Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

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.

Did Jesus Repent of Racism?

Greg talks to Tim about a TikTok video that claims Jesus repented of racism in Mark 7:24–30.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Did Jesus repent of racism? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Red Pen Logic YouTube channel
• Jesus a Racist? – TikTok video by Brandan Robertson

The Word “Evolution” Doesn’t Magically Explain Everything

Greg talks about people declaring “evolution” over things they see without being able to show the pathway of that evolution, then he answers questions about conversing with conspiracy theorists, whether baptism is essential, comforting people whose prayers aren’t answered, and getting a marriage license.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The word “evolution” doesn’t magically explain everything. (00:00)
2. How can we have a productive conversation with a conspiracy theorist? (21:00)
3. Why do people believe baptism isn’t essential? (32:00)
4. How do you comfort somebody whose prayers haven’t been answered? (47:00)
5. Should I not get a marriage license as a protest against the government’s misuse of their authority? (51:00)

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Mentioned on the Show: 

• Living Waters: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth – Video

Related Links:

• Why You Should Resist Conspiracy Theories by Aaron Brake

You Never Know the Difference Your Efforts Will Make

Greg talks about the website of a 13-year-old he met last week, reminds us God uses both big and small efforts to do great things, then answers questions about churches catering to the world and arguments for the resurrection.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: You never know the difference your efforts will make. (00:00)
2. Is any attempt of the church to cater to the world problematic in the same way progressive Christianity is problematic? (29:00)
3. What do you consider to be the best arguments for and against the resurrection of Christ? (49:00)

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Mentioned on the Show: 

• Follow the Proof website
• Red Pen Logic YouTube channel
• STR U Online Training
• Gary Habermas’s books
• Bart Ehrman on the Existence of Jesus 

Related Links:

• Where Did These Minimal Facts about the Resurrection Come From? by Amy Hall

Thoughts on Memorizing the Bible

Greg talks to Amy about tips on how and why to memorize larger portions of the Bible.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Thoughts on memorizing the Bible (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Tips for Memorizing a Book of the Bible by Amy Hall

Related Links:

• A Long-Term Plan to Know Your Bible by Amy Hall
• The Rewards of Memorizing a Book of the Bible by Amy Hall

Interview: Dan Kimball – How (Not) to Read the Bible

Greg talks to Dan Kimball about his new book, How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Dan Kimball – How (Not) to Read the Bible (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Dan Kimball
• How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture by Dan Kimball
• Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
• Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan

Related Links:

• Why We’re Not Under the Mosaic Law by Amy Hall
• Should Followers of Christ Observe the Torah? by Amy Hall