Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Greg Answers Questions from an Atheist

In this compilation of calls from an atheist, Greg answers questions about the nature of objective morality, who goes to Hell, and how one can move from the cosmological argument for the existence of God to the God of the Bible.

 

Topics:

1. If we can unify our understanding of morality by agreeing on a common goal, then isn’t that objective morality? (02:00)
2. Who goes to Hell? (18:00)
3. How do we move from the need for a first cause to the existence of the God of the Bible? (42:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Conversations with an Atheist – Download the compilation of Greg’s discussions with Ian (includes an additional question)

Related Links:

• #STRask: Why conclude the beginning of the universe points to the Christian God rather than one of the other explanations people offer?
• A Simple Explanation of the Cosmological Argument – Short video from Reasonable Faith

What Is the Nature of Consciousness?

Greg talks about the soul, then he answers questions about why God made it so hard for humans to know he exists, the informal fallacy of special pleading, and how Christians can effect positive change in states where the culture is opposed to a biblical worldview.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: What is the nature of consciousness? (00:00)
2. If God made humans, why did he make it so hard for them to know he exists? (21:00)
3. Can you explain the informal fallacy of special pleading? (45:00)
4. How can Christians effect positive change in states where the culture is opposed to a biblical worldview? (54:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (online articles) by Greg Koukl
• The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God (booklet) by Greg Koukl
• STR U Online Training

Related Links:

• Psychologist Recommends Intentionally Suppressing Intuition of Design by Amy Hall (on atheists needing to suppress the natural intuition children have that nature was designed)

There’s No Sense in Which You Can Bless a Sinful Relationship

Greg discusses the Pope’s statement on how Roman Catholic priests can give blessings to same-sex couples, then he talks to callers about a tactical way to tell people who think they’re Christians that they aren’t and what Jesus meant when he said in Mark 13:32 that only the Father knows “that day or hour.”

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: There’s no sense in which you can bless a sinful relationship. (00:00)
2. What’s a tactical way to tell people who think they’re Christians that they aren’t Christians? (26:00)
3. What does Jesus mean when he says in Mark 13:32 that only the Father knows “that day or hour,” not the Son? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Doctrinal dicastery explains how, when gay couples can be blessed by Cindy Wooden
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA
• The Deconstruction of Christianity by Tim Barnett and Alisa Childers

 

An Assertion Isn’t an Argument

Greg responds to a video by Dan McClellan that claims the Bible has no authority, then he answers questions about the extent to which Satan influences non-believers and how we can know when we should continue witnessing to someone and when we should move on.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: An assertion isn’t an argument. (00:00)
2. To what extent does Satan influence non-believers? (26:00)
3. How do we know when we should continue witnessing to a person and when we should move on? (46:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA
• The Bible Has No Authority – Video by Dan McClellan

Related Links:

• A Response to Atheistic Moral Platonism by Amy Hall (quoting William Lane Craig)

Don’t Be Surprised When You Have to Fight Spiritual Battles

Greg explains the biblical understanding of spiritual warfare, then he talks to callers about concerns about how a pastor is presenting the Lord’s Supper and how to navigate conversations with friends and family who are following false teachers and false teachings.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Don’t be surprised when you have to fight spiritual battles. (00:00)
2. How concerned should I be about how a pastor is presenting the Lord’s Supper? (36:00)
3. How should I navigate conversations with friends and family who are following false teachers and false teachings? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training
• The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond by Tim Barnett and Alisa Childers

Related Links:

• Seeing the Unseen: The Nature of Spiritual Warfare by Greg Koukl

The Birth Narratives

Greg talks about how to think about apparent contradictions in the Gospels, describes some relevant historical, religious, cultural, and geographical aspects of the birth narratives, and explains how Jesus’ birth fits into the unified story of the Bible and fulfills God’s covenants.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The birth narratives (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Life of Christ by Greg Koukl
• The Bible: Fast Forward DVD by Greg Koukl (audio version is also available)
• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• Donate to Stand to Reason

Why Does It Seem like Things Aren’t Working out for Good?

Greg reflects on the words in Christmas carols, talks about the promise in Romans 8:28 that “God causes all things to work together for good,” then answers questions about his process for reading books, a defense for Noah’s ark, and the Calvinist view of free will.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Why does it seem like things aren’t working out for good? (00:00)
2. What process do you use for reading books to get the most out of them? (16:00)
3. Do you have a good defense for Noah’s ark? (35:00)
4. Is the Calvinist view of free will correct? (45:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reading Less, More—and Twice as Fast by Greg Koukl
• The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and its Scientific Implications by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris
• Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God by Kevin DeYoung

Related Links:

• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall
• Excusing Sinners and Blaming God: A Calvinist Assessment of Determinism, Moral Responsibility, and Divine Involvement in Evil by Guillaume Bignon
• How Can We Condemn Evil if God Is Sovereign? by Amy Hall

A Christmas Poem

Greg reads a Christmas poem, then he answers questions about being required to ask patients for their pronouns and “sex assigned at birth,” a biblical perspective on extreme sports and dealing with the pitfalls of fame in a sports career, and whether people need to hear the gospel to be saved.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: A Christmas poem (00:00)
2. What should I do about the new patient intake forms at the Catholic hospital where I work that require me to ask people for their pronouns and “sex assigned at birth” and put the answers on their chart? (10:00)
3. Does the Bible have anything to say about participating in extreme sports? How should a person deal with the pitfalls of fame in sports, and would a career in sports be okay? (29:00)
4. If people in the Old Testament were saved by faith without hearing of Jesus, does that still occur today, and does Acts 17:30–31 address that? (46:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Life of Christ by Greg Koukl
• Donate to Stand to Reason
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Bye Bye Barry
• The Heathen and the Unknown God by Greg Koukl

Questions to Ask When Someone Accuses God of Genocide

Greg gives a series of questions you can ask when someone accuses God of genocide, then he answers questions about Operation Rescue, how we can know that the religious feelings we have are from the true God, and how important it is to have a clear position on Arminianism vs. Calvinism.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Questions to ask when someone accuses God of genocide (00:00)
2. You were completely wrong about Operation Rescue a couple of weeks ago. (31:00)
3. How do we, as Christians, know that what we’re feeling is from the true God as opposed to what people in other religions are feeling? (38:00)
4. How important is it that I have a clear position on Arminianism vs. Calvinism? (49:00)

The Problem Is Not with the Evidence

Greg encourages Christians not to be discouraged when people don’t respond to their arguments, then he answers callers’ questions about whether Christians should be involved in the stock market and whether Christians should be calling out sin in the culture as aggressively as Jesus did.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The problem is not with the evidence. (00:00)
2. Should Christians be involved in the stock market? (33:00)
3. Should we be calling out sin in the culture as aggressively as Jesus did? (41:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Stand to Reason’s tweet summarizing some evidence for God, and the atheist’s response
• No Evidence for God? – Greg’s previous commentary on the atheist’s tweet
• You’ll Never Change Anyone’s Mind about God by Greg Koukl
• Donate to Stand to Reason
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA