Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Slavery in the Bible

Greg answers questions about slavery in the Bible, whether men wrote the Bible to control people, the biblical definitions of love and judgment, and whether Jesus is still both fully man and fully God now that he’s been resurrected.

 

Topics:

1. Can you help me understand the verses in the Bible that talk about slavery? (05:00)
2. Did men write the Bible to control other people? (17:00)
3. Another note on slavery (25:00)
4. What is the biblical definition of love and the biblical definition of judgment? (29:00)
5. Is Jesus still fully human now that he’s been resurrected, or was his humanity temporary? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
• Interview: Paul Copan on Slavery in the Bible
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Amazing Grace film
• Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl
• The Chalcedonian Creed

Related Links:

• Did God Condone Slavery? by Amy Hall

Abortion Is Not Merely a Political Issue

Greg talks about a crisis pregnancy center that’s having trouble getting help from churches because the pastors don’t want to be “political,” then he answers questions about the Passion Translation and Jesus’ human nature and sinlessness.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Abortion is not merely a political issue. (00:00)
2. Do you have any advice for explaining the problems with the Passion Translation of the Bible to someone who’s promoting it? (27:00)
3. Was Jesus a real human being if he didn’t have a human father, and how could he have been sinless if he was human? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Information about the Passion Translation

Visions of Mary, Yoga, and Prophecies about Jesus

Greg answers questions from callers about visions of Mary, the biblical view of yoga, how we can know Hosea 11:1 is really a prophecy about Jesus, and whether people are misusing prophecies about earlier events to make a case for Jesus. 

 

Topics:

1. Do you have any insight on why Mary reveals herself to people through visions rather than Jesus? (03:00)
2. What is the biblical view of yoga? (28:00)
3. How do we know Hosea 11:1 is really a prophecy about Jesus as Matthew says? (42:00)
4. Are the verses people claim are prophecies about Jesus really just examples of people misusing prophecies about earlier events to make a case for Jesus? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• 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
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Interview: Melissa Dougherty – Christians and New Age Beliefs

Is It Appropriate to Ask God for a Sign?

Greg answers a question about whether it’s appropriate to ask God for a sign to indicate his approval of a decision, then he gives a caller advice about how to interact with a family member who now says he’s gay.

 

Topics:

1. Is it appropriate to ask God for a sign to indicate approval of a decision? (10:00)
2. Can you give me advice as to how my family and I should interact with my brother now that he’s told us he’s gay? (35:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• 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
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Becket Cook’s website
• Christopher Yuan’s website
• Rosaria Butterfield’s website
• The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

Can’t I Just Appreciate the Bible’s Moral Value without Taking It Literally?

Greg answers questions about whether one can just appreciate the Bible for its moral value without taking it literally, whether a worship leader attending a gay pride fundraising event indicates a problem with the church, and what the Bible has to say about free will.

 

Topics:

1. How would you respond to someone who says the Bible doesn’t need to be taken literally and we can just appreciate it for its moral value? (08:00)
2. Should I be concerned by the fact that one of the main worship leaders in my church attended a gay pride fundraising event? (25:00)
3. Many scientists claim free will is not a reality, but what does the Bible have to say about this? (42:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• 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

Related Links:

• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall

Design or Adaptation?

Greg reflects on the amazing design evident in the way largemouth bass feed, then he answers a question about the roots of the label “evangelical” and responds to a caller’s concerns about things he’s seeing in the large, multi-campus church he’s attending.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Design or adaptation? (00:00)
2. What are the roots of the label “evangelical,” and what is the classical definition? (28:00)
3. What should I do when I’m seeing so many things to be concerned about in the large, multi-campus church I’m attending? (44:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training
• 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

Has the Time for Winsome Christianity Passed?

Greg and Amy respond to questions about why it’s okay to have plastic surgery to alter your appearance but wrong to have surgery to alter your sex, whether a tactical, winsome approach is still viable in a non-civil culture, and whether the time for winsome Christianity has passed.

 

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

 

Topics:

1. How is claiming to be a different gender different from claiming to be a blonde if you dye your hair, and why is it okay to have plastic surgery to alter your appearance but wrong to have surgery to alter your sex? (00:00)
2. Can a tactical, “winsome” approach still be viable in such a non-civil culture? (16:00)
3. Has the time for “winsome” Christianity passed, and is it now time for a more direct, hard-edged approach? (:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Submit a question for #STRask

Related Links:

• How Should We Interact with the Uncivil? by Amy Hall

Does Our Childlessness Mean We’re Not Fearing God Enough?

Greg and Amy respond to questions about whether childlessness is a sign of not fearing God enough and whether it’s a genetic fallacy to point out the eugenics philosophy of the founder of Planned Parenthood when arguing against abortion.

 

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

 

Topics:

1. Since God gave the Hebrew midwives families because they feared him, does my childlessness mean my husband and I aren’t fearing God enough? (00:00)
2. Is it a genetic fallacy to point out the eugenics philosophy of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, when arguing against abortion? (17:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Submit a question for #STRask

Is the Bible Unclear about Homosexuality?

Greg reads a letter he received from a listener whose biblical views on homosexuality are being challenged by others in his church, then he addresses their objections and answers a question about whether Greg’s method of determining the reason why Jesus came is faulty.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Is the Bible unclear about homosexuality? (00:00)
2. Is your argument in “The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus” making the same mistake as those who say Jesus never spoke about abortion? (42:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• David Limbaugh’s interview on a previous podcast
• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• The Claim about Homosexuality in the Film 1946 Is Irrelevant by Alan Shlemon
• Jesus Didn’t Say Anything about Homosexuality by Alan Shlemon
• What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung
• What Motivates Sin (and How to Fight It) by Amy Hall
• Why We’re Not Under the Mosaic Law by Amy Hall
• Should Followers of Christ Observe the Torah? by Amy Hall
• How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians Today? by Greg Koukl
• Think of the Mosaic Covenant Like a State Law by Amy Hall (quoting Greg Koukl)
• The Law Is Good by Amy Hall

Respect the Order of Leadership

Greg talks about the goodness of respecting one’s parents and other elders and how our culture has lost this value, then he answers a question about how we can expect to never sin again in Heaven if evil exists in the world now because God wanted to allow free will.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Respect the order of leadership. (00:00)
2. If evil exists in the world because God wanted to allow free will, then how can we expect to never sin again in Heaven? (37:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• The Beauty of Submission by Amy Hall
• The Beauty of Leadership by Amy Hall