Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Circular and Absurd Definitions of a Woman

Greg talks about Alan Shlemon’s excellent article on the definition of a woman, then he answers questions about how parents who just reconnected with a daughter should respond to her claim to be gay, what to say to someone whose child overuses video games, and whether Christianity is militant.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Circular and absurd definitions of a woman (00:00)
2. How should parents in our Tactics small group respond to their daughter’s claim to be gay? (11:00)
3. What should I say to my sister about my nephew’s overuse of video games? (26:00)
4. Why is Christianity so militant? (40:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• What Is a Woman? by Alan Shlemon
• The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield
• The Question that Stops Christians in Their Tracks by Greg Koukl
• Greg’s debate with Deepak Chopra
• Bart Ehrman on the Existence of Jesus by Amy Hall

How to Interpret and Apply God’s Promises in the Old Testament

Greg explains how to interpret promises God made in the Old Testament and when to apply them to Christians today, then he answers a question about whether verses in Romans about the Holy Spirit testifying in our hearts indicate Christians should expect to receive an experience of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Topics:

1. Why do you disagree with John Piper’s understanding that some promises to the Jewish people apply to Christians today, and how do you tell which promises apply to us and which don’t? (00:00)
2. When Romans 5:5 and 8:16 talk about the Holy Spirit testifying in our hearts, does that mean Christians should expect to receive an experience of the Holy Spirit? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• God Rejoices to Do You Good by John Piper
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith by Guillaume Bignon

Related Links:

• Promises We Can’t Claim. Promises We Can. by Greg Koukl
• How Can I Know Which Bible Promises Apply to Me? by Amy Hall

Is Sola Scriptura Self-Refuting?

Greg answers questions about whether there are internal inconsistencies in Protestantism when it comes to sola Scriptura, whether Jesus has severed his personal relationship with John now that he’s Lord over all, and reading the Bible with the assumption that it’s a divinely-inspired book. 

 

Topics:

1. Do you have answers for the internal inconsistencies of Protestantism? (01:00)
2. Has Jesus severed his personal relationship with John now that he is Lord over all? (36:00)
3. One of Michael Heiser’s seven rules for reading the Bible is that we should read it as a divine book, but should that really be a starting point when we’re approaching a text? (47:00)

“If the World Is against the Truth, Then I Am against the World”

Greg talks about the speech Calvin Robinson gave on same-sex marriage at the Oxford Union, then he answers questions about responding to false teachings and William Lane Craig’s view of God’s relationship to time.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: “If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world.” (00:00)
2. How should we respond to false teachers and false teachings today? (28:00)
3. Do you agree with William Lane Craig’s view of God’s relationship to time? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Calvin Robinson’s Oxford Union Debate Speech – Video and transcript
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need – Part 1 by Greg Koukl and Alan Shlemon
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need – Part 2 by Greg Koukl and Alan Shlemon
• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl

Morality Doesn’t Depend on Belief in God, but It Does Depend on God

Greg explains why objective morality doesn’t depend on belief in God but does depend on God, then he answers questions about responding to Mormon missionaries about how they know the Book of Mormon is true and whether it’s ever appropriate for a Christian to give a forceful or rude response.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Morality doesn’t depend on belief in God, but it does depend on God. (00:00)
2. Do you have any verses I can use when responding to Mormon missionaries about how they know the Book of Mormon is true? (24:00)
3. Is it ever appropriate for a Christian to be forceful or rude when responding to someone? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Mormonism Research Ministry
• 10 Awesome Book of Mormon Passages to Use with Latter-day Saints! by Eric Johnson
• Top 10 Teachings of Mormonism Not Supported by the Book of Mormon by Eric Johnson
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• STR U Online Training
• Advice for Apologists – Previous podcast with STR speakers

Related Links:

• Hitchens’s Challenge Solved by Amy Hall
• Verses for Your Conversations with Mormons by Amy Hall
• Why You Shouldn’t Ask God if the Book of Mormon Is True by Aaron Brake
• Is It Possible Some Mormons Are Saved? by Amy Hall
• Who Is the God of Mormonism? by Amy Hall
• LDS View of Atonement Clarified by Amy Hall
• How Should We Handle Outrage? by Amy Hall

The Trans Resistance Network’s Statement on Monday’s Shooting

Greg talks about the Trans Resistance Network’s statement on Monday’s school shooting, then he answers questions about how to enjoy corporate prayer when you’re aware of how people are misusing Scripture and the moral culpability of an Uber driver transporting people to do sinful things.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The Trans Resistance Network’s statement on Monday’s shooting (00:00)
2. Is there a way to still enjoy corporate prayer even though I now notice when people are misusing Scripture and misunderstanding how God works? (34:00)
3. What’s the moral culpability of an Uber driver transporting people to do sinful things? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Trans Resistance Network’s statement
• STR U Online Training
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers

Related Links:

• What Is Promised to the Two or Three Who Are Gathered in Jesus’ Name? by Amy Hall
• Use Your Knowledge to Serve Others, Not Judge Them by Amy Hall

A-Theory vs. B-Theory of Time

Greg answers questions about how to think through the issue of A-theory vs. B-theory of time, practical tips for sharing the gospel with family members who aren’t interested in hearing about it, whether metaphysics precede epistemology, and copying Greg’s presentation of Tactics.

 

Topics:

1. Can you help me think through the A-theory of time vs. the B-theory? (02:00)
2. Do you have any practical tips for sharing the gospel with family members who live in another country and don’t seem very interested in hearing about it? (28:00)
3. Do metaphysics precede epistemology, or is it the other way around? (39:00)
4. If I present Tactics to an audience the way you do, is that considered plagiarism? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Time and Eternity: Exploring God’s Relationship to Time by William Lane Craig

Strengthen Your Argument with Modest Assertions

Greg talks about how making modest assertions can actually strengthen your argument (referencing an article by Dolores Morris), then he answers a question about why God would predestine people for salvation if he gave us free will.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Strengthen your argument with modest assertions. (00:00)
2. If God gave us free will, why would he predestine anyone for salvation at all? (35:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• STR Outposts
• STR’s Ambassador’s Creed
• Weaker Assertion → Stronger Argument by Dolores G. Morris
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Question about predestination from the previous episode

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

Did Adam Have a Belly Button?

Greg answers questions about whether Adam had a belly button, the difference between microevolution and macroevolution, and predestination.

 

Topics:

1. Did Adam have a belly button? (00:00)
2. What is the difference between microevolution and macroevolution? (07:00)
3. Could you explain your understanding of predestination? (25:00)

Why Would a Good God Create a World That Has So Much Evil in It?

Greg answers questions about why God would create a world that has so much evil in it, how a book written by men could be the divine word of God, whether it’s okay to date a Christian who doesn’t think homosexuality is a sin, and why people believe in creationism over evolution.

 

Topics:

1. Why would a good God create a world that has so much evil in it? (00:00)
2. How could a centuries-old book written by men be the divine word of God? (16:00)
3. Is it okay to date a Christian who thinks homosexuality is not a sin? (29:00)
4. Why believe in a creationist worldview now that we have the theory of evolution? (46:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Design of Life DVD Collection by Illustra Media

Related Links:

• What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung
• Not That Kind of Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need: Answering Revisionist Pro-Gay Theology Part I by Greg Koukl and Alan Shlemon
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need: Answering Revisionist Pro-Gay Theology Part 2 by Greg Koukl and Alan Shlemon