Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

The Paradox of Tolerance

Greg responds to a question about not tolerating intolerance, then he talks to a caller about the difference between Martin Luther King’s views and BLM and responds to a challenge to his opening commentary.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The paradox of intolerance (00:00)
2. How would I describe the difference between what Martin Luther King did for civil rights and what Black Lives Matter is doing? (30:00)
3. Is the Left really as intolerant as you describe? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Progressive Christian Gets Jesus Completely Wrong – Red Pen Logic video
• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)

Related Links:

• The Miseducation of America’s Elites by Bari Weiss (on the intolerance occuring in education)
• I Refuse to Stand By While My Students Are Indoctrinated by Paul Rossi

Everything Is Political Now

Greg talks about the need for us to engage the ideas of our culture that are relevant to Christianity, even when those ideas have been declared political, then he answers questions about demons, character development, the progressive church, and interacting with people in a post-truth society.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Everything is political now. (00:00)
2. Can an angel kill another angel, and what’s the difference between the angels that work with Satan and demons? (21:00)
3. Do you think the development of personal virtue and character is missing in Christianity these days? (33:00)
4. What's the proper method for challenging the progressive church? (45:00)
5. What’s a good strategy for dealing with people in a post-truth society? (53:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 24–25 in Orange County, CA; October 15–16 in Seattle, WA; November 12–13 in Minneapolis, MN; February 25–26, 2022 in Dallas, TX; April 22–23, 2022 in Augusta, GA
• Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
• Faithfulness Is Not Theologically Complicated by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Not a Hint of Politics by Greg Koukl

Define What You Mean by “Hate” and “Hater”

Greg and Tim talk about some negative reactions they’ve received (and seen others receive) and give some thoughts on how to respond.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Define what you mean by “hate” and “hater.” (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Subscribe to Stand to Reason’s monthly training material
• Martyn Iles of the Australian Christian Lobby
• The clip from the Martyn Iles video discussed by Greg and Tim (You might need a Facebook account to view the clip. The full video can be viewed here, with the clip in question beginning at 27:16.)
• Iron Curtain Diary by Greg Koukl
• The Primal Heresy by Greg Koukl
• Faithfulness Is Not Theologically Complicated by Greg Koukl
• Jordan Peterson Channel 4 interview

Signs of Legislation to Come

Greg talks about a bill that was proposed and then, thankfully, modified in California, then he answers questions about whether your lifestyle can disqualify you as a Christian, whether justification by faith alone is an essential doctrine, and how to respond to claims about the percentage of intersex people.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Signs of legislation to come (00:00)
2. If you have the core Christian beliefs and your lifestyle doesn’t match that, then are you still a Christian? (22:00)
3. Do you think justification by faith alone is an essential doctrine? (41:00)
4. How do I respond to claims about the percentage of intersex people? (48:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Iron Curtain Diary by Greg Koukl
• The Primal Heresy by Greg Koukl
• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Subscribe to Stand to Reason’s monthly training material
• Become a Strategic Partner
• Do Not Nod Your Head to Lies by Amy Hall

Related Links:

• Intersex People Don’t Prove There Are More Than Two Sexes by Amy Hall

Some Hills Are Worth Dying On

Greg talks about the issue of using people’s preferred pronouns, then he answers questions about resources for understanding the Bible and being judgmental of people’s entertainment choices.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Some hills are worth dying on. (00:00)
2. What Bible version, commentaries, or other resources do you recommend for going deeper into the Bible? (34:00)
3. How can I not be judgmental of others’ entertainment choices? (47:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 24–25 in Orange County, CA; October 15–16 in Seattle, WA; November 12–13 in Minneapolis, MN; February 25–26, 2022 in Dallas, TX; April 22–23, 2022 in Augusta, GA
• STR U Online Training

Related Links:

• Do Not Nod Your Head to Lies by Amy Hall

When Does False Doctrine Become a Salvation Issue?

Greg continues responding to a question about when a deviation from doctrine becomes a salvation issue, then he answers questions about charity for people who created their situation, God torturing people in Hell, being unequally yoked, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Greg continues discussing a question from the last episode: How far can someone deviate from the core doctrines of Christianity before it becomes a salvation issue? (00:00)
2. How far are you supposed to go with charity when the person created their own situation? (28:00)
3. What do you think of my response to atheists when they say Hell is a place where God tortures people? (35:00)
4. What advice do you have for a Christian who is unequally yoked with a spouse? (39:00) 
5. What’s the best way to tactfully let my client know her views about Christ are wrong? (45:00)
6. A follow-up comment on the question of when false beliefs are a salvation issue. (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Is Mormonism Just Another Christian Denomination? by Greg Koukl
• Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers

Related Links:

• True Compassion Is Determined by the Mind, Not by Feelings by Amy Hall

An Encouraging Testimony

Greg talks to Max Babshinskiy about how he became a Christian, then he answers questions about why Jesus didn’t inherit a sinful nature and how far one can deviate from the core doctrines of Christianity before it becomes a salvation issue.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: An encouraging testimony (00:00)
2. How was Christ able to be fully God and fully man and not inherit the sinful nature humans inherit? (28:00)
3. How far can someone deviate from the core doctrines of Christianity before it becomes a salvation issue? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Max Babshinskiy – Loading Bookshelf
• Max’s interview with Greg
• How a French Atheist Becomes a Theologian by Guillaume Bignon
• Red Pen Logic YouTube channel

Our Desires Aren’t Our Identity

Greg talks about Christopher Yuan’s story and the idea that our desires do not define our identity, then he answers questions about retaliation for not participating in CRT training at work, power in Jesus’ name, whether abortion is better than Hell, and whether Hell is punishment or merely suffering as a result of being separated from God.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Our desires aren’t our identity. (00:00)
2. How should I respond to the retaliation that happened when I said I wouldn’t  participate in CRT training at work? (10:00)
3. Does Matthew 7:21–23 mean there’s power in Jesus’ name, even for those who aren’t Christians? (36:00)
4. Wouldn’t aborting a child be better than their being born and going to Hell? (40:00)
5. Is Hell punishment or just torment as a result of our separation from God? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan
• Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story by Christopher Yuan

Related Links:

• Sexuality, Identity, Sin, and Denying Ourselves to Follow Christ by Amy Hall

You Need to Understand the Whole to Understand the Parts

Greg talks about how we need to understand the big picture in the Bible so we’re not shaken by challenges about the parts, then he answers a question from a single man in his mid-twenties about how to deal with a pornography addiction.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: You need to understand the whole to understand the parts. (00:00)
2. How should a single male in his mid-twenties deal with an addiction to pornography? (29:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• The Bible Fast Forward: Piecing Together the Biblical Puzzle – Lectures by Greg
• STR U Online Training
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 24–25 in Orange County, CA; October 15–16 in Seattle, WA; November 12–13 in Minneapolis, MN; February 25–26, 2022 in Dallas, TX; April 22–23, 2022 in Augusta, GA
• The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard

An Hour of Questions

Greg answers questions about submitting to the government, apathetic Christians, spending time with non-believers, attending a local church, why God didn’t destroy the Moabites, and advice for singles.

 

Topics:

1. Can wisdom ever trump submission to authority when it’s not an issue of morality? (03:00)
2. How do I convince apathetic Christians to do more with their life? (15:00)
3. How much time can we spend with non-believers? (25:00)
4. Is it a biblical command for us to attend a local church? (31:00)
5. Why were the Israelites commanded to destroy the Midianites and not the Moabites in Numbers 31? (42:00)
6. Do you have any advice for people who aren’t expecting to get married? (45:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR U Online Training

Related Links:

• Should Your Church Comply With New COVID-19 Orders? Perhaps This Memo Will Help.