Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Has the Text of the Bible Been Corrupted?

How can we know that the Bible we have today is the same as the original if no original manuscripts exist? Greg explains why the number and age of the manuscripts we do have make it possible for textual critics to sift through the variant readings and confidently reconstruct the original writings.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Has the text of the Bible been corrupted? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• “Misquoting” Jesus? Answering Bart Ehrman by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• The Bible Is Not a Game of Telephone by Amy Hall (quoting Dan Wallace)
• An Interview with Daniel B. Wallace on the New Testament Manuscripts by Justin Taylor
• Textual Variants: It’s the Nature, Not the Number, That Matters by Tim Barnett
• A Clarification on How Bible Variants Are Counted by Amy Hall

Is the Bible a Human Book or a Supernatural One?

Is the Bible a human book by men about God, or is it a supernatural book from God to men? Greg talks about how the supernatural fingerprints of God in the Bible give us good reason to trust that this book truly has the objective authority to answer the deepest questions of life.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Is the Bible a supernatural book? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith by Guillaume Bignon

Related Links:

• What We Read Is What God Said by Brett Kunkle
• The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ by Gary Habermas
• The Bible: Different from All the Rest by Amy Hall (quoting Rosaria Butterfield)

Scattered as Aliens in a Foreign Land

Greg talks about 1 Peter’s words to those who live in a hostile culture, then he answers questions about how Satan tempts us, a high school assigning a sexually graphic novel, not making Christ seem like merely a utilitarian solution to cultural problems, and how to deal with loneliness.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Scattered as aliens in a foreign land (00:00)
2. How does Satan tempt us? (13:00)
3. How should I address the issue of a private high school assigning a novel that graphically depicts sexual sin, and how can we appropriately prepare our children for the real world without exposing them to books like this one? (23:00)
4. How do I avoid making Christ into merely a utilitarian solution to our current cultural problems when discussing the Christian worldview with unbelievers? (35:00)
5. How should I deal with loneliness? (47:00)

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

Interview: Jeff Myers – Truth Changes Everything

Greg talks to Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries, author of Truth Changes Everything: How People of Faith Can Transform the World in Times of Crisis, about the shifting definition of truth in the culture, how truth can be known, the difference truth has made in the world, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Jeff Myers, author of Truth Changes Everything: How People of Faith Can Transform the World in Times of Crisis (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Dr. Jeff Myers
• Truth Changes Everything: How People of Faith Can Transform the World in Times of Crisis by Dr. Jeff Myers
• Summit Ministries
• How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill
• The Soul of Science by Nancy Pearcey and Charles Thaxton
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• The True Story of Christian Missionaries by Amy Hall (on how truth changed entire cultures)
• Values Fight Poverty by Amy Hall
• A Daily Prayer for This Cultural Moment by Amy Hall (about valuing truth)

How to Assess Christianity

Greg explains that we can’t assess the church’s legitimacy by the way the world reacts to it, then he answers questions about who, according to 1 John 2, is an antichrist, our relationship to time after death, why people use the term “Calvinism” but not “Arminianism” in a derogatory fashion, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: How to assess Christianity (00:00)
2. Is John calling everyone who rejects Jesus a liar and an antichrist in 1 John 2:22–23 (even Dennis Prager), or is he referring to specific people? (08:00)
3. Is it a sin to work at a supermarket where cigarettes and alcohol are among the goods that are sold? (19:00)
4. Are people who have died waiting in time for the resurrection, or are they in the presence of God outside of time? (29:00)
5. Why is it that people use the term “Calvinism” in a derogatory fashion, but I’ve never heard anyone speak of Arminianism that way? (44:00)
6. What does the reference to Jeremiah in Hebrews 8:11 mean when it says there will be no need to teach a neighbor or brother to “know the Lord” in the New Covenant? (51:00)

Related Links:

• The Truth of Christianity Isn’t Measured by People’s Hatred of It by Amy Hall
• God Cares More about Behavior Than Most People Think by Amy Hall
• What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism – Desiring God explains the biblical reasoning behind Calvinism

Does “He Gets Us” Get Him?

Greg critiques the “He Gets Us” campaign, then he answers a question about whether it’s okay to join a church you have some theological disagreements with and interacts with a caller who says people have good reasons to have bad impressions of Christians.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Does “He Gets Us” get him? (00:00)
2. Is it okay to become a member of a church you have some theological disagreements with? (34:00)
3. People have good reasons to have bad impressions of Christians. (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• He Gets Us website
• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• 7 Problems with the He Gets Us Campaign by Natasha Crain
• “Alone with Just a Story” by Negativland

Related Links:

• What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism – Desiring God explains the biblical reasoning behind Calvinism

Tips for Discipling Your Children

Jon and Robby talk about habits and values they’re trying to develop in their kids and give general tips for raising kids to love Jesus and have a Christian worldview.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Tips for discipling your children (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Blue’s Clues Pride Parade Song

Advice for Apologists

Robby, Tim, Jon, and Amy discuss the mistakes we can make as apologists and give advice for how we can stay balanced in our study, treat people with dignity, exhibit the kind of character that reflects Christ when interacting with others, improve our skills, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Advice for apologists (00:00)

Related Links:

• For the Student Who Wants to Be a Christian Apologist by Amy Hall
• How Should We Interact with the Uncivil? by Amy Hall
• Eight Lessons on Being an A-Paul-ogist by Tim Barnett
• Proverbs for Apologists by Amy Hall
• You Want to Be a Good Apologist? by Amy Hall
• Apologetics Aren’t Enough to Connect You with a Person by Amy Hall
• Do You Convey a Sense of the Reality, Centrality, and Desirability of Jesus with Your Apologetics? by Amy Hall
• A Daily Prayer for This Cultural Moment by Amy Hall

A Grad Student Taking a Stand

Greg reads a note from a student whose grad school program is requiring that he join an association that explicitly promotes values he disagrees with, then he answers questions about leaving a church if they won’t let you serve, trusting God to bring another “gardener” into a person’s life, and what people will know in Hell.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: A grad student taking a stand (00:00)
2. Should I leave a church that won’t let me serve because of sin in my past? (27:00)
3. Do you have any advice about trusting God to bring another “gardener” into a person’s life when my opportunity is gone? (37:00)
4. Do people in Hell want to get out, do they know God exists, and do they remember their lives on earth? (47:00)

Related Links:

• Harvester or Gardener? by Greg Koukl

Just Ask the Question

Greg tells a story about what happened when a pastor he was dining with asked the waiter a question, then he takes two calls about reparations for slavery and answers a question about translating some Christian terms into everyday language when talking to non-believers.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Just ask the question. (00:00)
2. How should I respond to someone who says they’re owed reparations because of slavery? (12:00)
3. A response to Greg’s comments on reparations (35:00)
4. How would I translate “miracles” and “God's glory” into everyday language when talking to non-believers? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reparations: A Critical Theological Review by Kevin DeYoung
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – February 24–25, 2023 in Dallas, TX; March 24–25, 2023 in Philadelphia, PA; April 21–22, 2023 in Augusta, GA