Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Why Did God Put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden?

Greg responds to questions about why God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, taking a job at a Quaker school, the implications of all biological men starting off like females in the womb, and whether the stories of Gilgamesh and Horus are evidence the Bible isn’t true.

 

Topics:

1. Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, giving Adam and Eve a chance to betray him? (03:00)
2. What should I take into account in terms of theology and practical issues as I consider a job opportunity to work at a Quaker school? (12:00)
3. How would you respond to the claims that 1) all biological men start off as females in the womb, so therefore all men are actually trans, and 2) if sex is not determined until later, then life doesn’t really begin at conception? (21:00)
4. Are the parallels between the Bible and the stories of Gilgamesh and Horus evidence the Bible is not the true book? (38:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Record an Open Mic question

 

Related Links:

• Jesus, Recycled Redeemer? by Greg Koukl

Interview: Nancy Pearcey – The Toxic War on Masculinity

Greg talks to Nancy Pearcey, author of The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, about the competing ideas of masculinity, the “good man” versus the “real man,” expectations of men in the pre-industrial age, the stats on Christian men today, “boy culture,” and more.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Nancy Pearcey, author of The Toxic War on Masculinity (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Nancy Pearcey
• The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes by Nancy Pearcey
• Nancy Pearcey’s books
• Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands by Brad Wilcox (reporting on the study he did on Christian men)

If God Can Save Everyone, Is He Loving if He Doesn’t?

Greg answers questions from callers about whether God is loving if he can save everyone (per Reformed theology) but doesn’t, what Christians should think about shopping at stores that promote harmful ideologies, how God could have foreknowledge of infinite future events if an actual infinite isn’t possible, and more.

 

Topics:

1. If, according to Reformed theology, God can save everyone, is he loving if he doesn’t? (03:00)
2. What should Christians think about shopping at stores that promote harmful ideologies? (34:00)
3. How could God have foreknowledge of infinite future events if an actual infinite isn’t possible? (42:00)
4. Challenges to Greg’s thoughts about aliens in the previous episode. (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Be One of the 100

Related Links:

• Why Did God Create People if He Knew So Many Would Go to Hell? by Amy Hall
• #STRask: Should Christians boycott Starbucks and other corporations that have taken a side against Christianity in the culture war?

The God Question Is the First Question You Have to Answer

Greg explains why your answer to the foundational question of whether or not God exists will affect your ideas about everything else, then he answers questions from a caller about aliens and UFOs.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The God question is the first question you have to answer. (00:00)
2. What’s your take on aliens and UFOs? (31:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Be One of the 100

An Example of Gardening

Greg talks about an exchange he had with someone on a recent trip, then he answers questions about philosophy topics to cover in an hour-long apologetics class, signs from God, whether the disciples made up the story about Jesus, and how to discuss doctrine with Mormons who seem to be hiding their beliefs.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: An example of gardening (00:00)
2. What topics would you cover if you only had one hour to teach philosophy in an apologetics and evangelism class? (06:00)
3. What should I say to someone who told me two blue jays flying by were signs from God? (32:00)
4. How should I respond to someone who claims the apostles made up the story about Jesus? (43:00)
5. How can I have effective conversations about doctrine with Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who seem to be trying to hide their beliefs? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Thinking About God: First Steps in Philosophy by Greg Ganssle
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 22–23 in Los Angeles, CA; October 13–14 in Seattle, WA; November 10–11 in Minneapolis, MN; February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA
• Decision Making and the Will of God (audio) by Greg Koukl
• The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God (booklet) by Greg Koukl
• Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (online articles) by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Who Is the God of Mormonism by Amy Hall
• LDS View of Atonement Clarified by Amy Hall
• Verses for Your Conversations with Mormons by Amy Hall
• Is It Possible Some Mormons Are Saved? by Amy Hall – More ideas for your conversations

The Bible’s Teaching on Marriage and Sexuality Didn’t Change in 1946

Greg talks about an upcoming movie that claims a 1946 mistranslation of a word in the Bible led to homophobia and persecution of the LGBT community, then he answers a caller's question about what to say to a pastor who referred someone to a counseling service that seems problematic.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality didn’t change in 1946. (00:00)
2. What should I say to a pastor who referred me to a counseling service that seems problematic? (32:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Pro-Gay Theology, the Film 1946, and the Multiverse by Alan Shlemon
• Be One of the 100
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 22–23 in Los Angeles, CA; October 13–14 in Seattle, WA; November 10–11 in Minneapolis, MN; February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA

Were Portions of the Gospels Made up to Match Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53?

Greg talks to callers about what to say to a skeptic who claims portions of the Gospels were made up to match Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, whether Hell is something we choose or an enforced punishment, and how to convince another Christian of how important it is to read the Bible and make it part of their life.

 

Topics:

1. What should I say to a skeptic who claims portions of the Gospels were made up to match Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53? (06:00)
2. Is Hell something we choose (i.e., the doors are “locked on the inside”), or is it a more a matter of just judgment (i.e., like prison)? (28:00)
3. How can I convince another Christian of how important it is to read the Bible and make it part of their life? (44:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• God Reforms Hearts: Rethinking Free Will and the Problem of Evil by Thaddeus Williams
• Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice by Thaddeus Williams
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 22–23 in Los Angeles, CA; October 13–14 in Seattle, WA; November 10–11 in Minneapolis, MN; February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA
• The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Greg Koukl
• Bart Ehrman on the Existence of Jesus by Amy Hall – Video clip of Bart Ehrman
• Be One of the 100

Related Links:

• You Want to Be a Good Apologist? by Amy Hall (about reading the Bible)
• James Gray on Mastering the Bible by Fred Sanders
• The Simple Way to Know and Be Shaped by Your Bible by Amy Hall

Are You Discipling Someone?

Greg talks about the need for churches (and Christian individuals) to disciple other Christians, then he answers a caller’s questions about Reformed theology.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Are you discipling someone? (00:00)
2. Why do you believe in Reformed theology? (34:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 22–23 in Los Angeles, CA; October 13–14 in Seattle, WA; November 10–11 in Minneapolis, MN; February 23–24, 2024 in Dallas, TX; March 22–23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA; April 19–20, 2024 in Augusta, GA
• Summit Ministries
• God Reforms Hearts: Rethinking Free Will and the Problem of Evil by Thaddeus Williams
• Be One of the 100

Related Links:

• Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God by Kevin DeYoung – A book about the Canons of Dort (Reformed theology)
• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall

The Church Is for Anyone, Not Everyone

Greg talks about Calvary Church Albuquerque’s “cultural axioms” and encourages churches to likewise be “more concerned with reaching the lost than pacifying the critics,” then he answers questions about how AI relates to the image of God in people and attending a church that affirms one’s sin.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The church is for anyone, not everyone (00:00)
2. Considering AI’s unsettling human-like ability to process language and complex ideas, how does the current AI relate to the image of God in people, and could it ever become truly self-aware? (26:00)
3. Am I right in thinking a person with same-sex attraction shouldn’t attend a church that affirms their sin, and what’s the difference between someone who is practicing homosexuality and someone who is living in any other sin? (45:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• CrossExamined Instructor Academy
• Calvary Church Albuquerque’s “cultural axioms”

Christians Should Be Able to Recognize Jesus’ Voice

Greg talks about the positive response of some Christians to an imitation of a Bible passage supposedly created by AI about transgenderism, then he answers questions about what the word “worship” should refer to and whether it’s possible to tell if the congregation is truly worshiping.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Christians should be able to recognize Jesus’ voice. (00:00)
2. Am I too concerned about people using the word “worship” to refer only to the music portion of the service? (42:00)
3. Is it possible to tell if the congregation is truly worshiping? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Be One of the 100