Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Jesus’ Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Is Light

Greg reflects on the destruction from the Malibu fire, then he answers questions about the sense in which Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden light, how to respond to someone who uses Romans 7 to defend his homosexuality, and how to let God lead when making big decisions.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg reflects on the destruction from the Malibu fires. (00:00)
2. In what sense is Jesus’ yoke easy and his burden light? (11:00)
3. What do you think of someone who uses Romans 7 to defend living a homosexual lifestyle? (31:00)
4. How do I let God lead my life when making big decisions? (45:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• When God Speaks by Greg Koukl
• The Ambassador’s Guide to the Voice of God by Greg Koukl

Related Links:

• Be Willing to Submit to Our Good God on the Issue of Homosexuality by Amy Hall
• Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Greg Koukl
• #STRask: How Should I Pray About Big Decisions If I Can’t Expect a Confirmation from God?

Tripp and Megan Almon Are Joining Stand to Reason

Greg chats with Tripp and Megan Almon, who are joining the Stand to Reason team as the head of STR Outposts (Tripp) and a speaker (Megan), about their backgrounds, spiritual and intellectual journeys, and new roles at STR.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Tripp and Megan Almon are joining Stand to Reason. (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Tripp and Megan Almon
• STR Outposts
• Summit Ministries
• Life Training Institute
• Biola’s apologetics program
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference – September 12–13 in Atlanta, GA; October 17–18 in Seattle, WA; November 7–8 in Minneapolis, MN; February 20–21, 2026 in Dallas, TX; March 13–14, 2026 in Philadelphia, PA; April 24–25, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA

Related Links:

• Clarifying the Abortion Issue – A previous interview with Megan Almon
• Embryos Are Not Just a Clump of Cells by Megan Almon
• How to Deal with Some Common Responses to Your Pro-Life Argument – Video of Megan Almon

Gardening Someone Who Doesn’t Seem Open to the Truth

Greg answers questions about what Revelation 21:8 means when it says the cowardly will be judged, gardening someone who isn’t open to the truth, officiating the wedding of people remarrying each other, other life in the universe, and the rapture.

 

Topics:

1. Given that Revelation 21:8 says the cowardly will be judged, what dangers are we required to face courageously or be judged? (03:00)
2. How do I garden somebody who doesn’t seem open to the truth? (15:00)
3. What would you say while officiating the wedding of two people who divorced, reconciled, and are remarrying? (29:00)
4. Do you think the universe is ever-expanding, and do you think there are other life forms out there that aren’t described in the biblical narrative? (35:00)
5. When it comes to your view on the rapture, what do you do with the language of 1 Thessalonians 4:17 when it talks about being “caught up”? (46:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards

Related Links:

• The Rap on the Rapture by Greg Koukl

Not Every Religion Is True

Greg talks about losing his voice at a recent event, then he answers questions about how to graciously communicate the idea that not every religion is true even though there are similarities, and whether or not the challenge in Malachi to test God by tithing is still in effect.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Update from Greg (00:00)
2. In discussions about the texts of other religions in a book club, how can I graciously communicate the idea that not every religion is true even though there are some similarities? (10:00)
3. Is the challenge in Malachi to test God by tithing still in effect? (37:00)

Related Links:

• Should Christians Tithe? by Greg Koukl

Clearing Up Some Confusion About Limited Atonement

Greg clears up some confusion about limited atonement then answers questions about young people getting into the fantasy genre, Jewish beliefs about Satan, the phrase “In Jesus’ name,” and why New Testament promises apply today if Old Testament promises don’t.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Clearing up some confusion about limited atonement (00:00)
2. Do you have any concerns about young people getting into the fantasy genre today? (14:00)
3. What do you think about attending or even participating in a wedding that contains elements from other religions? (26:00)
4. Is it true that Jewish people don’t believe the same things about Satan that Christians believe? (33:00)
5. Can you elaborate on your view on when—or if—we should use the term “in Jesus’ name“?(38:00)
6. If we can’t take promises in the Old Testament for ourselves, why wouldn’t promises in the New Testament such as 1 Peter 5:7 also only apply to the Christians at that time? (50:00)

Related Links:

• Harry Potter Is a Danger to Modern Society (In a Good Way) by Amy Hall
• Should Christians Avoid Reading Harry Potter? by Amy Hall
• In the Name of Jesus by Greg Koukl

Our Complex Bodies Didn’t Happen by Accident

Greg talks about a conversation he had with his cardiologist about intelligent design, then he answers questions about using Psalm 139 in a pro-life defense, why God sends people to Hell, whether it’s ever okay to lie, and what to say to a Catholic friend.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Our complex bodies didn’t happen by accident. (00:00)
2. Is Psalm 139 really a good passage to use in a pro-life defense? (16:00)
3. What questions should I ask a friend who says he wouldn’t want to worship the God of the Bible because he’s cruel for sending people to Hell for not believing in him? (33:00)
4. Is there ever a circumstance where it’s okay to lie? (44:00)
5. What can I say to a Catholic friend who says Jesus isn’t the only one who can intercede for us and who is more concerned about being faithful to Catholicism than reading the Bible to see what God says there? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee
• Justice for All
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Submit a question on the Open Mic Line

Related Links:

• The Question That Stops Christians in Their Tracks by Greg Koukl
• Am I Going to Hell? by Greg Koukl

How Could a Good God Let My Husband Suffer?

Greg answers questions about how to respond to someone who’s struggling with how a good God could let her husband suffer, how to know if something is objectively a sin, particularly when it comes to polygamy, and how to pray when asked at a family dinner where nobody is a believer.

 

Topics:

1. How should I respond to someone who is struggling with the question of how a good God could let her husband suffer? (00:00)
2. How can we know if something is objectively a sin or not, particularly when it comes to polygamy? (25:00)
3. What should I say in my prayer when I'm asked to pray at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner where nobody is a believer? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
• Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl
• Confessions of a French Atheist: How God Hijacked My Quest to Disprove the Christian Faith by Guillaume Bignon

Related Links:

• What You Need to Know about Evil and Suffering by Amy Hall
• If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn
• What Would Polygamy Do to Society? by Amy Hall
• Does God Endorse Polygamy? by Alan Shlemon
• Polygamy in the Bible Is Not Prescriptive by Robby Lashua

Is the Second Law of Thermodynamics a Good Argument Against Evolution?

Greg answers questions about whether the second law of thermodynamics is a good argument against evolution, pebbles to put in the shoe of a progressive Christian, whether he’s getting the Bible and science wrong, and how to explain the credibility of the resurrection.

 

Topics:

1. Why is the second law of thermodynamics not a good argument against evolution? (05:00)
2. How can I gently put pebbles in the shoe of a progressive-Christian friend who’s open to having conversations but who mocks historic Christianity? (22:00)
3. You’re getting the Bible and science wrong when you say God created everything out of nothing. (41:00)
4. How would you explain the credibility of the resurrection to someone? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• STR Outposts
• Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
• The Deconstruction of Christianity: What It Is, Why It’s Destructive, and How to Respond by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett
• The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Greg Koukl
• The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona

Related Links:

• The Legend of the Social Justice Jesus by Greg Koukl
• Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter J. Williams

Interview: Jimmy and J. Warner Wallace – Case Files

Greg chats with J. Warner Wallace and his son Jimmy about their new graphic novel, Case Files: Murder and Meaning.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Jimmy and J. Warner Wallace, co-authors of Case Files: Murder and Meaning. (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Case Files Vol. I: Murder and Meaning by Jimmy Wallace and J. Warner Wallace
• Cold-Case Christianity website

The Danger of Basing Your Identity on Anything That Can Change

Greg talks about the danger of basing your identity on anything that can change, then he answers questions about speaking against a transgender bill in Colorado, the idea that we shouldn’t judge, disagreeing well with people, and having better recall in conversations.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: The danger of basing your identity on anything that can change (07:00)
2. How do I craft a compelling testimony that speaks the truth in love in opposition to the transgender protections bill in Colorado? (21:00)
3. How should I respond to someone in my church who says we “shouldn’t judge” someone who was in a longtime same-sex relationship? (38:00)
4. How can we have better conversations with people we disagree with in the church? (45:00)
5. How can I have better recall and keep my mind from going blank from anxiety in conversations? (52:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• CrossExamined Instructor Academy – Deadline is May 1
• Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier
• Greg’s Message to His School Board Regarding Proposed Sex Ed Curriculum