Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

If There’s No Judgment, There’s No Justice

Greg discusses how to explain God’s final judgment and Hell to others, then he answers questions about how one can be a therapist and not enable sin in clients who have different values and an objection to fine-tuning.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: If there’s no judgment, there’s no justice. (00:00)
2. How can one be a therapist as a Christian and not end up in a position where one is enabling sin in clients who have different values? (27:00)
3. How would you respond to the objection to fine-tuning that says it’s not surprising we’re here because we could only observe everything if we were here? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy (archives here)
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN
• Hell Interrupted Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
• Live Not by Lies – Essay by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
• Live Not by Lies – Book by Rod Dreher

Greg’s Experience Voting

Greg talks about his experience voting then answers a question about free will vs. predestination.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg’s experience voting (00:00)
2. Which is correct: free will or predestination? (26:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN

Related Links:

• Explaining Free Will and Calvinism by Greg Koukl
• “Forced Love” Is the Wrong Way to Look at It by Amy Hall
• What are your definitions of free will and choice? – Greg Koukl and Amy Hall on #STRask podcast

Would a Purely Physical Being Come up with the Idea of a Spiritual Being?

Greg touches on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barett, then he answers a question about whether a purely physical being could come up with the idea of a spiritual being and whether we might sin in Heaven.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett (00:00)
2. Is it fair to say it’s unlikely that a purely physical being that came about through evolution would come up with the idea of a spiritual being? (24:00)
3. If angels could be disobedient to God in Heaven, does that mean we might do the same? (41:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN
• Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy

Interview: William Lane Craig – Atonement and the Death of Christ

Greg talks to philosopher William Lane Craig about his newest book, Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: William Lane Craig – Atonement and the Death of Christ (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• William Lane Craig
• Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig’s organization
• Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration by William Lane Craig
• The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl

The Truth Hasn’t Changed

Greg responds to a quote promoting Progressive Christianity, then he answers questions about basing morality on empathy, sexual temptation and the decision to marry, attending the wedding of a divorced person, whether breaking any law is a sin, and why God allows evil.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The truth hasn’t changed. (00:00)
2. How should I respond to someone who says morality can be built on empathy without any reference to a divine moral lawgiver? (21:00)
3. To what degree should sexual temptation affect one’s decision about whether to get married? (33:00)
4. If Christians shouldn’t attend a same-sex wedding, should Christians not attend the wedding of a divorced person? (39:00)
5. Is it a sin to break any law? (43:00)
6. If God is a loving God, why does he allow evil? (49:00)

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Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 26–27 in Dallas, TX
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Progressive Christianity—is Christianity by Jon Pavlovitz (critiqued by Greg in the commentary)

Related Links:

• If God Is Good, Why Is There Evil and Suffering? by Amy Hall

More on Respecting the Original Meaning of a Text

Greg revisits his discussion from last week about respecting the original meaning of a text, then he answers questions about discerning between different views and adjusting how you communicate according to how people hear your words.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: More on respecting the original meaning of a text (00:00)
2. How do we discern between two viewpoints when they both claim to be the result of thoughtful study? (31:00)
3. How do we reconcile the idea that we ought to read texts the way the author meant them with the idea that in interpersonal relationships we ought to adjust what we say according to how people will interpret our words? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 26–27 in Dallas, TX
• Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers
• Dan Rather’s tweet
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need (Answering Revisionist Pro-Gay Theology) Part 1 and Part 2 by Alan Shlemon and Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Sean McDowell and Matthew Vines on the Bible and Homosexuality by Amy Hall

Moses Heard an Audible Voice, and You Probably Won’t

Greg talks about how we can’t expect to have the same experience as Moses, then he answers questions about worship, interacting with a daughter about her homosexuality, our responsibility for choices that come from unchosen desires, living with a girlfriend, and how often a church should have communion.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Moses heard an audible voice, and you probably won’t. (00:00)
2. What is worship, and how is it different from prayer? (09:00)
3. How should I interact with my daughter on the topic of her homosexuality? (21:00)
4. How can we be responsible for choices that come from our desires and wants if those things are outside of our control? (32:00)
5. Is it a sin for a man to live with his girlfriend if there’s no sexual relationship? (45:00)
6. Should a church have communion weekly, or is once a month okay? (55:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – October 16–17 in Seattle, WA; November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 26–27 in Dallas, TX
• The #STRask episode about free will and choice
• Excusing Sinners and Blaming God by Guillaume Bignon
• The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man by J. Budziszewski

Texts Mean What the Writers Meant Them to Mean

Greg talks about how the current controversy over the judicial nomination is about conflicting views on how to read texts, then he answers questions about how not to lose one’s cool in a tense discussion and how to explain Jehovah’s Witness theology is not Christian.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The text means what the writer meant it to mean. (00:00)
2. How can I not back down but also not be an overbearing jerk when talking to people about tense issues? (34:00)
3. How do I prevent my husband from raising my son in the Jehovah’s Witness religion when he agreed legally to raise him Christian? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – October 16–17 in Seattle, WA; November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 26–27 in Dallas, TX

When Progressive Christians Make God’s Goodness Look Like Badness

Greg talks about how progressive Christians characterize orthodox theology, then he answers questions about responding to an employer’s worldview indoctrination, why the resurrection is required for salvation, and IVF.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: When progressive Christians make God’s goodness look like badness (00:00)
2. How should one interact with an employer who is requiring everyone to read and discuss a book that reflects a different worldview? (24:00)
3. Is the resurrection required for salvation? (44:00)
4. What are your thoughts on using IVF if you only implant a few eggs? (52:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Interview: Alisa Childers – Another Gospel?
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – October 16–17 in Seattle, WA; November 13–14 in Minneapolis, MN; February 26–27 in Dallas, TX
• Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher

Related Links:

• What Does Christ’s Resurrection Mean for Us? by Amy Hall
• What You Might Not Know about IVF – Alan and Amy discuss IVF on a previous podcast
• The Black Box of IVF by Alan Shlemon
• How IVF Is Changing Our View of Human Beings by Amy Hall
• The Tragic Consequences of the IVF Industry by Amy Hall

Interview: Alisa Childers – Another Gospel?

Greg interviews Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Alisa Childers – Another Gospel? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Alisa Childers
• Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
• ZOEgirl

Related Links:

• Interview: Alisa Childers on Progressive Christianity – Tim and Amy interview Alisa Childers
• 5 Signs Your Church Might Be Heading Toward Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers