Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

A Moral Perspective on Abortion

Greg discusses the moral argument against abortion and answers questions about how to respond to “God made me this way” and how to make a case for Jesus’ deity to a Muslim.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: A moral perspective on abortion (00:00)
2. What is a proper, biblical understanding of “God made me”? (29:00)
3. How can I expand upon the argument that since the Quran affirms the New Testament, Muslims should worship Jesus? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Faithfulness Is Not Theologically Complicated by Greg Koukl

The Rule of Law Protects Us

Greg talks about the legal and moral questions behind the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, then he answers a question about trusting God when you have a life-threatening illness and talks to a caller about the role Greg and Stand to Reason have played in his life.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The rule of law protects us. (00:00)
2. How can I trust God in the middle of a life-altering illness? (33:00)
3. A caller thanks Greg for the role he played in his faith as a new Christian. (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Greg’s Solid Ground, The Primal Heresy

Does Psalm 91 Promise That God Will Protect Us from Suffering?

Greg and Amy respond to questions about whether praying once in faith for something is better than repeatedly requesting the same thing and how to read and apply psalms like Psalm 91 that say God will save us from “deadly pestilence” and other kinds of suffering.

 

Topics:

1. Is praying once in faith for something and leaving it with God better than repeatedly raising up the same requests?
2. How should I read and apply psalms like Psalm 91 that say God will save us from “deadly pestilence” and other kinds of suffering?

If you enjoyed this episode, you can subscribe or listen to archived episodes of #STRask here.

How Can We Explain Spiritual Experiences in Other Religions?

Greg and Amy respond to questions about what to say to a Wiccan who says her beliefs are proved by the efficacy of her spells, how to explain people having spiritual experiences outside of Christianity, and recommended materials for teaching elementary-aged kids critical thinking.

 

Topics:

1. What would you say to a Wiccan who says her beliefs are proved by the efficacy of her spells?
2. How do we explain the fact that people have had spiritual experiences outside of Christianity?
3. What materials would you recommend for teaching elementary-aged kids critical thinking skills?

If you enjoyed this episode, you can subscribe or listen to archived episodes of #STRask here.

Interview: Mike Winger on Progressive Christianity

Guest Host: Tim Barnett

 

Tim talks to Mike Winger about different aspects of progressive Christianity and the core belief that ties it all together.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Mike Winger on Progressive Christianity (00:00)

Download the mp3...

 

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Mike Winger’s website: Bible Thinker
• Divorce and Remarriage: Everything the Bible Says about It by Mike Winger

Related Links:

• The Danger of Building Your Theology on Anything Other Than the Bible by Amy Hall

More Responses to Popular Pro-Choice Memes

Guest Host: Tim Barnett

 

Tim and Alan continue their discussion about responses to popular pro-choice memes that say the Bible gives instructions on how to perform an abortion, if you don’t support requiring vasectomies for men, you shouldn’t support controlling women’s bodies, and nobody has the right to use your body against your will.

 

Topics:

1. More responses to popular pro-choice memes. (00:00)
2. The only time the Bible mentions abortion is to give you a magic potion to perform one. (02:00)
3. If you don’t support giving every young man a reversible vasectomy, then don’t support controlling women’s bodies. (12:00)
4. It doesn’t matter when life begins because nobody has the right to use your body against your will. (17:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Did God Ordain Abortion as Punishment for Infidelity? by Alan Shlemon

Related Links:

• Pro-Life Crash Course by Amy Hall
• Only One Question (What Is the Unborn?) by Greg Koukl
• Does This Bible Verse Support Abortion? by Tim Barnett (Red Pen Logic)
• Do Pro-Lifers Want the Government to Regulate a Woman’s Body? by Alan Shlemon
• Unstringing the Violinist by Greg Koukl
• A New Response to the Violinist Argument by Amy Hall

Responding to Pro-Choice Memes

Guest Host: Tim Barnett

 

Tim and Alan make a quick pro-life case then chat about responses to some popular pro-choice memes that claim life begins at first breath, a fetus is only a potential human, you can freeze an embryo because it isn’t alive, saving one newborn vs. five embryos, no brain activity means legally dead, if you think abortion is wrong, don’t get one, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Responding to Pro-Choice Memes (00:00)
2. Life begins at first breath. (14:00)
3. You can only ban safe abortions. (25:00)
4. An acorn is only a potential tree, so a fetus is only a potential human. (29:00)
5. You can freeze an embryo but not a baby because an embryo isn’t alive. (35:00)
6. Would you save one newborn or five frozen embryos? (39:00)
7. A person who doesn’t have brain activity is legally dead, so a heartbeat doesn’t mean the embryo is alive. (46:00)
8. Meme: If you think abortion is wrong, don’t get an abortion. (52:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Matter of Life film
• Red Pen Logic – YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook

Related Links:

• Pro-Life Crash Course by Amy Hall
• Does the Bible Teach That Life Begins at First Breath? by Tim Barnett
• Does Human Life Begin When We Take Our First Breath? by Amy Hall
• Fetal Personhood: It’s Simple by Greg Koukl
• Does the Fertility Clinic Illustration Disprove the Value of Human Embryos? by Greg Koukl
• Toddlers or Embryos: Which Would You Save? by Tim Barnett (Red Pen Logic)

Interview: Mark Mittelberg – Contagious Faith

Guest Host: J. Warner Wallace

 

J. Warner Wallace talks to Mark Mittelberg, author of Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others, about the five styles of evangelism people’s personalities and gifts generally fit into, the book’s curriculum, and the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Mark Mittelberg, author of Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Mark Mittelberg
• Mark Mittelberg’s books
• Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others by Mark Mittelberg – Book’s website
• Contagious Faith curriculum
• 5 Contagious Faith Styles – Assessment of your style of evangelism
• Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics (Colorado Christian University)
• STR U Online Training

How Should We Respond to Pride Month?

Greg reflects on the strangeness of designating a month to celebrate some people’s sexual appetites, then he answers questions about a tactical way to address pride banners in the workplace, Exodus 21:22, whether it’s a violation of 1 Corinthians 5 to be a pastor in the United Methodist denomination, and more. 

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: How should we respond to Pride Month? (00:00)
2. What’s a tactical way to talk to my bosses about not putting up pride banners in our workplace? (09:00)
3. Can you respond to this interpretation of Exodus 21:22 that differs from yours? (23:00)
4. Am I violating 1 Corinthians 5 by being a pastor in the United Methodist denomination? (39:00)
5. When Jesus speaks in the Gospels, is he speaking to the Jews specifically or in a more universal way to all people? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• What Exodus 21:22 Says about Abortion by Greg Koukl
• Article by pro-life Christian philosopher Matt Flannagan referenced in the second call

Interview: Guillaume Bignon – Confessions of a French Atheist

Greg talks to former atheist Guillaume Bignon about his book telling the story of his conversion to Christianity, Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Guillaume Bignon, author of Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith by Guillaume Bignon
• Guillaume Bignon’s website
• Guillaume’s Bignon’s previous book: Excusing Sinners and Blaming God: A Calvinist Assessment of Determinism, Moral Responsibility, and Divine Involvement in Evil
• Why I Am a Christian – David Wood’s video about his conversion