. I know that I haven’t. Think about it for a moment. The two greatest Commandments that Jesus gave, the summary of the whole law, love your Lord your God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. You know, if that’s the summary of the law, there is hardly a moment in my entire life when I have ever fulfilled either of those. If that’s the way I am to be judged, then I’m a goner, and so is everyone else.</p>

<p>Our good deeds are like filthy rags. It’s our iniquities that get us. And on my tombstone I want what it says in Psalm 130, I think, verse 3 and 4, “If you, Lord, should mark iniquity, oh Lord, who could stand?”&nbsp;Not me. Not Mr. Rogers. As good as he was, as noble as he was, probably a much better human being than I’ll ever be, I fully acknowledge that. But if God were to mark our iniquities, no one would stand. The psalmist goes on to say, “But with You there is forgiveness that You may be praised.”&nbsp;With You there is forgiveness. You see, that’s the hope. The hope isn’t whether I have done enough good things in my life, because I haven’t. I haven’t, I know that.&nbsp; You know that. Mr. Rogers knew that. That’s why he asked the question.</p>

<p>The only hope is in the grace of God. And I wish his wife had told him at that point, “Fred, you have been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved son in whom you have redemption, forgiveness of sins.”&nbsp;That’s what I’m banking on in my last day.</p>


title: Focus on the Person Rather Than the Argument
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 08/26/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/focus-on-the-person-rather-than-the-argument
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ToAC7YSiNYI?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares how best to use your time if you only have one hour to share the truth with someone.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Today’s apologetic tip of the day is: Focus on them before you focus on what you want to tell them. You know Francis Schaeffer once said, “If I have only an hour with someone, I will spend the first fifty-five minutes asking questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and their mind and then the last five minutes I will share something of the truth.” A lot of us might think that if we gave our Muslim neighbor or our friend who identifies as gay fifty-five minutes out of the hour to share about their life, and their beliefs, and their fears, and their story, that we would have squandered our opportunity to make a difference. But by taking the time to ask them questions and finding out what’s going on deep inside their soul, when we do share something in those last five minutes, it will be precisely what they needed to hear. And that’s because we first took the time to focus on them before we focus on what we want to tell them. That’s your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: The Only Question That Matters in the Abortion Debate
topic: Bioethics
author: Greg Koukl
date: 10/07/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/the-only-question-that-matters-in-the-abortion-debate
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/iNER1AEFuc4?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg explains why we must first determine what the unborn are before we can decide whether or not it’s okay to kill them.</p>
  <br>


title: Set a Modest Goal When Talking to Non-Christians
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 06/03/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/set-a-modest-goal-when-talking-to-non-christians
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1xJnEq_evMQ?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #6: Alan encourages Christians not to stress about getting to the gospel in every conversation with non-believers. Instead, aim to put a stone in their shoe.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series&nbsp;<a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: Evidence for Intelligent Design in Proteins
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 06/17/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/evidence-for-intelligent-design-in-proteins
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_8YSXMAC5A?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim describes the chirality problem as evidence against creation by chance.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>
Now here's what we're gonna do: We are going to build a protein. Now, as a little helpful educational aid here, we have this toy, and this is gonna be our protein we want to build. But– I couldn't fit 150 of these things in my luggage, so I only have whatever this is, like ten, okay? Each one of these is gonna be our amino acids, okay? And then we have– and then when we put them together, we make our our protein, okay? So we want to build a protein. There's a problem though, right off the bat, if you want to build a protein, by chance, without any kind of intelligence. Here's the problem. We can make amino acids, even in the laboratory, okay? The problem is when we make these things, they come in two different forms. They come in both left-handed and right handed amino acids. How many people in here are left-handed? Okay, this is like a shout out for you guys because it turns out, all my lefties, it turns out all of life is made up of left-handed amino acids. In fact, if you add one right-handed amino acid to the mix, you basically destroy your protein, okay? It won't fold properly. And so what you want is only left-handed amino acids. That's important. So it turns out, hey, if we want to build one of these by chance, what we're gonna do is first we're going to get our first left-hand amino acid, and then we're gonna try and get another left-hand amino acid, stick it on there, and then another and another and until you've got 150 in a row. Now here's the problem: When we make these in the laboratory or find them, they come in a 50/50 mixture. It's basically a coin flip. So quite literally, if you want the odds probability of getting your left-handed amino acid, every time is a coin flip – one in two chance. And then when you start, you just like our bike lock, you start to multiply the difficulty, right? Because it's you have 1 over 2 times 1 over 2 times 1, and all of a sudden if you have a hundred and fifty of these in a row. Well, your odds are now one in two to the power of 150. It would be like flipping a coin, getting heads a hundred and fifty times in a row. And if you get tails on the fourth try or the tenth try or the twentieth try or the hundred and forty ninth try, you got to start all over again. So it turns out when you change this into kind of base ten to make it a little easier here to understand, it's a one in ten to the forty five chance to get our– protein with just a left-hand amino acids. That's a one followed by 45 zeros. But the problem gets worse, okay? That's called the chirality problem which just means handedness. That's the handedness problem. You need left-handed.</p>


title: What to Say When You Don’t Know How to Respond
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 04/22/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-to-say-when-you-don-t-know-how-to-respond
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZGTlZJCrO8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #5: Alan shares a helpful tip on what to do when you��re stuck in a conversation with someone who has an opposing viewpoint.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series&nbsp;<a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: Sequence-Specific Information Comes from a Mind
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 07/01/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/sequence-specific-information-comes-mind
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ab27NV5Ohyg?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Tim explains the unlikely odds of the correct sequence for proteins developing by chance.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>But here is the worst problem of all: It turns out it’s called the sequence problem. If you want, you can’t just get these amino acids. You can’t just put them all together willy-nilly. That’s the scientific term, okay? You can’t put them together willy-nilly. There’s an order or sequence to how they go so that at the end, they fold properly so they can do their function like a hat or something. This would be a terrible hat, actually. Just like that Kinesin protein that walks along and carries the cargo. It has to be set up in such a way so it folds and does its job, okay?</p>

<p>It turns out these amino acids, there are 20 left handed to make up life, they have to be in a certain sequence. They act like letters of the alphabet. It would be like 20 letters of the alphabet, and just like alphabetical letters have to be in a certain sequence to spell out words, in the same way, these amino acids are in a certain sequence to spell out your protein, okay?</p>

<p>So we could take some letters, and this says, you know, here’s a good command to my children, “Be kind to your mom. Be kind to your mom.”&nbsp;But look it, I could take those same letters and mix them up a little bit, and now I have the command, “Me mink bo tod.”&nbsp;If I told my kids that, they would think I was having a serious problem, okay? Like we need to call the doctor, okay? Right? And so, you could see here the sequence of the letters matters. And it turns out the sequence of the amino acids in our protein matter as well.</p>

<p>Here’s a way to think of it: Imagine there’s only three letters in our whole alphabet, and those three letters are O, D, and G, okay? Now it turns out, if we want to use those three letters and only make three letter words, we can make how many words? Well, you could make three times three times three or three to the power of 3, which is 27 different words. The problem is most of those aren’t real words, right? Well, how many real words are there? Well, it turns out in this collection of letters, you can make the word ODD, GOD, DOG, and GOO. Apparently, goo’s real word, okay? And your odds are really a 1 in, you know, 7, something like that, that you’ll get a real word if you just randomly picked out Scrabble letters and it was only three of them, okay?</p>

<p>Well, it turns out, some of the sequences of our left-hand amino acids, some of them will produce real words or real proteins that will fold, but most of them won’t. And there was a chemist, a biochemist at Cambridge University, Doug Axe. And he actually came up with a number. And he said the odds of getting the sequence right that will fold for a protein for life in this situation are 1 in 10 to the 74th power. That’s a one followed by 74 zeroes. Now, I want you to listen to this: This kind of sequence-specific information, this always comes from a mind.</p>

<p>For example, if I saw this sequence of letters on my fridge, I would think nothing of it, you know? Maybe my two-year-old was just throwing fridge magnets against the wall, against the fridge, okay? And the laws of magnetism, they’re just doing their thing holding them there. But if I saw this sequence on the fridge, it would be foolish, right, for me to think that that was caused by the laws of magnetism and chance. No, no, that sequence produces a message, which is a mark of intelligence.</p>

<p>So how do I know it’s intelligence? Because it’s a sequence. It’s called, by the way, specified complexity. High improbability and it fits an independently given pattern, a message, right? “Pick up the girls. Love, Stacy.”&nbsp;My wife. That tips me off to design. So we’ve got three problems that we got to get around if you’re a naturalist, if you’re an atheist. You got the chirality problem, you have the bonding problem, and the sequence problem. When you put those together, the chances of getting our single protein, this is not life, it’s just a protein that’s 150 amino acids long, is one chance in 10 to the 164th power.</p>


title: Do This before Responding to Views You Oppose
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 03/25/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/do-this-before-responding-to-views-you-oppose
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/3OzjLOHTkdM?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #4: Alan reminds Christians of an important way to be kind and winsome before expressing an opposing view.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series&nbsp;<a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: Will Science Eventually Be Able to Explain God Away?
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 05/27/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/will-science-eventually-be-able-to-explain-god-away
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Vuby6hGzbU?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Is God just a gap-filler for lack of scientific knowledge, or does science point to God?</p>
  <br>


title: Is Faith Just Wishful Thinking?
topic: Philosophy
author: Tim Barnett
date: 02/19/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-faith-just-wishful-thinking-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DkC5H-FC8tQ?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>What is faith according to the Bible? Are science and faith at odds? Tim explains in this clip from the 2018 reTHINK Apologetics Student Conference.</p>
  <br>


title: Christian Ambassadors Learn about Islam
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 02/05/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/christian-ambassadors-learn-about-islam
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dk2OIt80tis?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares one of the first steps in sharing the gospel with your Muslim friends.</p>

<p>This is an excerpt from&nbsp;<a href="https://store.str.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DVD071" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">A Closer Look at Islam</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: 3 Questions You Need to Ask When Reading the Bible
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 06/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/3-questions-you-need-ask-when-reading-bible
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ut0jA0OvQ5g?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #7: Alan shares the right questions to ask when reading the Bible so that you can get the most out of the meaning of the text.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Here’s your apologetics tip of the day: Always ask three questions when reading any biblical text. You see, in order to be transformed by God’s Word, we can’t misinterpret what it means. And that’s why there are three key principles to biblical interpretation: context, history, and genre.</p>

<p>So first, ask about context. What is the author talking about in the surrounding text? Read as much as you can the text before and after the passage you’re studying.</p>

<p>Second, ask about history. Are there any historical details or events that add to your understanding of the subject being discussed in the text?</p>

<p>And third, ask what is the genre or the type of literature of the passage that you’re reading? Because each genre in the Bible has its own principles of interpretation. Find a resource that explains how to interpret each genre and keep it handy when you’re studying the Bible. By properly interpreting God’s Word, you’ll allow the Holy Spirit, who inspired its words, to transform you from the inside out.</p>

<p>That’s your apologetics tip of the day.</p>


title: Jesus’ View on Sex and Marriage
topic: Sexuality and Gender
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 04/02/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/jesus-view-on-sex-and-marriage
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8OqtqNEtvM0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shows us where we can find Jesus’&nbsp;clearly-stated views on sex and marriage.</p>
  <br>


title: What Is Science? Define Your Terms
topic: Science
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 01/29/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-is-science-define-your-terms
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/dWxavFxKA48?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #2: Alan encourages Christians to understand the two definitions of science in order to avoid confusion in conversation.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series&nbsp;<a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: Focus on Gardening
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 01/07/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/focus-on-gardening
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/2CyXoHrSpy8?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Part 1: Greg encourages Christians for whom evangelism seems overwhelming to focus on small opportunities of influence rather than "sealing the deal."</p>

<p>Other videos in this series:<br>

<a href="/w/want-to-share-the-gospel-start-with-this-question" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Want to Share the Gospel? Start with This Question</a><br>
<a href="/w/the-burden-free-step-in-discussing-christian-beliefs" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">The Burden-Free Step in Discussing Christian Beliefs</a><br>
<a href="/w/the-unexpected-way-to-effectively-make-your-point" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">The Unexpected Way to Effectively Make Your Point</a><br>
<a href="/w/where-do-moral-laws-come-from-" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Where Do Moral Laws Come From?</a><br>
<a href="/w/how-to-get-out-of-the-hot-seat-while-remaining-engaged" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">How to Get out of the Hot Seat While Remaining Engaged</a><br>
<a href="/w/how-to-avoid-the-professor-s-ploy" target="_blank">How to Avoid the Professor's Ploy</a><br>
<a href="/w/what-we-can-learn-mr-rogers-understanding-salvation" rel="" target="_blank" title="">What We Can Learn from Mr. Rogers' Understanding of Salvation</a></p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I had somewhat of an epiphany 10, 15 years ago. Something came together for me that has really profoundly influenced the way that I approach the whole task that we generally call evangelism: Before there can be a harvest, there has to be a season of gardening.</p>

<p>What this points out for evangelism is that before someone comes to Christ, there is a season of that person considering Christ. And nowadays, that season is a whole lot longer than it used to be. In other words, as Francis Schaeffer used to put it, we need more pre-evangelism than we ever needed.</p>

<p>So if we just go out into the field, and we are looking for a harvest, and our evangelism technique is focusing on getting people to sign on the dotted line—to close the deal, so to speak—we may be really frustrated because it's like harvesting fruit that's not ripe yet.</p>

<p>And I began to think of my own life, and I realized that I'm not really a harvester. I'm a gardener. Everything that I do, really—on the radio, and writing books, and talking to audiences—is mostly gardening, not harvesting.</p>

<p>Is there a harvest? Sure. I get people to come to me, and they tell me that they've listened to the show or read the books and, eventually, they became a Christian, right? In other words, somebody went into my garden where I had been gardening and harvested my fruit. Do you think that bothers me? No, it doesn't bother me. I'm glad for that.</p>

<p>And Jesus said the same thing in John chapter 4 right after the woman at the well. The disciples came up to Him after she had gone off to Sychar, and He says to the disciples, "You are about to reap where you did not sow." In other words, He's identifying one field, two seasons—reaping and sowing—and two kinds of workers—reapers and sowers, harvesters and gardeners. And I think the gardening job is the one that's the hardest to do because when the fruit is ripe, it falls into the basket. What Jesus is telling the disciples is they're about to get the ripe low-hanging fruit though someone else did the heavy lifting. And then He says, "So that the one who reaps and the one who sows can rejoice together."</p>

<p>That's my approach. That's what I mean when I say I just want to put a stone in someone's shoe when I go to engage other people. I'm not looking to lead them to Christ. I'm not looking to close the deal. I'm not swinging for the fences. I'm just trying to make a small difference in their life, put a stone in their shoe, get them thinking about something important about Christ. Maybe create a doubt in their mind about their own view so that would move them a little bit closer.</p>

<p>And I think if more Christians thought of themselves as gardeners and not worried about the harvest, which I think is going to take care of itself by God's sovereignty, we get out there and start gardening, doing a little here a little there, more Christians would get off the bench and get into play.</p>

<p>And this is part of the reason I have the tactical game plan because Tactics is a game plan that will allow you to do that effectively. Tactics helps you to garden, and gardening, I think, is the biggest thing that's needed right now.</p>


title: Where Do Moral Laws Come From?
topic: Arts and Culture
author: Greg Koukl
date: 04/15/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/where-do-moral-laws-come-from-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/3bzh-P9892I?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>We can be good without God, but would goodness even exist without God? Greg explains the argument for God from morality</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I want to talk just a few moments about the issue of God and morality because I think the arguments that Christians have offered in favor of God based on the existence of morality have been misunderstood principally by atheists but also by some Christians, okay?</p>

<p>Here's the way the argument goes: If there is no God, there is no objective morality, but there is objective morality, that would be evidenced by the problem of evil, therefore, there must be a God.</p>

<p>Now, there's a lot I can say about this, but let me address myself specifically to the confusion because atheists are quick to object that "you're saying I can't be moral if I don't believe in God," and that is not our point.</p>

<p>Our point is, if there is no God, morality has no meaning. And the quickest way I can get to that point is to offer a challenge offered by the late Christopher Hitchens, one of the New Atheists, and he said, "Tell me one good thing that you can do as a theist that I can't do as an atheist."</p>

<p>That's a fair charge, but notice how it focuses on behavior. Can he do the same behaviors that we do The answer is yes, he can. That's not the issue. The issue is whether the behaviors are good or not without God.</p>

<p>So let me offer another illustration. I'll use Christopher Hitchens. What if Christopher Hitchens said, "I don't believe in writers." And I said, "Well if you don't believe in writers, then how can you read?" And he says, "I can read anything just as good as you can read, maybe even better."</p>

<p>Well, you see the point isn't who can do the behavior more effectively. The point would be whether there's anything to read without writers.</p>

<p>Now this is called the grounding problem. What makes morality possible? What does it sit on, so to speak? Reading depends on writing. Writing depends on writers. That's the grounding problem with reading.</p>

<p>Morality, being good, depends on there being morals, moral laws, and moral laws require a moral law maker. If there is a moral law maker, then there are moral laws, and both the Christian and the atheist can do good things regardless of their beliefs because there are good things to do.</p>

<p>But if there is no God, then there are no morals, then there are no good things. You can still do the same behaviors, but they're not good for the theist or the atheist.</p>

<p>That's the point.</p>


title: 3 Questions You Need to Ask When Reading the Bible
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 06/24/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/3-questions-you-need-to-ask-when-reading-the-bible
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ut0jA0OvQ5g?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #7: Alan shares the right questions to ask when reading the Bible so that you can get the most out of the meaning of the text.</p>

<p>Find other videos in this series <a href="/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative" id="" rel="" target="_blank" title="">here</a>.</p>
  <br>


title: Is What Muslims Say Really What Islam Teaches?
topic: Other Worldviews
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 03/05/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-what-muslims-say-really-what-islam-teaches-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZ19Ey5Pkv0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan emphasizes the importance of looking to Islam’s authoritative sources in order to know what Islam really teaches then explains a key teaching about the Qur'an.&nbsp;</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>00:04 And here's what you're going to discover – There is a critical distinction that I'm going</p>

<p>00:09 to make right now that'll be kind of a theme throughout all the material that we cover.</p>

<p>00:13 And the distinction is this: What Muslims say often is different than what Islam teaches.</p>

<p>00:21 There's a distinction between what Muslims say</p>

<p>00:24 and what authoritative sources in Islam teach.</p>

<p>00:28 Cause Muslims can say a whole bunch of things, it doesn't necessarily make it true or representative</p>

<p>00:33 of what Islam actually teaches according to its authoritative sources.</p>

<p>00:38 So let me then offer you what I believe are three key sources of authority that we can</p>

<p>00:44 look to to determine, is this teaching truly Islamic or not.</p>

<p>00:48 And these three sources, by the way, are what are often cited when I attend a Mosque and</p>

<p>00:54 I go and hear the services, often times the person teaching will site the Qur'an, the</p>

<p>00:59 Hadith, and the Sunnah.</p>

<p>01:01 These are the three sources of authority that I want you to become aware of right now.</p>

<p>01:05 So the first source of authority is the Qur'an.</p>

<p>01:09 The Qur'an is, according to Muslims, the written revelation of Allah.</p>

<p>01:14 They believe it is the literal words of Allah.</p>

<p>01:20 Notice I say "literal words of Allah" because in Christianity, we often say the Bible is</p>

<p>01:24 the inspired word of God.</p>

<p>01:27 And this is a different kind of claim than what Muslims are claiming about the Qur'an.</p>

<p>01:31 So, the doctrine of inspiration of the Bible teaches that there's of course God, and the</p>

<p>01:39 Holy Spirit, who is God, has inspired human authors to write down certain things using</p>

<p>01:45 their own personality, using their own grammar, using their own style, such that what these</p>

<p>01:50 biblical authors were inspired to write by the Holy Spirit is exactly what God intended</p>

<p>01:56 them to write down.</p>

<p>01:58 That's why we call it the inspired word of God.</p>

<p>02:00 It is God's word, but God used the Holy Spirit to inspire human authors to write down certain</p>

<p>02:04 things, and what they eventually wrote down</p>

<p>02:07 is exactly what God intended them to write down.</p>

<p>02:11 This is not the claim of the Qur'an.</p>

<p>02:14 Muslims claim that the Qur'an is the literal words of Allah, which means this: They believe</p>

<p>02:19 that there is a book that exists in heaven with Allah, called the Qur'an.</p>

<p>02:24 And the contents of this book have been dictated literally word by word by the angel Gabriel</p>

<p>02:32 to a man named Mohammed who they believe was a prophet.</p>

<p>02:37 And the contents of this book, the Qur'an were dictated</p>

<p>02:41 to Mohammed from 610 AD to 632 AD.</p>

<p>02:45 So Mohammed allegedly first started getting these revelations from the angel Gabriel at</p>

<p>02:49 610 AD and then when he died in 632 AD, that was when, allegedly, those revelations</p>

<p>02:55 ceased to be given to Mohammed.</p>


title: How to Get out of the Hot Seat While Remaining Engaged
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Greg Koukl
date: 05/13/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-get-out-of-the-hot-seat-while-remaining-engaged
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/m2RQF4_LyYw?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Part 6: Have you ever been in a conversation involving a disagreement about an important issue, but you were unable to defend your point? Greg shares how to shift control of the conversation back to you while shifting the spotlight—and the pressure—back on the other person.</p>
  <br>


title: Does a Human Fetus Have a Soul?
topic: Bioethics
author: Amy K. Hall
date: 05/20/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-a-human-fetus-have-a-soul-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/GTrEyx4hs1Y?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Amy shares why it makes sense to believe that a human has a soul at the moment of conception.</p>
  <br>


title: Arguments Don’t Have to Be Argumentative
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 01/15/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/arguments-dont-have-to-be-argumentative
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ncCtfgdxnmQ?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Apologetics Tip #1: Alan explains how to argue cordially and effectively.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other videos in this series:</p>

<p><a href="/w/what-is-science-define-your-terms" rel="" target="_blank" title="">What Is Science? Define Your Terms</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/apologetics-is-simply-a-means-to-this-end" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Apologetics Is Simply a Means to This End</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/do-this-before-responding-to-views-you-oppose" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Do This before Responding to Views You Oppose</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/what-to-say-when-you-don-t-know-how-to-respond" rel="" target="_blank" title="">What to Say When You Don't Know How to Respond</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/set-a-modest-goal-when-talking-to-non-christians" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Set a Modest Goal When Talking to Non-Christians</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/3-questions-you-need-to-ask-when-reading-the-bible" rel="" target="_blank" title="">3 Questions You Need to Ask When Reading the Bible</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/the-importance-of-being-precise" rel="" target="_blank" title="">The Importance of Being Precise</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/focus-on-the-person-rather-than-the-argument" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Focus on the Person Rather Than the Argument</a></p>

<p><a href="/w/let-jesus-take-the-heat" rel="" target="_blank" title="">Let Jesus Take the Heat</a></p>
  <br>


title: What Does the Bible Have to Say about Abortion?
topic: Bioethics
author: Amy K. Hall
date: 07/08/2019
source: https://www.str.org/w/what-does-bible-have-say-about-abortion
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8TEtD75kc6o?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Amy shares God��s view of unborn children, how we are to supposed to treat them, and then offers encouragement to those facing unplanned pregnancies.&nbsp;</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>To talk about abortion in the Bible, first we have to talk about what the Bible says about human beings. Genesis says we were made in the image of God. And since we were made in the image of God, we have immeasurable value. Because of this value, one of the big Ten Commandments tells us we are not allowed to take the lives of innocent human beings without proper justification. In fact, you're commanded to love your neighbor as yourself. And as Jesus explains, every human being is our neighbor.</p>

<p>How does this relate to abortion?</p>

<p>Well, since human parents create human children, your baby that's developing inside of you is a human being right now. One of the places where we see this in the Bible is when Mary finds out she's pregnant with Jesus and goes to see her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John the Baptist, and the Bible says John leaped in Elizabeth's womb for joy because he was in the presence of Jesus. Both of these developing children were valuable human beings, even in the womb.</p>

<p>So since our unborn children are part of the human family, the Bible's prohibition against killing innocent human beings applies as much to them as it does to any born human being. We learn even more about what God thinks about abortion when we look at the Bible's big picture of what He cares about. The Old Testament law reveals God's great concern for protecting the weak and the vulnerable. And when we see God punish nations for their sin over and over, He sites shedding of innocent blood as a key reason for their punishment, especially the practice of killing their own children as sacrifices to other Gods.</p>

<p>Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." And how did He love us? Philippians 2 says that rather than holding on to His own comfort, He came to live a difficult life on earth to suffer and even die for us. And in the same way it says, we're to regard one another as more important than ourselves, putting others' needs ahead of our own comfort.</p>

<p>And Jesus says that, ironically, that kind of giving up of our lives is how we find true life. We will experience unexpected suffering when we follow Jesus. But Paul says in Philippians 4 that we can live with contentment in any situation because we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. He will be there for you in this.</p>

<p>Sometimes it looks like obedience will take us down a difficult path. But we see in the Bible that the path of disobedience and regret is always much harder in the long run. The two greatest commandments were revealed to us or our good and our joy. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself, especially your unborn neighbor who's been entrusted to you by God to care for and protect.</p>


title: Is Christianity a Science Stopper?
topic: Science
author: Tim Barnett
date: 11/06/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-christianity-a-science-stopper-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ln9071i8XE?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Is Christianity a science stopper or the modern science starter? Tim takes a look at what the history of science demonstrates.</p>
  <br>


title: If God Requires Atonement, Does He Lack Something?
topic: Theology
author: Tim Barnett
date: 10/15/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/if-god-requires-atonement-does-he-lack-something-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/sS-yMA8wGrU?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Is God really God if He needs something? Tim responds.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>When Christians talk about God, they mean something very specific. They’re referring to a being with essential attributes, and one of these attributes is divine aceity. Now this means that God is self-existent. He is not dependent on anything else. Therefore, there could be no lack or need in God.</p>

<p>Now, underlying this challenge is an equivocation on the word “require.”&nbsp;The question treats the word “require”&nbsp;and the word “need”&nbsp;as if they mean the same thing. In the context, the word “require”&nbsp;implies a demand, when the word “need”&nbsp;implies a dependency.</p>

<p>Here’s a question to help flesh out the distinction. We could ask, if a tenured professor required a passing grade, does he lack something? Well, of course, the answer is “no.”&nbsp;A teacher demands a passing grade but doesn’t need or depend on a passing grade. It’s the student who needs or depends on the passing grade.</p>

<p>Well, likewise, God demands an atonement but doesn’t need or depend on an atonement. It’s sinners who need an atonement. So when Christians talk about God requiring an atonement, they’re talking about a demand, not a dependency. Because God is perfectly just, He demands atonement for sin. We’re all guilty of breaking God’s law and rightfully deserve to be punished. But because of God’s perfect goodness and love, He graciously offers an atonement for sin through His Son. He didn’t need to save anyone.</p>

<p>Therefore, it is not as if God needs something, but rather, God is owed something. He is owed a payment for sin. So the lack isn’t in God. The lack is in us. We lack the ability to pay what is owed. But thanks be to God. What God requires, Christ provides.</p>


title: How to Discuss Controversial Issues in the Church
topic: Christian Living
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 07/30/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-to-discuss-controversial-issues-in-the-church
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/08wVkQE7QGU?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares 3 things to remember when discussing controversial issues with other Christians.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>How do you engage another Christian in conversation about a topic that is controversial?</p>

<p>I like to answer that question by appealing to this maxim: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity. In other words, we need to be unified around the essentials of the Christian faith.</p>

<p>For example, the deity of Christ, the Bible being the Word of God, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and the physical return of Jesus Christ. These, if you will, constitute mere Christianity, and we should unify as Christians around these core teachings.</p>

<p>When it comes to non-essentials, however, like the method of baptism or the details of the end times, we need to give freedom for people or denominations to differ. After all, there will always be times that we see things differently, and that’s okay.</p>

<p>But that brings us to the final phrase in the maxim, and that is in all conversations, especially those on controversial topics, we should be gracious, kind, and charitable. In fact, the Bible is chock-full of admonitions for Christians to treat each other well. Jesus says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”&nbsp;And the apostle Paul tells us to be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. And I can go on and on talking about the importance that the Bible puts on how Christians are to treat one another.</p>

<p>So I would say, when you’re discussing a controversial topic with another Christian, it’s fine to offer your points, to state your reasons, and to even vigorously make your case. But always do it in a charitable manner as if you’re speaking to a fellow image-bearer of God, because you are.</p>


title: Did the Punishment of Ananias and Sapphira Fit the Crime?
topic: Philosophy
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/20/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/did-the-punishment-of-ananias-and-sapphira-fit-the-crime-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/0knXMEO6BkY?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Greg explains why the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira were just.</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>I know it seems kind of extreme for God to kill Ananias and Sapphira just for lying, until you realize what the nature of the crime really was.</p>

<p>Early on in the book of Acts you have an odd situation in two different respects. One, Christians are selling lots of property that they own to be able to share the proceeds with each other so that nobody is in want. I mean, that’s unusual, but it’s great. It’s a great act of unity and love that they show. But you have another odd circumstance there in which one couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sold their property, got the money, and kept some money for themselves, and gave the rest to the church.</p>

<p>Now, they got in trouble for this. In fact, God whacked ’em. They both got killed. The Holy Spirit knocked ’em right out. Why did God do that? As the text says, Peter himself says, look it, once you sold it, you could have kept the money. The problem was that they were operating on a certain kind of pretense. They were lying to make themselves look good before the rest of the church, okay.</p>

<p>Two things to keep in mind here. This is very early on in the life of the church, all right? And so the foundation is being laid for how the church is going to interact in the face of persecution that’s coming, and what kind of foundation that community is laying. And so when you have, right at the outset, a couple that is lying in this fashion, this is not good, okay? A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Okay, one problem.</p>

<p>But there’s another problem, and Peter identifies it. He says, “You were not just lying to men, you were lying to God.”&nbsp;All right? You lie to men, that’s bad. You lie to God, you don’t want to mess with that. And so God lowers the boom on them with this punishment that was appropriate because of what was at stake – the life of the early church, the foundation of the early church, and also the nature of the crime, which was lying not to man, but to God.</p>


title: How Do You Revisit the Gospel with Someone Who Won’t Listen?
topic: Tactics and Tools
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 07/16/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/how-do-you-revisit-the-gospel-with-someone-who-won-t-listen-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ohhLZQn_owo?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Alan shares how to continue a Gospel-centered conversation with a friend or family member who says, “Enough of that!”</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>How do you revisit the Gospel with someone who says, “Enough of that!”</p>

<p>The answer to this question hinges on what happened during your interaction to cause the person to respond to the Gospel in that way. And that’s why we at Stand to Reason try to focus on helping Christians become better at being a certain kind of person. We call that person an ambassador. And the reason we call them an ambassador is because the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we’re all ambassadors for Christ, and we believe, therefore, that you need three essential skills to be an effective ambassador: knowledge, wisdom, and character.</p>

<p>Knowledge is the content of what you say. That is, the substance of the Gospel. You have to get the correct facts about what God’s message is to those who have not accepted His pardon. And this requires simple reading, it requires learning, and memorization of the message of reconciliation that comes through Jesus.</p>

<p>Now, the second skill, wisdom, has to do with how you package the contents of the Gospel message. You can’t just dump your knowledge on people, you have to know how to communicate what you know. And so this skill ensures that the Gospel is clearly and persuasively articulated to another person.</p>

<p>Now the third skill, character, has to do with the manner in which you tell a person the Gospel because even if your knowledge and your wisdom is impeccable, but you come across like a jerk, it won’t matter then because your poor conversational character will completely undermine the Gospel message.</p>

<p>Now, I’m not assuming that you dropped the ball in one of those three skills, I’m simply trying to help you evaluate what you might do before you revisit the Gospel with someone. So ask yourself this question, “How did I do in those three ambassador skills when I share the Gospel?”&nbsp;Now, either you did well, or you did not. If you feel you did well, then maybe there’s nothing you did to drive them away. It could just be that they reject the Gospel itself. After all, Scripture describes the Gospel as offensive and a stumbling block, and so therefore, pray and wait for another opportunity later.</p>

<p>Also, remember that it’s God’s job to convict people of sin and save them, not yours. It’s your job to be a faithful ambassador, to share the truth in a persuasive yet gracious manner, then leave the results up to God. If, however, you feel like you dropped the ball in one or more of those three areas, then you need to evaluate which ambassador skills you need to improve. And not only will that help you when you revisit the Gospel with your friend, will also positively affect every relationship you have.</p>


title: Is All Scripture Really God-Breathed?
topic: Theology
author: Greg Koukl
date: 08/27/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/is-all-scripture-really-god-breathed-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/gkLRXMyFot0?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>Does 2 Timothy 3:16 refer to itself and the New Testament or to the Old Testament only?</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Does 2 Timothy 3:16, the passage that says all Scripture’s inspired, refer only to the Old Testament or also to the New Testament to come? Let’s see.</p>

<p>In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul makes a statement about the authority of Scripture. He says that all Scripture is God-breathed, inspired. It is given by God for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man or woman of God might be complete and adequate for everything that God wanted that person to do.</p>

<p>Now, the question is, was that just applying to the Old Testament Scripture, which had already been given, and Paul made reference to just a few verses above. Well certainly applies to that. But notice what it says is “all grafi”&nbsp;in the Greek – all the writings. All the writings that were sacred Scripture. It turns out that there were more writings to come that the apostles and the body of Christ would recognize as on par with the sacred scriptures of the Old Testament. In fact, Peter says that some of Paul’s writing is hard to understand as is the rest of the scripture that people distort. So he’s grouping Paul’s writings in there.</p>

<p>There’s another reference in the New Testament where “the worker is worthy of his wages”&nbsp;and “don’t muzzle the ox while he’s threshing,”&nbsp;one of those references is to the Old Testament Scriptures, but one is to a statement of Jesus that you find in the gospels. So clearly the person quoting those passages was considering the writings of the gospels on par with the Old Testament scriptures. So you have both in view.</p>

<p>When Paul is validating the authority of the God-breathed Scripture, he is not just speaking of those sacred writings that had come before, but he’s also including, or leaving open the possibility, of sacred writings that will come later and the New Testament period. And it turns out that Paul’s own writing right there was an example of that.</p>


title: Does God Endorse Polygamy?
topic: Theology
author: Alan Shlemon
date: 10/01/2018
source: https://www.str.org/w/does-god-endorse-polygamy-
link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/W_PXtLBUJYI?rel=0
transcript:
    <p>If God is opposed to polygamy, why does 2 Samuel 12:8 say that God gave David wives?</p>
  <br>
    <h2>Transcript</h2>
    <p>Is God pro-polygamy? Let’s talk about that.</p>

<p>If God is opposed to polygamy, then why does 2 Samuel 12:8 say that God gave David wives?</p>

<p>Now, I do believe God is opposed to polygamy. In fact, in Genesis 2:24, God’s creation account indicates that God intended for one man to marry one woman, and become one flesh for one lifetime. In fact, Jesus even quotes that definition in Matthew 19 and upholds it as valid. And in fact, then He adds his own commentary by claiming that monogamous marriage is a God-ordained institution.</p>

<p>But now, if you read the Old Testament, you’ll see polygamy practiced by patriarchs, and of course, many Israelite kings. Remember though, that many parts of Scripture are descriptive, not prescriptive. And the Bible often records what happened, not necessarily what should happen.</p>

<p>Still, it appears God allowed polygamy to occur.</p>

<p>Now, I think this is true, but I believe that God tolerated polygamy, but never condoned it. And the same could be said of divorce. God never intended married couples to divorce, but He tolerated it. In fact, Jesus even says in Matthew 19:8 that divorce was permitted because of the hardness of the hearts of men. And yet He also clearly reminds the pharisees that divorce was never intended by God from the beginning.</p>

<p>So, what are we to make then when the Bible says God gave David his master’s wives?</p>

<p>Well first of all, Deuteronomy 17:17 forbids kings from marrying more than one wife, so it doesn’t make sense that God would give that clear prohibition and then give David multiple wives. Furthermore, in Leviticus 18:17, it forbids marrying a woman and her daughter, so that would also be odd for God to give David Saul’s wife, who was his mother-in-law.</p>

<p>Now second of all, as Paul Copan points out in his book, “Is God a Moral Monster?”, the same word “gave”&nbsp;where God gave David these wives, is used in 2 Samuel 12:11 when God took David’s wives and gave them over to his wicked son Absolom. Now we wouldn’t say that God approves of polygamy because of this punishment.</p>

<p>Third, notice that the text doesn’t say God gave David these wives to marry, but that God gave David your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care. In other words, it’s possible that he didn’t marry them, but was simply responsible for caring for Saul’s estate and household after his death.</p>

<p>This, by the way, would often occur during the Old Testament era. A king would inherit the previous ruler’s house and especially the widows and the orphans if the ruler had died. And David would have been expected to extend his protection to Saul’s family, including his harem. In fact, we even see eight chapters later where David takes his concubines and puts them in a house under guard, and the text even says he provided for them but had no sexual relations with them.</p>

<p>So, God is opposed to polygamy, and it doesn’t seem that the 2 Samuel passage does anything to undermine that view.</p>


