Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Don’t Participate in Pagan Ceremonies

Greg answers questions from callers about participating in “smudging ceremonies” at a pastor’s training session and whether an apparent contradiction could reach a level where it became evidence against that Gospel being an eyewitness account.

 

Topics:

1. Should Christians be participating in “smudging ceremonies” to release our bad energies (as we were asked to do in a pastor’s training session), and how should we be reaching out to indigenous people in places like Canada? (03:00)
2. If apparent contradictions offer evidence of authentic eyewitness accounts, is there a level of contradiction that would hurt the case, like Matthew 8 contradicting Mark 5 in the number of demoniacs helped by Jesus? (37:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line
• Smudging Protocols and Guidelines for Schools – Information on smudging
• Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace

People No Longer Know What the ”Final Solution” Was

Greg talks about people no longer knowing about the Nazi phrase “Final Solution,” then he talks to callers about questions to ask an atheist family member who’s extremely moral and how to respond to someone who says they have a message from God for you.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: People no longer know what the “Final Solution” was. (00:00)
2. Do you have any advice for questions I can ask my atheist brother who’s extremely moral? (17:00)
3. How should I respond to someone who says they have a message for me from God? (41:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Conspiracy – Film about the meeting where the Nazis planned their “Final Solution”
• Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed by Douglas Axe
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Greg Koukl

What to Say to a Consistent Moral Relativist

Greg chats with Frank Turek about CIA, then he answers questions about what to say to a consistent moral relativist, whether a lack of persecution indicates anything about a person’s Christianity, and where the Bible says you can’t lose your salvation.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg talks to Frank Turek about the upcoming CrossExamined Instructor Academy. (00:00)
2. How should I talk to someone who is consistent about denying objective morality? (18:00)
3. Does the fact that I haven’t suffered any persecution say anything about my Christianity? (27:00)
4. Where in the Bible does it say you can’t lose your salvation? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• CrossExamined Instructor Academy – August 1–3, Charlotte, NC
• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy
• How to Be Sure You’re Saved by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Losing Your Salvation in Ephesians 1:14–3 by Amy Hall

How Many Ancient Copies of the Quran Exist?

Guest Host: Alan Shlemon

 

Alan answers questions about ancient copies of the Quran, an intersex person unintentionally entering into a homosexual relationship, whether Deuteronomy’s apostasy law is the same as Islam’s, and how to respond to companies during Pride Month.

 

Topics:

1. Do you know how many ancient copies of the Quran exist? (01:00)
2. How would you advise an intersex person who fears their parents may have chosen the wrong sex for them and is worried about unintentionally entering into a homosexual relationship? (25:00)
3. Is the law in Deuteronomy 13:6–10 about putting apostates to death the same as the law of apostasy in Islam? (36:00)
4. How should we respond to sports teams, coffee shops, etc. during Pride Month? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

How Can Anyone Have Assurance of Salvation?

Greg answers questions about how we can have assurance of salvation in light of Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 7:21–23, whether someone with a phobia of water needs to get baptized by full immersion, and whether the devil could go back to Heaven if he repented.

 

Topics:

1. In light of Jeremiah 17:9 and Matthew 7:21–23, how can anyone have assurance of salvation? (04:00)
2. Would God require someone with a phobia of water to get baptized by full immersion, or is sprinkling on the head enough? (44:00)
3. If the devil told God he was sorry and did kind things, would he go back to Heaven or stay in Hell? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Stand to Reason’s Ambassador’s Creed
• God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement by Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Related Links:

• Faith and Works: Paul vs. James by Greg Koukl

How Jesus Practiced Apologetics

Guest Hosts: Tim Barnett and Robby Lashua

 

Tim and Robby talk about how Jesus practiced apologetics, then they answer questions about which day Jesus was crucified on, what you should do when someone asks a question you don’t know the answer to, and whether psychiatry is against God.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: How Jesus practiced apologetics (05:00)
2. What does Sam Harris mean when he says the Gospels contradict each other on which day Jesus was crucified, and how would you respond? (28:00)
3. What do you do when someone asks you a question you don’t know the answer to? (49:00)
4. Is psychiatry against God? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 13–14 in Los Angeles, CA; October 18–19 in Seattle, WA; November 8–9 in Minneapolis, MN; February 21–22, 2025 in Dallas, TX; March 21–22, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA
• STR U Online Training
• STR Outposts
• CrossExamined Instructor Academy
• Red Pen Logic with Mr. B
• Did John Contradict Mark on the Day Jesus Died?

Is a Second Marriage as Illegitimate as a Same-Sex Marriage?

Greg answers Open Mic questions about whether a second marriage is as illegitimate as a same-sex marriage, attending services that have elements you disagree with, and whether feelings of morality are simply the result of evolution.

 

Topics:

1. Is a second marriage for a Christian as illegitimate as a same-sex marriage? (04:00)
2. Should we not attend funeral masses where we disagree with what’s happening in the service? (21:00)
3. How would you respond to an atheist who says our feelings of morality are just evolved tribal protectiveness? (34:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage by Wayne Grudem

A Mission Trip to New Agers

Guest Host: Robby Lashua

 

Robby talks about taking high schoolers on a mission trip to New Agers, then he answers questions about applying 2 Corinthians 10:5, escaping from sins, public versus Catholic school, whether Jesus had a pet, and whether Jesus loves us more than the Father does.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: A mission trip to New Agers (00:00)
2. How is 2 Corinthians 10:5 to be applied within a group of Christians? (19:00)
3. How does apologetics help us escape from sins that have a grip on us? (29:00)
4. What are your thoughts on public school versus Catholic school? (34:00)
5. Do you think Jesus had a pet? (44:00)
6. Does Jesus love us more than the Father does? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR Outposts
• Four Questions about the Love of God to Ask Jehovah’s Witnesses by Robby Lashua
• STR U Online Training

Related Links:

• What Motivates Sin (and How to Fight It) by Amy Hall
• A Warning to Apologists about Sin by Amy Hall

Interview: Titus Kennedy – The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands

Guest Host: Robby Lashua

 

Robby talks to archaeologist Titus Kennedy, author of The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands: Uncovering Biblical Sites of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean World, about archaeological finds that shed light on various Old Testament accounts.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Titus Kennedy, author of The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Titus Kennedy
• The Essential Archaeological Guide to Bible Lands: Uncovering Biblical Sites of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean World by Titus Kennedy
• Titus Kennedy’s Instagram

Related Links:

• Interview: Titus Kennedy – Excavating the Evidence for Jesus
• Archaeological Evidence for the Exodus – Greg interviews Titus Kennedy and Stephen Meyer

We Were Enemies of God

Greg talks about how we were enemies of God before we were reconciled to him through the atonement, then he answers questions about how to determine a guest pastor’s theology and whether all Christians ought to embrace Jewish traditions.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: We were enemies of God. (00:00)
2. Can you suggest a few questions to help determine the theology of a guest pastor who will be speaking at our youth retreat and is possibly progressive? (23:00)
3. If Christianity truly is the fulfillment of covenantal Judaism, then why don’t all Christians embrace truly Jewish traditions? (40:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Why the Blood? by Greg Koukl
• Subscribe to Solid Ground
• The Bible: Fast Forward by Greg Koukl
• Faithfulness Is Not Theologically Complicated by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• #STRask: What Questions Should I Ask Pastors When Looking for a New Church?
• Why We’re Not Under the Mosaic Law by Amy Hall
• Should Followers of Christ Observe the Torah? by Amy Hall
• How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians Today? by Greg Koukl
• The Law Is Good by Amy Hall