Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Why Won’t Love Require the Possibility of Sin in Heaven?

Greg answers questions about what our free will in Heaven will be like if we can’t sin there, whether there’s a problem with adding a section against “isms” to a statement of faith, what to focus on after a loved one kills herself, and whether Ephesians 4:17–18 contradicts earlier chapters.

 

Topics:

1. If evil exists because we can’t freely love without free will, what will our free will in Heaven be like if we can’t sin there? (02:00)
2. Should I be concerned about my son’s school adding a section to their statement of faith on why they’re against racism, sexism, and ageism? (30:00)
3. After my ex-daughter-in-law, who was not a believer, killed herself, should I be focused on her eternal destiny or God’s goodness and justice? (37:00)
4. Does Ephesians 4:17–18 contradict the first three chapters of Ephesians that say Gentiles are united with Jews in Christ? (48:00)

Related Links:

• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall

How Does Genesis 1:5 Fit with an Old-Earth View?

Greg answers a question about how Genesis could say, “It was evening and it was morning, the first day,” if the earth is old, then he clarifies his view on hearing the voice of God. 

 

Topics:

1. If the earth is old, how do we explain the phrase “It was evening and it was morning, the first day [second day, etc.]”? (04:00)
2. Can you clarify what you’re saying God does not do and what he does do in your “Does God Whisper?” articles? (22:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Record an Open Mic question
• Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 by Greg Koukl
• The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God by Greg Koukl

Should Women Be Wearing Head Coverings in the Church Today?

Greg answers questions about why the instructions about head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11 don’t apply to women in the church today and the best way to respond when asked to submit a DEI statement as part of the hiring process for a new job.

 

Topics:

1. How can I concisely explain why 1 Corinthians 11:13–16 doesn’t apply to women in the church today? (02:00)
2. What’s the best way to respond when asked to write and submit a DEI statement as part of the hiring process for a new job? (36:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher

 

Related Links:

• The Beauty of Submission by Amy Hall
• The Beauty of Leadership by Amy Hall

How Do We Know Christianity Is True?

Greg responds to questions from a skeptical student about how we know Christianity is true, whether any religion can be proven, Bible translations and the creation of the canon, how creation fits with science, whether faith is blind, a perfect God creating imperfect beings, and more. 

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: How do we know Christianity is true? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Greg Koukl and Michael Shermer at the End of the Decade of the New Atheists – A transcript of a dialogue between Koukl and Shermer on the Hugh Hewitt Show

Master These Three Informal Fallacies

Greg talks about how to recognize and handle three informal fallacies you’ll encounter in spiritual conversations, then he answers questions about whether Satan knows what we’re thinking and how to respond to a friend who strongly believes the Bible teaches the earth is flat.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Master these three informal fallacies. (00:00)
2. Does Satan know what we’re thinking? (43:00)
3. How can I use the Bible to respond to a friend who strongly believes the Bible teaches the earth is flat? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Try This Simple, Three-Step Maneuver When You’re Hit with a Barrage of Objections by Greg Koukl (on the Aaron Rodgers interview)

Punished for Expressing the Christian View of Marriage

Greg talks about a situation where a police officer was forced to quit his job because he expressed the Christian view of marriage on Facebook, then he answers a question about whether parental love is a fair analogy to use when arguing that libertarian free will isn’t necessary for real love.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Punished for expressing the Christian view of marriage (00:00)
2. The love we have for God isn’t the same kind of love parents have for children, so is parental love really a fair analogy to use when arguing that libertarian free will isn’t necessary for love? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Iron Curtain Diary by Greg Koukl
• The Primal Heresy by Greg Koukl
• Freedom Fading by Greg Koukl
• Critical Race Theory: Civil Rights Upside Down by Greg Koukl
• The Evening News by Greg Koukl
• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• First Liberty Institute
• Georgia Police Officer is Forced to Quit His Job Over Religious Facebook Post by Jorge Gomez
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• God Reforms Hearts: Rethinking Free Will and the Problem of Evil by Thaddeus Williams (on the question of whether libertarian free will is required for real love)
• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall

Is It Okay to Use Mockery against Harmful Ideologies?

Greg answers questions about dealing with distractions in worship services, an employer’s inconsistencies on the topic of gender, using mockery against transgender ideology, and whether using apologetics and discernment indicates a lack of trust in the Holy Spirit.

 

Topics:

1. Do you have any thoughts on how I can deal with the distractions of those who are more charismatic in worship than I am? (03:00)
2. Could I use the “sibling rivalry” tactic to show that my company is being inconsistent by saying that gender doesn’t matter and then promoting the idea that they’re a great place for women to work? (12:00)
3. Should Christians support humorous mocking of transgender ideology by conservatives, or does that fall into the category of mocking people rather than just ideas? (27:00)
4. How should I respond to someone who thinks the use of apologetics and discernment indicates a lack of trust in the Holy Spirit? (40:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Related Links:

• Why Not Use Ridicule? by Amy Hall

Thoughts about D-Day

Greg talks about D-Day and thanks D-Day veterans for their service, then he answers questions about indoctrination, what we can do about what’s happening in public schools, whether someone can be responsible for another person being in Hell, and the use of the word “bond-servant” in the New Testament.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Thoughts about D-Day (00:00)
2. What would you say to someone who says 9/11, vaccines, and the Vietnam War are all hoaxes about government control, and what is indoctrination? (20:00)
3. Is there something we can do in addition to praying for California and other states whose public school systems are inappropriately bringing sex into the classrooms? (30:00)
4. Can some people be in Hell now because of something someone else did in their lives that convinced them not to be a Christian? (49:00)
5. What is your understanding of the literal vs. the metaphorical uses of the word “bond-servant” in the New Testament? (55:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
• Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
• STR U Online Training
• Greg’s Message to His School Board Regarding Proposed Sex Ed Curriculum by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• How Should We Handle Outrage? by Amy Hall

Are We Claiming to Know the Unknowable?

Greg corrects some of his speculations about Neanderthals from the previous episode, then he answers questions about what “weeping and gnashing of teeth” indicates, the influence of the Jesus Movement, advice for finding a church, and claiming to know the unknowable.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg corrects some of his speculations about Neanderthals from the previous episode. (00:00)
2. Do the verses that talk about weeping and gnashing of teeth in Hell indicate the people there will still be in open defiance against God, or are those verses referring to suffering? Why would non-believers, who have rejected God, want to go to Heaven? And does the fact that “every knee will bow” indicate those in Hell will have a change of heart? (12:00)
3. How has the American church been affected for the good and the bad by the Jesus Movement of the ’70s, and what’s your advice for finding a new church that’s biblically sound? (25:00)
4. How can we claim to know the unknowable? (48:00)

Morally Velocitized by the Culture

Greg talks about the the danger of letting the culture form us, then he answers questions about how to respond to a family member who says he’s transgender and how Christians should interpret studies that show humans and Neanderthals interbred.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Morally velocitized by the culture (00:00)
2. How should I respond to a family member who told me he’s transgender and I have to use his female name or he’ll break off contact? (32:00)
3. How should we, as Christians, interpret studies that show humans and Neanderthals interbred? (44:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Greg corrects some of his speculations about humans and Neanderthals interbreeding in the next episode (June 9).

Related Links:

• Morally Velocitized by Greg Koukl
• Why Agree to Use Preferred Names but Not Preferred Pronouns? by Amy Hall
• Problems with Preferred Pronouns by Alan Shlemon
• Should You Accommodate an LGBT Person’s Requests? by Alan Shlemon