#STRask

What Should I Say to Someone Who Believes Zodiac Signs Determine Personality?

Questions about how to respond to a family member who believes Zodiac signs determine personality and what to say to a co-worker who believes aliens created humans and put them on Earth 250,000 years ago.

 

• How would you respond to a family member who believes Zodiac signs determine personality?
• What should I say to a co-worker who believes aliens created humans and put them on Earth about 250,000 years ago?

What Should I Teach My Students About Worldviews?

Question about how to go about teaching students about worldviews, what a worldview is, how to identify one, how to show that the Christian worldview is better than others, and recommended resources on the topic of worldviews.

 

• I’m at a loss as to how to go about teaching my students about worldviews. What is a worldview, how do you identify one, how do you show that the Christian worldview is better than others, and what are your recommended resources on this topic?

Why Do You Say Human Beings Are the Most Valuable Things in the Universe?

Questions about reasons to think human beings are the most valuable things in the universe, how terms like “identity in Christ” and “child of God” can help someone who feels like a failure, and how to “give it to God” when you’re being consumed by worry.

 

• Can you expand on your belief that human beings are the most valuable things in the universe?
• People use terms like “identity in Christ” and “child of God” to help me in my struggle with low self-esteem and feeling like a failure. Can you help me understand what those terms mean?
• How do you lay something at God’s feet? When I'm being consumed by worry, how do I “give it to God”?

What Questions Should I Ask Someone Who Believes in a Higher Power?

Questions about what to ask someone who believes merely in a “higher power,” how to make a case for the existence of the afterlife, and whether or not we can use Revelation 22:18 as evidence that the Book of Mormon isn’t divinely inspired.

 

• What questions should I ask someone I’m working with to help him think beyond a belief in a “higher power”?
• How would you make a case for the existence of the afterlife, and is it necessary to use the Bible in order to do so?
• How would you respond to Mormons who objected to my using Revelation 22:18 to explain why I don’t think the Book of Mormon is divinely inspired?

What Would Be the Point of Getting Baptized After All This Time?

Questions about the point of getting baptized after being a Christian for over 60 years, the difference between a short prayer and an eloquent one, and disciplining yourself to read the Bible whether you feel like it or not.

 

• I’ve been a Christian for over 60 years, graduated from seminary, briefly pastored, and am currently an elder in my church, but I was never baptized. At this point in my life, what would be the point of getting baptized?
• What difference, if any, is there between a short and to-the-point prayer and a wordy, eloquent prayer if both truly come from the heart?
• I love studying apologetics, but when it comes to reading my Bible, I find it difficult to want to do so. Is there a way to increase my desire to read it, or is this something I just have to discipline myself to do anyway?

How Is Prophecy About the Messiah Recognized?

Questions about how to recognize prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament and whether or not Paul is just making Scripture say what he wants it to say when he appears to use Old Testament passages out of context.

 

• I heard a pastor connect Psalm 69:21 with John 19:28–30, saying it was Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled, but it doesn’t look like prophecy to me. How is prophecy about the Messiah recognized?
• How do we know Paul is not just making Scripture say what he wants it to say when he appears to use Old Testament passages out of context?

God Didn’t Do Anything to Earn Being God, So How Did He Become So Judgmental?

Questions about how God became so judgmental if he didn’t do anything to become God, and how we can think the flood really happened if no definition of a god includes the idea that he can get so angry he drowns every dog on earth.

 

• God didn’t do anything to earn being God, did he? How did he become so judgmental?
• We don’t think the flood really happened, do we? No definition of a god includes emotion, let alone getting so angry he drowns every dog on earth.

Can a Deceased Person’s Soul Live On in the Recipient of His Heart?

Questions about whether a deceased person’s soul can live on in the recipient of his heart, whether 1 Corinthians 15:44 confirms that babies in the womb have a soul, why bodies are important, how to explain the soul to a child, and how the spirit relates to the soul.

 

• Could the stories about recipients of donated hearts acting like the donors mean that if a person dies and his heart is donated to someone else, his soul lives on in the recipient?
• Does 1 Corinthians 15:44 confirm that babies in the womb have a soul when it says that if there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body?
• In light of your article “The Invisible Man,” why are bodies important?
• How would you explain the existence of a soul to a child or someone who has never heard of this idea?
• How does a person’s spirit relate to his soul?

What Would You Say to Someone Who Believes in “Healing Frequencies”?

Questions about what to say to someone who believes in “healing frequencies” in fabrics and music, whether Christians should use Oriental medicine that’s based on the concepts of qi, and how to respond to someone who says he’s sending “good vibes” your way.

 

• What would you say to someone who believes in “healing frequencies” in fabrics and music and claims there is biblical support for it?
• What are your thoughts on Christians using Oriental medicine specialists, who base their techniques on the concepts of qi, to diagnose and treat allergies?
• How would you respond to someone who sends “good vibes” your way when you ask for prayers?

Why Do Some Churches Say You Need to Keep the Mosaic Law?

Questions about why some churches say you need to keep the Mosaic Law and the gospel of Christ to be saved, and whether or not it’s inappropriate for Christians to celebrate Passover since it’s a celebration from Judaism and the Messiah has already come.

 

• Why do some churches say you need to keep the Mosaic Law and the gospel of Christ to be saved?
• Is it inappropriate for a Christian to celebrate Passover since it’s a celebration from Judaism and the Messiah has already come?