#strask by Stand to Reason

Questions about how to respond to someone claiming the Quran is the true word of God and how one can discuss the gospel with a Baháʼí.  

• How would you respond to someone claiming the Quran is the true word of God?
• How can I discuss the gospel with a Baháʼí?

Questions about inspiration when the New Testament writers quote the Septuagint rather than the original text, whether we could add books to the Bible if new letters from the apostles were found, and how to handle passages like John 7:53–8:11 that were added to the original biblical text.  

• Can you explain verbal plenary inspiration with regard to the New Testament writers quoting the Septuagint in places where it’s different from the original Hebrew text?
• Would it be inappropriate to add books to the Bible if new letters from the apostles were found?
• How should we handle passages like John 7:53–8:11 and Mark 16:9–20 that seem to have been added to the original biblical text?

Questions about whether Christians are complicit in abortion if they shop at companies whose health plans cover it, the claim that putting up Christmas decorations at work discriminates against other religious holidays, and an employer that won’t work around an employee’s religious obligations.  

• Many are appalled by Christians who lived near World War II concentration camps who failed to resist them or even profited from their evils, yet how are we any different if we invest in or use companies like Amazon that offer health care plans that cover abortion?
• What is a polite response to the claim that putting up Christmas decorations at work “discriminates” against other religious holidays?
• How do we navigate a hostile work culture that denies us the hours and funds we need simply because we have church obligations that limit our availability?

Questions about where Jesus went when he “ascended into Heaven” in Acts 1, the idea that Jesus has already returned, whether we’ll see or hear from Jesus after we die, and whether Jesus would have ceased to exist at the cross if annihilation is the punishment required for our sins.  

• Where did Jesus go when he “ascended into Heaven” in Acts 1?
• What do you think about the idea that Jesus has already returned?
• If I won’t see or hear from Jesus while I’m alive, is it going to be like that after I die too?
• If annihilationism is true, then wouldn’t Jesus have ceased to exist at the cross since he was receiving God’s judgment for us?

Questions about what we make of the eyewitnesses to Joseph Smith’s golden plates, our thoughts on the Book of Mormon itself, and why we consider Latter-day Saint theology to be “another gospel.”  

• What do you make of the eyewitnesses to the golden plates, what do you make of the Book of Mormon itself, and why do you consider it “another gospel”?

Questions about how to respond to the claim that the Bible is full of contradictions, and how to answer a Jewish person who knows and speaks Hebrew and says our Bibles weren’t translated properly and the New Testament is made up.  

• How would you respond to the claim that the Bible is full of contradictions?
• How would you answer a Jewish person who knows and speaks Hebrew and says our Bibles weren’t translated properly and the New Testament is made up?

Questions about the idea that “Satan” is merely the propensity of humankind to commit evil acts, why Satan and the demons would want to keep storing up wrath for themselves if they know they’ll be defeated, and whether a “spirit of divorce” can be carried from generation to generation.  

• What would you say to someone who believes that Satan is not a being but rather the propensity of humankind to commit evil acts?
• If Satan and the demons know they’ll ultimately be defeated and tormented, why would they want to keep storing up wrath for themselves?
• I’ve heard Christians talk about a “spirit of divorce," but is that biblical, could it be carried from generation to generation, and does Exodus 20:5 support that view?

Questions about how right a person’s theology needs to be to enter the kingdom, whether it’s okay to baptize a cognitively challenged person who isn’t able to explain salvific concepts, and whether an intellectually disabled person can be saved if they can’t understand the theology of salvation.  

• Considering there are a lot of Christians who say they’re right that don’t agree with each other, how “right” do I need to be to enter the kingdom?
• Is it okay to baptize a young man who really wants to be baptized but who has cognitive challenges and isn’t able to explain salvific concepts like God’s grace or why Jesus needed to die on the cross?
• Can my intellectually disabled daughter be saved if she can’t understand the concepts involved with Jesus personally dying for her sins?

Questions about claiming to know the one and only perfectly true denomination on earth and how a person can know they are going to Heaven.  

• Are you about to tell me you know the one and only perfectly true denomination on earth?
• How can a person know they are going to Heaven?

Questions about whether confidence in a belief should be informed by how long the belief has been held or by how many have held it, and whether it’s irrational and illogical to believe in God and one has to go against reason to believe in him.  

• Should confidence in a belief be informed by how long the belief has been held or by how many have held it?
• Is it irrational and illogical to believe in God, and does one have to go against reason to believe in him?

Questions about how to tell the difference between someone who is righteously offended by homosexuality and a bully, and how to challenge cultural Christians to think more deeply about the Christian worldview when they complain about men wearing women’s dresses in public.  

• How do you tell the difference between someone who is righteously offended by homosexuality and a bully?
• How can I challenge my cultural-Christian friends to think more deeply about the Christian worldview when they complain about people dressing in bizarre ways in public (like men in women’s dresses)?

Questions about what to do if your child came home and told you they were gay, and whether it’s strategically wiser to set emotionally charged sexual ethics aside at first and begin with other sins when evangelizing.  

• What would you do if your child came home and told you they were gay?
• Given how emotionally charged sexual sin is today, is it strategically wiser to set sexual ethics aside at first and begin with less identity-loaded sins (lying, theft, etc.) to establish repentance and regeneration—letting sexual ethics follow as a result of new birth?

Questions about what happened with Germany in World War II if the idea of intrinsic human value came from the Christian worldview, and how to explain the fact that Christians on both sides of World War II slaughtered each other while claiming to fight in the name of God.  

• If the idea of intrinsic human value came from the Christian worldview, then what happened with Germany in World War II?
• How do you explain the reality that World War II saw roughly 40 million Christians slaughtering other Christians—both sides claiming to fight in the name of God?

Question about what Christians should think about capitalism.  

• What should a Christian think about capitalism?

Questions about the benefits of holding Greg’s view on not expecting to hear special messages from God, and how the ideas of God putting something on someone’s heart and prompting someone to pray a certain thing fit with Greg’s theology.  

• What are the positive benefits of holding Greg’s view on not expecting to hear the voice of God and using more appropriate language for describing how the Holy Spirit interacts with us?
• In light of your view on hearing the voice of God, what did Greg mean when he talked about God putting something on someone’s heart, and what did Amy mean when she said God might prompt someone to pray a certain thing? How do these ideas fit with your theology?

Question about what Hebrews 7 means when it says Jesus became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.  

• What does Hebrews 7 mean when it says Jesus became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek?

Questions about what Jesus meant in the passage where he says, ”It is written that you are called gods” (John 10:34–36), and why he would compare himself to those who are merely called gods.  

• Can you give a more detailed explanation of the passage where Jesus says, “It is written that you are called gods” (John 10:34–36)? It seems like he’s downplaying the fact that he’s God by comparing himself to those who are merely called gods.

Question about where Scripture teaches unambiguously that Jesus is God.  

• Where does Scripture teach unambiguously that Jesus is God? Jesus also said he wasn’t God when being called a blasphemer, so when you say “unambiguously,” what do you actually mean?

Questions about how the new earth ties in with the the teaching that we go to Heaven after we die, whether the Isaiah 65:17–25 passage about the new earth is metaphor, whether people in Heaven are aware of things happening on earth, and the prohibition against communicating with the dead.  

• How does the new earth and the new Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation tie in with the teaching that we go to Heaven after we die, how can we be taken directly into God’s presence if we’re not as worthy as Elijah and Enoch, and are we misleading people about the afterlife because of unbiblical assumptions?
• Is the Isaiah 65:17–25 passage about the new earth metaphor, especially the part about having babies?
• Are people in Heaven and Hell aware of things happening on earth?
• Is the prohibition against communicating with the dead merely against our trying to get them to respond, or should we not talk to them at all, even if we’re not expecting a response?

Questions about responding to the claim that someone who died saving the life of another shouldn’t be punished with Hell, and answering someone who says they don’t need a relationship with God and that if there’s a just God, then we should all be judged according to our deeds.  

• How would you respond to the claim that someone who died saving the life of another shouldn’t be punished with Hell?
• What would you say to someone who says they don’t need a relationship with God and that if there’s a just God, then we should all be judged according to our deeds?

Questions about how God’s divine prerogative in Romans 9 differs from the capriciousness of Allah, why we should bother with evangelism if God draws those whom he draws and no one has a choice, and the role of faith in the elect in Reformed theology if God guaranteed their salvation.  

• How is God’s divine prerogative shown in Romans 9 different from the capriciousness of Allah?
• If God already knows who goes to Heaven, and he draws those whom he draws, then why bother with evangelism since it isn’t like someone can have the choice to choose God?
• In Reformed theology, what’s the role of faith in the elect if God guaranteed their salvation?

Questions about whether or not a human clone would have a soul, when each identical twin receives a soul, whether anencephalic babies have a soul, and whether the fact that scientists can use AI to decode people’s thoughts by analyzing their brain activity disproves the soul.  

• Would a human clone have a soul?
• When identical twins form from a single-cell fertilized egg, when does each receive a soul?
• Do anencephalic babies have a soul?
• Does the fact that scientists have been able to decode people’s thoughts by using AI to analyze their brain activity disprove the idea that the soul is real and that consciousness is an immaterial, private experience?

Questions about advice for parents whose daughter was turned away from the faith by the culture, and what to do when you’ve been a Christian for 35 years and are feeling cold to evangelism and a deeper understanding of Scripture.  

• Do you have any advice for us after this culture turned our dear daughter away from the faith she grew up in?
• As someone who’s been a Christian for approximately 35 years, I'm feeling very cold to evangelism and a deeper understanding of Scripture, and I’m looking for some advice on where to get started.

Questions about why people are using the Old Testament laws to condemn people if we’re not under those laws, thoughts on Christians celebrating the feasts of the Law out of obedience to the Lord, and whether we should keep the feasts so we’ll recognize Christ at his second coming.   

• If the Old Testament laws were not even meant for us, then why are so many using the old laws to condemn people now?
• What do you think about my friends insisting that Christians celebrate and honor the various feasts of the Mosaic Law—not out of a spirit of legalism, but merely out of obedience to the Lord who saved them?
• Just as part of the purpose of the Mosaic Law and sacrificial system was to teach God’s people how to recognize Jesus when he came, should Christians be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and other commands so we can recognize Christ at his second coming?

Questions about how to answer someone who says, “Everyone deserves love and happiness,” in response to objections to same-sex weddings, and how to think about same-sex adoption when looking through the lens of the greater good.  

• How would you answer someone who said, “Everyone deserves love and happiness,” in response to my objections to same-sex weddings?
• How should I think about same-sex adoption when looking through the lens of the greater good? If same-sex marriage is legal, what is the greater good in terms of children—giving a child a home or fighting against same-sex adoption ever occurring?

Questions about how to make a biblical case for God’s good design in creating two genders and the rightness of submitting to his design for our own bodies, and how “gender-affirming” care can be wrong if it’s not discussed in the Bible.  

• Would you make a biblical case for God’s good design in creating two genders and the rightness of submitting to his design for our own bodies? My trans, Episcopal brother is asking why “gender-affirming care” is wrong and harmful if it’s not discussed in the Bible.

Questions about whether the despair portrayed in Psalms and Job is descriptive, prescriptive, or something else, whether the Beatitudes are descriptive or prescriptive, how to meditate on God’s Word, and whether reading the Bible gives us information about God or a relationship with him.  

• Should we view the despair of believers portrayed in Psalms and Job descriptively, prescriptively, or some other middle way?
• Are the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 descriptive, prescriptive, or both?
• How do we meditate on God’s Word just by reading it, and how is meditating on God’s Word different from yoga?
• How should I respond to someone who says, “The Bible gives us information about God. You can’t read it again and again and say you have a relationship with God.”

Questions about the difference between believing and knowing from a biblical perspective, why it’s considered bad manners to ask for testable, repeatable evidence for the existence of gods, and why Christians don’t prove God exists by asking him to change carbon dioxide into hydrogen.  

• How would you understand the difference between believing and knowing from a biblically informed Christian perspective, with knowing from a secular perspective being that which one can see, smell, touch, or demonstrate empirically?
• Why is it considered very bad manners to ask for testable, repeatable, consistent evidence that gods and goddesses do exist?
• What prayer can anyone say over a small amount of baking soda so that when vinegar is poured onto it, the bubbles test positive for hydrogen instead of carbon dioxide, thereby giving evidence that the supernatural being to whom the prayer is offered does exist?

Questions about our best answer when an atheist asks us to prove God exists, how God can be merciful and forgiving without the existence of fallen humanity, and why, if God is complete in himself and already receives glory from the angels, he would create us to witness his glory.  

• What is your best answer when an atheist asks you to “prove God exists”?
• Since God is a Trinity, he can be love without needing creation, but how can he be, by nature, merciful and forgiving without fallen humanity, and wouldn’t that make us necessary?
• If God is complete in himself, he didn’t need to create us, and if his angels are there, he already receives glory, so why is it to the benefit of an uncreated creation that they should be created and witness the glory of God?

Questions about why the Sadducees and Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus and why God doesn’t say anything when we pray to him.  

• Why did the Sadducees and Pharisees want to kill Jesus?
• Why doesn’t God say anything when we pray to him?

Questions about whether 1 Corinthians 3:15 indicates that a person can be saved but have nothing to show for it in the way they live, and whether a lack of good works after salvation means the person is not really saved.  

• Does 1 Corinthians 3:15 indicate that a person can be saved but have nothing to show for it in the way they live, and if so, how does this fit with passages like James 2 and John 15?
• If good works demonstrate/follow salvation, does that mean I’m not saved since I still fail so much when it comes to selfishness, not helping others much, not giving much, etc.?

Question about the questions we need to answer for our youth to help keep them from walking away from the faith.  

• What questions do we need to answer for our youth to help keep them from walking away from the faith?

Question about how to love those who hate us.  

• How would you answer the question my former professor says is the most pressing question his students are asking right now: How do we love those who hate us?

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

• Is it biblical to abstain from something like social media as a form of fasting to pray for a specific thing, or is fasting food specific?
• Is the “faith” listed as a gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9 somehow different from the saving faith given to all believers?
• Is it biblical for people with a prophetic gift to predict seasons of suffering or when a person will die?

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

• How do I respond to a confused four-year-old grandson whose father is telling him there are hundreds of gods?
• Why is it so hard, when having a discussion with a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness, to help them understand and set them free with the truth of the gospel?
• How do I engage someone who claims to be a Christian yet attends a Unitarian Universalist church?

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

• Aside from translators’ use of the male pronoun, what evidence in Scripture identifies the Holy Spirit as a “person” as opposed to the transforming power of God?
• Does Mark 13:33 mean that the Holy Spirit does not know the day of Christ’s return?
• Can you comment on popular spiritual formation practices such as contemplative prayer, lectio divina, and the need to explore our past in order for the Spirit to work in us to remove sin?

Questions about whether perfect justice requires that the penalty be paid by the offender rather than someone else, and whether the references in Scripture to sharing in the sufferings of Christ are only about persecution for one’s faith or include things like sickness and financial hardship.  

• For “perfect justice” to be accomplished, doesn’t the penalty have to actually be paid by the offender rather than someone else?
• Are the references in Scripture to ”sharing in the sufferings of Christ” only about persecution for one’s faith in Christ, or are they also about sickness, financial hardship, emotional pain, etc.?

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

• Should I attend the wedding of my sister, who is into the New Thought movement and will have a meditation yurt, a drum circle, and other New Age items at the wedding location and is very outspoken against Christianity?
• I’ve found that Latter-day Saint singers sing hymns that I like, and I get disturbed by that. Should I not listen?
• How should Christians respond to the Buddhist “Walk for Peace” and the people and churches excited to see and support it?

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

• Which Bible translation would you recommend to an adult who’s new to the Bible?
• What resources would you recommend to an unbeliever who’s interested in reading the Bible with her son?

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

• How would you respond to the criticism that Christianity is narrow-minded and dangerous?
• What would you say to someone who thinks Christianity is a cult?

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

• Would you say God’s primary object is to not be found?
• If God doesn’t make mistakes, how do you explain the fact that Christians have reached an all-time low percentage of the world’s population?
• If the common belief that God wins every battle were true, then no one would be in Hell.

Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courage in objective reality without relying on circular definitions.  

• I’ve heard truth doesn’t change and doesn’t contradict itself, but how does yearly change fit into that—e.g., I’m 38 one year and 39 the next. Does this create an argument for relativism?
• If “cowardice” is defined as failing to do what’s right, then calling it “wrong” is just a tautology. How do we ground virtues like courage in objective reality without relying on circular definitions?

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

• The covenant in Scripture is explicitly with Israel and not the Gentile nations, so what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited that covenant?
• Why were the Jews chosen?

Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and how so many people in different denominations that believe different things can all claim to be followers of Christ.  

• Why is there no effort towards a neutral exegesis—i.e., without taking denominational preferences into account—in light of the fact that there are so many denominations divided over hundreds of topics? Which inspiration theory and which explanatory system do you use?
• Considering there are so many denominations that all believe different things, how can they all claim to be followers of Christ?

Questions about how one person could trust another person on the topic of God, how STR obtained information about God that others haven’t obtained, and whether God only matters for the purpose of the afterlife.  

• How could one person trust another person on the topic of God, and how did you obtain information about God that I haven’t obtained?
• Aside from Heaven and Hell, does God matter? Atheists and Muslims experience the same world you do.

Questions about responding to an LGBTQ person who says he feels good about who he is, and whether—since we all have sin in our life we don’t consider to be sinful—a practicing homosexual can be born again as long as he sincerely believes his behavior isn’t sinful.  

• What would be an appropriate response to an LGBTQ person saying, “I feel good about who I am”?
• Since we all have sin in our life that we don’t consider to be sinful, and will only learn about it when we get to Heaven, doesn’t that mean a practicing homosexual can be born again as long as he sincerely believes his behavior is not sinful?

Questions about whether or not God hears and answers the prayers of non-believers, and thoughts about a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just love everyone. I'll sort them out later.”  

• Does God hear non-believers’ prayers, and if he hears them, does he answer them?
• How would you evaluate a church sign that reads (as if from God), “Just love everyone. I'll sort them out later”?

Questions about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, advice for someone who believes in God intellectually but struggles to understand how to have a “personal relationship” with him, and resources other than Greg’s that teach the wisdom model for making decisions.  

• If the Holy Spirit doesn’t give us personal instructions, what does that leave the role of the Holy Spirit to be in my life?
• Do you have advice for someone who believes in God intellectually but struggles to understand how to have a “personal relationship” with him? I don’t understand how others “feel his presence” or “hear from God.”
• What resources (outside of your own) would you recommend in regard to the wisdom model for making decisions rather than a more charismatic approach of receiving impressions, whispers, etc. from God?

Questions about why it’s necessary to believe Jesus is God, whether belief in the Trinity is required for salvation, and why one has to believe in the Trinity if the words “Trinity,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit” aren’t in the Bible.  

• Why is it necessary to believe Jesus is God? Since the Trinity is so difficult for our little human minds to comprehend, is belief in the Trinity really required for salvation?
• Where do you see the words “Trinity,” “God the Son,” and “God the Holy Spirit” in the Bible, and if they’re not there, do I have to believe in the Trinity?

Questions about how we can know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught, and whether or not Jeremiah 1:5 supports the idea that we pre-existed in a spiritual form.  

• With so many divergent traditions, how can we know who is teaching the same gospel Paul taught? If someone in our age has been taught by revelation, then we should forget traditions.
• Does Jeremiah 1:5 support the idea that we pre-existed in a spiritual form?

Questions about Greg placing his faith in his personal assessment of which truth claims best match reality rather than in the revelation of God in Jesus and a personal encounter with the Spirit, and how to fight thoughts that God isn’t real when you know he is real.  

• Please respond to this critique of Greg Koukl: “Those who place their faith in their personal assessment of which truth claims best correspond to reality are placing their faith in something other than the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit.”
• I struggle with thoughts that God isn’t real even though I know he’s real. How do I fight this?

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

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

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

• Is it possible there’s a being that’s greater than God and that’s outside of God’s comprehension and omniscience?
• How do I explain to relatives who don’t believe in the existence of God or the spiritual realm that we all have an eternal soul? They say that if they see God do a miracle, then they’ll believe, but isn’t that why it’s faith?

Questions about whether we should be praying for our souls rather than for material things, why we need to pray about decisions, whether the devil can hear our prayers and tempt us with “answers,” and whether it’s okay to pray for someone’s death rather than healing.  

• Shouldn’t I be praying for my soul rather than for material things such as a house or a new job—i.e., a diet version of the prosperity gospel?
• If I’m faced with a decision to do something that’s a good thing and doesn’t violate anything in Scripture, why do I need to pray about it to see if it’s something God wants me to do?
• Can the devil hear our prayers, and if so, will he tempt us with “answers” to those prayers?
• Is it okay to pray for someone’s death—i.e., for God to release them from suffering rather than for his miraculous healing?

Questions about why we should pray if God already knows what’s going to happen, how the effectiveness of prayer is measured, and whether or not things would have happened the way they did if no one had prayed for them.  

• Why should we pray if God already knows what’s going to happen?
• How is the effectiveness of prayer measured—e.g., would Christopher Yuan have been saved if his mother hadn’t prayed fervently?

Questions about why we should think Jesus is not a created being, and what it means to say God became fully human if part of being human means not being God.  

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

Questions about good books on Christian apologetics, philosophy, and theology with more in-depth information and ideas, and resources to help an intellectually-inclined person with spiritual formation and developing the non-cerebral side of living a Christian life.  

• As a high school student, I have read many baseline books on Christian apologetics, theology, and philosophy, so could you recommend good books with more in-depth information and ideas?
• As someone with a passion for intellectual pursuits such as apologetics, theology, and philosophy, what resources might be helpful for spiritual formation and developing the non-cerebral side of living a Christian life?

Questions about whether there’s an issue with churches advertising on social media, whether it’s weird if we pray along with a YouTuber, and whether Christian social media influencers are going against Matthew 6:1–2 when they film themselves doing good deeds.  

• What are your thoughts on churches advertising on social media?
• Is it weird that I often find myself praying along with a YouTuber when he ends his videos with a prayer?
• Are Christian social media influencers going against Matthew 6:1–2 when they film themselves doing good deeds?

Questions about Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love, how God can expect someone to be celibate when others are free to marry and have happiness, and why Christians seem to hate people today.  

• If God sent Jesus to die for our sins, and all who believe in him are accepted into Heaven, why are so many Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love someone?
• How can God expect you to be celibate when others are free to marry and have happiness?
• Can you explain the hate I see from Christians today?

Questions about how to answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive, and whether the claim in Romans 10:13 that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved contradicts Matthew 7:21.  

• How do you answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive?
• Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but Matthew 7:21 says not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will be saved. Can you help me understand this contradiction?

Questions about whether two logical people can come to conflicting conclusions on a topic without committing a fallacy, how Greg, as a public figure, deals with criticism, and whether or not criticism gets to him.  

• Can two people come to conflicting conclusions on a topic while holding true to logic and reason without committing a fallacy?
• As a public figure, how do you deal with criticism, and does it get to you?

Questions about how to determine which topics at work are worth commenting on, and a good way to respond when you’re in a group Bible study and hear earnest, lifelong Christians talk excitedly about books or content creators that aren’t orthodox.  

• As someone who works in an open room with six others, where topics shift quickly and it’s hard to interject with multiple people chiming in, how do I determine which topics are worth commenting on and asking questions about?
• What is a good way to respond when you’re in a group Bible study and hear earnest, lifelong Christians talk excitedly about books or content creators that aren’t totally orthodox?

Questions about whether Jesus proved he wasn’t sinless when he overturned the tables, whether Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in Mark 3:22–26 was a bad argument, why Jesus was known for associating with sinners, and to what extent we should follow his example.  

• How would you respond to someone who said Jesus lacked self-control, got angry, and had a violent temper tantrum when he overturned the tables in Matthew 21:12–13, proving he wasn’t sinless?
• Is Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in Mark 3:22–26 a bad argument?
• Why was Jesus known for associating with sinners, and to what extent should Christians follow his example?

Questions about what will happen to those who never heard of Jesus or were brought up in a different faith, whether there’s biblical warrant to think a humble, repentant attitude can save people who don’t know Jesus, and where the souls who lived before Jesus go.  

• We’re taught that the only way to Heaven is through belief in Jesus, but what about those living on this planet who never heard of him, those brought up in another faith, or those of a Jewish faith?
• Is there any biblical warrant for thinking that those who haven’t heard of Jesus will nevertheless be saved due to a humble, repentant attitude?
• Where do the souls who lived before Jesus go since they couldn’t be baptized or saved?

Questions about how one can justify calling Jesus the Messiah when he didn’t fulfill the Hebrew messianic prophecies, and whether the reason for the virgin birth was just to set Jesus apart as unique or there was a deeper meaning.  

• How do you justify calling Jesus the Messiah when he didn’t fulfill the Hebrew prophecies the Messiah was required to complete?
• Is the reason for the virgin birth just to set Jesus apart as unique, or is there a deeper meaning?

Questions about whether anyone who tithes is not a Christian and is accursed since Paul says that if you obey one part of the Mosaic Law you’re obligated to obey all of it, and the claim that tithing preceded the Law and therefore remains a principle for the church today.  

• Since Paul says that if you obey one part of the Law to please God you’re obligated to obey all of it, does that mean that anyone who tithes is not a Christian and is accursed?
• How would you respond to the claim that tithing preceded the Law of Moses, as evidenced by Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek in Genesis 14, and therefore remains a principle for the church today?

Questions about whether references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament are literal, how to talk to young children about ghosts, and whether it’s arrogant to think Satan knows your name when he’s a single entity with bigger fish to fry.  

• Are references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament literal, or are they cultural references to physical or psychological conditions that they didn’t understand?
• How do you talk to young children about ghosts? It’s tempting to say they aren’t real, but I don’t want to deny the reality of “spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12).
• Is it misguided or arrogant to think Satan even knows my name when he’s a single entity with bigger fish to fry than me and can only be in one place at a time?

Questions about why any rational person would have to use any religious book, whether apologetics would be redundant if there were actually a good, unrefuted argument, and how to get enough people interested in apologetics to start an apologetics group.  

• Why would any rational, thinking person have to use any religious book, including the Bible, unless they don’t really think with reason or comprehend logic and logical fallacies such as circular reasoning?
• If there were a single good, unrefuted apologetics argument, then apologetics would be redundant. Outside of faith, can we really say we know? If we can’t, then why do apologetics?
• If, as Greg says, “you can’t start a fire with wet wood” when starting an apologetics group, how can someone keep “wet wood” from putting out their fire?
• How can I get others interested in apologetics and the importance of being able to have fruitful conversations with anyone who disagrees with their Christian beliefs?

Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture into it.  

• How do you determine whether something is true or false, whether an action is right or wrong, or whether something is good or bad? Before you bring in Scripture, what tools of reasoning help you recognize these categories in daily life?

Questions about whether having a recurring thought is an indication God is speaking to you, what to say to someone who says they sinned because “God told them to do something” and they didn’t do it, and whether God speaks to us through premonitions.  

• Would you characterize not being able to stop thinking about something as God speaking?
• What would you say to someone who says they sinned because “God told them to do something” and they didn’t do it?
• Does God speak to us through premonitions?

Questions about how to explain modesty to a nine-year-old in a way that won’t cause shame about her body, and when and how to tell a child about a previous marriage and divorce.  

• How can I explain modesty to my nine-year-old daughter without causing shame about her body?
• When and how should I tell my son about my previous marriage and divorce?

Questions about why we say someone was saved on a particular date if it was part of an eternal plan, the Roman Catholic view of the gospel vs. the Bible’s, and why Paul circumcised Timothy but rebuked the Galatians for saying Gentiles needed to be circumcised.  

• Since God had a plan from all eternity to redeem a people for himself, why do we say  someone was saved on a particular date or moment in time?
• Can you suggest some tactical questions to ask a Roman Catholic relative who doesn’t see the distinction between the Catholic view of the gospel and the one in the Bible?
• Why did Paul circumcise Timothy but rebuke the Galatians for saying the Gentiles needed to be circumcised?

Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the modern environmental movement and the Christian perspective on caring for the earth.  

• How do we advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life?
• Can you compare and contrast the modern environmental movement’s view with the Christian view regarding caring for the earth?

Questions about how to convince someone that evil exists, whether Charlie Kirk’s murder was part of God’s plan, whether that would mean the murderer didn’t have free will, and whether or not God is responsible for that plan.  

• How would you respond to an atheist friend who doesn’t believe evil exists and thinks “evil” actions are done by people who are just trying to get by with the circumstances they’ve been given?
• If God is sovereign and has a plan, then he knew Charlie Kirk would be murdered. But if it was God’s plan, does that mean the murderer didn’t have free will, and is God not responsible for his plan?

Question about why it seems like the Bible teaches you how to be a proper slave owner rather than than saying, “Stop it. Give them freedom.”  

• It seems like the Bible teaches you how to be a proper slave owner rather than saying, “Stop it. Give them freedom.”

Question about providing verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus existed.  

• I am an atheist and militantly anti-god-belief. However, I do have an open mind, so could you please provide verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus actually existed?

Questions about whether it’s a sin to feel let down by God and whether it would be easier to have a personal relationship with a rock than with a God who hasn’t spoken in over 2,000 years.  

• Is it a sin to feel let down by God?
• It would be easier to have a personal relationship with a rock than with a God who hasn’t actually spoken in over 2,000 years. What kind of God would be that way?

Questions about whether God created us so he wouldn’t be alone, what he had before us, and a comparison between the Muslim view of God and the Christian view of God.  

• Did God create us so he wouldn’t be alone, and what did he have before us?
• Can you compare and contrast the Muslim view of God with the Christian view of God?

Questions about how to start a conversation about God with non-Christian family members, how to keep from becoming emotional when discussing faith issues with family, and the best way to alert people to the fact that they’re members of a cult.  

• What are some good ways to begin (and have) a conversation about God with non-Christian family members?
• How can I keep from becoming so emotional when discussing faith issues with extended family members whose salvation is at stake?
• What is the best way to alert people to the fact that they’re members of a cult rather than a church that follows Jesus?

Questions about whether the claim in 1 Corinthians that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” is a black-and-white tool for discernment, and how to have a better relationship with Jesus when reading the Bible feels like a chore and you can’t remember to pray.  

• Since First Corinthians 12:3 says that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit,” if TV evangelists who seem to preach another gospel and act overtly un-Christlike claim Jesus is Lord, is that evidence the Holy Spirit dwells in them? Is this a black-and-white tool for discernment?
• How can I have a better relationship with Jesus when reading the Bible feels like a chore and I can never remember to pray? I feel like I don’t know him at all.

Questions about whether or not it’s reasonable to worry that some of our current doctrines were influenced by the fallen nature of the apostles, and how to defend sola Scriptura to Roman Catholics who argue that oral tradition carries as much weight as Scripture.  

• How much of the apostles’ fallen nature influenced their choice of words and how they communicated? Is it reasonable to worry that some of our current doctrines came from their just getting annoyed or impatient with someone and wording something too harshly?
• How do I defend sola Scriptura to my Roman Catholic family members in light of passages like 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15, which seem to imply that oral tradition carries as much weight as Scripture?

Questions about how to reconcile the image of God as a judge with his love, grace, and kindness, why our sins are considered to be sins against God, and whether the idea that our debt was paid by Christ means we escape the penalty for our sins by right, not grace.  

• For most of my life, God has been portrayed to me primarily as a judge—watching closely, ready to point out where I fall short. But I’m learning there’s more to him than that. How do I begin to reconcile that image with the reality of his love, grace, and kindness?
• If I commit a sin against someone but then make amends and ask for forgiveness, how is it that I’ve also sinned against God, and why would God still need to punish me?
• If Christ was literally punished for our sins and our debt was paid, then how can it be said we are “forgiven”? Wouldn’t we escape the penalty by right, not grace?

Questions about how to respond to someone who asks, ”How does it affect you if a gay couple gets married, or a woman makes a decision about her reproductive health, or someone chooses a different faith system than yours?”  

• How would you respond to someone who asks, ”How does it affect you if a gay couple gets married, or a woman makes a decision about her reproductive health, or someone chooses a different faith system than yours?”

Questions about how to respond to the critique that Christians care more about ideology than people, and whether we have freedom in America because Christians are more civilized or because the Constitution doesn’t allow Christians to enforce their laws.  

• Can you respond to the critique that Christians care more about ideology than people?
• Do you think we enjoy freedom in America because Christians are more civilized or because the Constitution doesn’t allow Christians to enforce laws like in Saudi Arabia?

Questions about how the similarities between Krishna and Jesus could be a coincidence and whether there’s any proof to substantiate the idea that Jesus studied Buddhism during his “missing years.”  

• How could the similarities between the Krishna story and the Jesus story (e.g., a star at his birth, his father traveling to pay taxes, a transfiguration, etc.) be a coincidence?
• Is there any proof to substantiate the idea that Jesus studied Buddhism during his “missing years”?

Question about how you can improve your informal writing (e.g., blog posts) when you don’t have access to an editor.  

• Do you have any thoughts or advice on how best to improve my informal writing (e.g., blog posts) when I don’t have access to an editor?

Question about the top three pitfalls to watch out for when you start using apologetics in conversations with others.  

• What are the top three apologist pitfalls—i.e., if you’ve just read Tactics, you’re ready to go, and Jehovah’s Witnesses show up at your door or your atheist coworker starts asking you about God, what are the top three things to watch out for?

Questions about whether “God the Father” is a sexist term that demeans women in general and mothers in particular, how long Hell has been there, whether God created it, and how to explain the kind of anger that would lead to the creation of Hell.  

• Can you respond to the critique that “God the Father” is a sexist term that demeans women in general and mothers in particular?
• How long has Hell been there, and did God create it? I can’t imagine that kind of anger.

Questions about whether you should believe things you can’t fully comprehend, whether it’s just an arbitrary escape hatch to say God doesn’t require a cause, and how to respond to an atheist who grounds objective morality in an objective rule or criteria.  

• Should one believe things they can’t fully comprehend, and if not, at what level of comprehension of certain biblical truth statements ought they begin believing?
• Why would God be immune to the infinite regress dilemma? It’s arbitrary to simply describe an object as needing no cause. It’s the escape hatch to a question you’ve been trapped by, but that doesn’t make it real or true.
• How would you respond to an atheist who defends the existence of objective morality by grounding it in an objective rule or criteria like “Do to others as you would want them to do to you”?

Questions about whether Romans 14:23 means that doing the right thing is a sin if you truly believe it’s wrong, and how to reconcile Hebrews 10:16, which says God will put his laws on our hearts, with Romans 7:7, which says that if it weren’t for the Law, we wouldn’t know sin.  

• How should we view Romans 14:23 when it comes to people whose consciences have become twisted to the point where they start believing right things are actually wrong? Would doing the right thing become sin for them if they do it while truly believing it's wrong?
• How do you reconcile Hebrews 10:16, which says God will put his laws on our hearts, with Romans 7:7, which says that if it weren’t for the Law, we would not know sin?

Questions about how a fisherman could have written the book of Peter, why people say that not mentioning the destruction of the temple indicates an early date for the Synoptic Gospels when John doesn’t mention it either, and why one should think the Bible is special.  

• How did Peter, being an uneducated fisherman, write the book of Peter, which seems levels above what someone with no education could do?
• People reason that the Synoptic Gospels should be dated earlier than the destruction of the temple since it isn’t mentioned, but John doesn’t mention it either, and that book is dated AD 80–90.
• Why should I pay any heed to the Bible when it’s just one of many ancient “holy” books? How can I trust it is special?

Questions about why, if it’s impossible to miss God’s voice, the disciples incorrectly told Paul “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem, people mistook God’s voice for thunder, the Bible says God speaks in riddles, Daniel had to ask for an interpretation, and more.  

• If it’s impossible to miss God’s voice, why did the disciples incorrectly tell Paul “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem in Acts 21:4–14?
• Why did people mistake God’s audible voice for thunder in John 12:28–30?
• Numbers 12:6–8 says that God speaks to prophets in dreams, visions, and riddles, so clarity is the exception here.
• Even Daniel and Zechariah had to ask for interpretations (Dan. 7:15–16; Zech. 4:2–4), and James 4:2 says we do not have because we do not ask.
• Scripture shows examples like Samuel, Revelation 3:20, and Jesus’ “ears to hear” sayings where God speaks clearly yet not all recognize it, suggesting that our attentiveness is needed. How do passages like these fit in with your view on how God speaks to believers today?

Questions about why, if we don’t need to learn to hear God’s voice, there’s a command to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy, why we would need to learn how to use other spiritual gifts but not this one, and why there are men who don’t perceive God’s voice in Job 33:14.  

• You say we don’t need to learn to hear the voice of God, but we’re commanded to “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:1) and to “earnestly desire to prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:39), and passages like these seem to be prescriptive texts (1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Thess. 5:20; Rom. 12:6).
• Just as someone who has been given the gift of teaching by the Holy Spirit has to learn how to exegete a passage, so those with the gift of prophecy have to learn how to hear God’s voice.
• If it’s impossible to miss God’s voice, why are there men who don’t perceive his voice in Job 33:14?

Questions about how to showcase God’s goodness when we’re really struggling in our suffering, an explanation of God’s response at the end of the book of Job, and whether we should conclude from Job that it’s inappropriate to ask God why we’re suffering.  

• How can we still glorify God and showcase his goodness when we’re really struggling in our suffering—exhausted, depressed, etc.?
• I understand Satan attacking Job and why God allowed it, but I’m puzzled by God’s response to Job at the end of the book.
• Should we conclude from Job that it’s inappropriate to ask God why we’re going through certain struggles and suffering?

Questions about how to pray for persecuted Christians in light of the fact that God wills that some will be martyrs, and how persecuted Christians who are being threatened and beaten know if they should stay and preach the gospel or leave and protect their family.  

• I have a hard time praying “Old Testament promises” for protection and deliverance for persecuted Christians since I know that, in some cases, God wills that there will be martyrs for Jesus. Any suggestions on how to pray?
• Why don’t Christians who are being persecuted, threatened, beaten, etc. relocate if they are able, especially if they have a family? How do they know if they should stay and preach the gospel or leave and protect their family?

Questions about how to discern when it’s time to walk away from a conversation, and how to cope with people charging you with being prideful and legalistic when you’re doing your best to be humble, fair, and gentle while sharing the gospel and defending the faith.  

• How do you discern when it’s time to walk away from a conversation? If the person is hard-hearted, is it worth it to keep trying to sow seeds? When does it become “throwing pearls before swine”?
• I do my best to be humble, fair, and gentle when I share the gospel and defend the faith, but I’m still frequently accused of being prideful and legalistic, which is painful because I actually care very much about people’s souls. How do you cope with this when you have similar experiences?

Questions about how to engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine,” and how to be kind and loving without compromising truth with someone in a Bible study who says her adult child goes by “they/them.”  

• How would you engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine”?
• How can I be kind and loving without compromising biblical truth with a member of a Bible study group I lead who told me her adult child goes by “they/them”?

Questions about whether Christian business owners should provide a livable wage, whether doing a corporate sponsorship that promotes one’s business contradicts Matthew 6:3, and whether the parable of the rich fool refutes America’s approach to retirement.  

• Do Christian business owners have a moral responsibility to provide a livable wage?
• Would doing a corporate sponsorship with an organization we have been working with and financially supporting contradict Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:3 about giving in secret since part of the motivation would be to promote our business?
• Is the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 a direct refutation of America’s approach to retirement?

Questions about leaving a church with biblical theology because they refuse to preach on divisive topics, whether it’s okay to write an apologetics book under a pen name out of fear of repercussions, and how to reconcile Romans 13:1–5 with rulers who are unjust.  

• Should I leave a church that has solid biblical theology but refuses to preach on divisive topics (LGBTQ, abortion, anything political, homosexuality, immigration, etc.) because they want to introduce those topics once the person is “comfortable”?
• As someone who works in the public sector in Canada, where speech is heavily policed, am I wrong to write my apologetics book under a pen name to protect my identity and family out of fear of repercussions?
• How do you reconcile Romans 13:1–5, which tells us not to resist authority, with rulers who are unjust?

Questions about whether Jesus lied in Mark 5:39, proving that lying can’t be a sin, when he said, “The child has not died, but is asleep,” and what Jesus meant when he said we need to be “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5.  

• Jesus never sinned. Jesus lied in Mark 5:39. Therefore, lying can’t be a sin.
• What did Jesus mean by “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5?