Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Natasha Crain on Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture

Greg talks to Natasha Crain about her book Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture (your gift for any donation to STR this month), then he answers questions about intersex people and whether or not all living beings have souls.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Natasha Crain on biblical clarity in a secular culture (00:00)
2. How should I respond to people who say they’re intersex? (31:00)
3. Do all living beings have souls, or do some living beings not need a soul in order to be alive? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Natasha Crain’s website
• Natasha Crain’s books
• Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture by Natasha Crain
• Natasha’s interview on Focus on the Family
• Donate to Stand to Reason

Related Links:

• Natasha Crain Can Help You Be Faithfully Different by Amy Hall (review of the book)
• Interview: Natasha Crain – Faithfully Different – Greg’s previous interview with Natasha Crain
• Intersex People Don’t Prove There Are More Than Two Sexes by Amy Hall (quoting Alastair Roberts)
• Humans Come in Only Two Sexes by Alan Shlemon

Interview: David Limbaugh – The Resurrected Jesus

Greg talks to David Limbaugh, author of The Resurrected Jesus: The Church in the New Testament, about the unity of the Bible, how the biblical worldview resonates with our deepest intuitions, and some of the main themes in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles. 

 

Topics:

1. Interview: David Limbaugh, author of The Resurrected Jesus: The Church in the New Testament (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• David Limbaugh
• The Resurrected Jesus: The Church in the New Testament by David Limbaugh
• The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important That Happens in Between by Greg Koukl

You Can’t Be Thankful without Someone to Thank

Greg explains how his Inside Out tactic relates to Thanksgiving, talks to a caller about what, if anything, to say to pastors who aren’t addressing cultural issues, reflects on a book that provides a liturgy for daily worship, and answers a question about whether we should address the devil in prayer.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: You can’t be thankful without someone to thank. (00:00)
2. What, if anything, should I say to my pastors about the fact that my church is not addressing any cultural issues? (18:00)
3. Commentary: Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship (38:00)
4. What are your thoughts on addressing the devil during prayer? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Inside Out by Greg Koukl
• Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship – Compiled by Jonathan Gibson

Related Links:

• Don’t Lose Sight of the Big Picture by Amy Hall – On how pastors can address the cultural issues of the day by teaching the foundational doctrines of Christianity

Interview: Melissa Dougherty – Christians and New Age Beliefs

Greg talks to apologist Melissa Dougherty about how she fell into New Age beliefs, thinking they were Christian, her return to biblical Christianity, the importance of biblical literacy and clear thinking for all Christians, and New Age beliefs in the church.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Melissa Dougherty on Christians and New Age Beliefs (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Melissa Dougherty
• The #1 Thing That Drove Me into False Christianity
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 23–24 in Orange County, CA; October 14–15 in Seattle, WA; November 11–12 in Minneapolis, MN; February 24–25, 2023 in Dallas, TX; March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Is Mormonism Just Another Christian Denomination? by Greg Koukl
• Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith by J. Warner Wallace
• Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church by Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec
• Top Five New Age Teachings in the Church by Melissa Dougherty

Interview: Eric Johnson – Misconceptions about Mormons

Guest Host: Robby Lashua

 

Robby talks to Eric Johnson of Mormonism Research Ministry about the rules Mormons have to follow, the LDS view of authority and the way they view their prophets, the LDS need to keep all their commandments, and how Mormons and Christians talk past each other by using the same terms with different definitions.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Eric Johnson of Mormonism Research Ministry (00:00)
2. Can Mormons drink caffeine? What are the rules they have to follow? (06:00)
3. What’s the LDS view of authority and their structure of leadership? (24:00)
4. Christians and Mormons use the same terms but mean different things. (41:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Eric Johnson
• Mormonism Research Ministry
• Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches by Eric Johnson
• Viewpoint on Mormonism – Podcast
• Utah Lighthouse Ministry
• Temple Recommend Interview Questions

Interview: Eric Johnson – Introducing Christianity to Mormons

Guest Host: Robby Lashua

 

Robby interviews Eric Johnson of Mormonism Research Ministry about his new book, Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Eric Johnson, author of Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches (00:00)
2. Why are so many Latter-day Saints leaving their faith? (15:00)
3. Why does the historicity and reliability of the Bible matter so much when talking to Latter-day Saints? (28:00)
4. What is the LDS view of faith? (37:00)
5. Are Mormons Christians? (40:00)
6. How can we share the truth with LDS friends and family? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Eric Johnson
• Mormonism Research Ministry
• Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches by Eric Johnson.
• BuddyandSanta.com
• Gospel Topics Essays on LDS website
• MRM’s reviews of the Gospel Topics Essays
• The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church by Jana Riess
• Utah Lighthouse Ministry
• Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl
• The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball (LDS book)
• IntroducingChristianity.com

Related Links:

• Verses for Your Conversations with Mormons by Amy Hall
• Who Is the God of Mormonism? by Amy Hall

Prophecy Is Not Something One Learns to Do

Greg critiques the concept of “practicing prophecy,” explaining why prophecy is not something one learns to do, then he answers questions about taking a sick child to a Christian who claims to be a healer and whether some people are called by God to be single.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Prophecy is not something one learns to do. (00:00)
2. What do you think of my decision to not take my eleven-year-old son, who has scoliosis, to a Christian who claims to be a healer? (32:00)
3. Is it true that some people are called by God to live a life of singleness, and what’s your view on Matthew 19:12 and 1 Corinthians 7? (44:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 23–24 in Orange County, CA; October 14–15 in Seattle, WA; November 11–12 in Minneapolis, MN; February 24–25, 2023 in Dallas, TX; March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• EPS Apologetics Conference in Littleton, CO on November 17–19
• Info for front office manager position at Stand to Reason
• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Keep Your Eyes Open for Smoke and Mirrors

Greg examines the rhetoric in an article about a “Center for Transgender Health,” then he answers a question about what “give it to the Lord” means when we’re facing difficult times.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Keep your eyes open for smoke and mirrors. (00:00)
2. Does “giving it to the Lord” mean not doing something about our situation? (27:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 23–24 in Orange County, CA; October 14–15 in Seattle, WA; November 11–12 in Minneapolis, MN; February 24–25, 2023 in Dallas, TX; March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Info for front office manager position at Stand to Reason
• Johns Hopkins Hospital Opens Center for Transgender Health by Mark Hamby

Count the Cost of Following Jesus

Greg responds to Doug the atheist’s comments on one of Tim Barnett’s videos, then he answers questions about what Christians mean when they say God told them to do something, slavery, going on vacation without one’s spouse, and whether if a Christian isn’t healed, it’s because he lacks faith.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Count the cost of following Jesus. (00:00)
2. What do Christians mean when they say God told them to do something? (18:00)
3. Slavery is never condemned in the Bible, so why does it seem wrong? (26:00)
4. Is it appropriate for a married person to go on a vacation without his or her spouse? (37:00)
5. If a Christian doesn’t get healed, is it because he didn’t have enough faith? (46:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Acts and the Voice of God by Greg Koukl
• The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God by Greg Koukl
• Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan

Related Links:

• Be Willing to Submit to Our Good God on the Issue of Homosexuality by Amy Hall
• Gay or Straight, We All Must Decide if We Love Jesus above All Else by Amy Hall
• Be Obedient Even When You Don’t Understand the Command by Amy Hall
• Is It God’s Will to Always Heal? by Tim Barnett

Are Evangelicals Bad Representatives of Jesus?

Greg responds to an author’s evaluation of evangelicals, then he answers questions about churches not working together, the appropriateness of separating from a spouse who’s addicted to prescription drugs, and the ideals and virtues that encompass masculinity.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Are evangelicals bad representatives of Jesus? (00:00)
2. Do you have any thoughts on churches not working together to solve what’s going on in the culture today? (34:00)
3. At what point is it necessary to separate from a spouse who is addicted to prescription drugs? (42:00)
4. What are the ideals and virtues that emcompass masculinity, and how do I practice those ideals on a day-to-day basis in order to communicate my beliefs more effectively? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reading Less, More—and Twice as Fast by Greg Koukl
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 23–24 in Orange County, CA; October 14–15 in Seattle, WA; November 11–12 in Minneapolis, MN; February 24–25, 2023 in Dallas, TX; March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Days of Wine and Roses – Film