#STRask

What Are the Top Five Things to Consider Before Joining a Church?

Questions about the top five things to consider before joining a church when coming out of the NAR movement, and thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to draw non-Christians into the church.

 

• I’m coming out of the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation movements. What are the top five things I need to consider before joining a church?
• What are your thoughts regarding a church putting on a production of Jesus Christ Superstar as a means to draw non-Christians into the church?

Are Works the Evidence or the Energizer of Faith?

Questions about whether faith is the evidence or the energizer of faith, and biblical support for the idea that good works are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith.

 

• Works appear to be the “engine oil” that keeps faith alive. Without them, faith is dead. Therefore, aren’t works the energizer of faith, not the evidence? Can you please provide biblical support that “good works” are inevitable and always demonstrated in the life of someone who has true faith?

Is Morality Determined by Society?

Questions about how to respond to someone who says morality is determined by society, whether our evolutionary biology causes us to think it’s objectively wrong to torture babies for fun, and whether someone with multiple personality disorder could both trust and reject Christ.

 

• How should I respond to someone who is unpersuaded by the moral argument for God, who insists people just do what makes them happy and doesn’t offend people or the law, and who says morality is determined by social structures that have evolved?
• Can the idea that it’s objectively wrong to torture babies for fun actually be explained by our evolutionary biology making us want to protect the babies in our group?
• Would it be possible for someone with multiple personality disorder to trust Christ with one personality and reject him with another? If so, how would we make sense of their eternal state?

What Evidence Can I Give for Objective Morality?

Questions about how to respond to someone who’s asking for evidence for objective morality, what to say to atheists who counter the moral argument for God by rejecting the necessity of objective morality, and the definition of intuition.

 

• An atheist who’s debating me about objective morality ignores what I say about our just knowing it deep inside and keeps pressing me for evidence. What should I do?
• What should I say to atheists who counter the moral argument for God by rejecting the necessity of objective morality?
• What is intuition?

If Sin Is a Disease We’re Born with, How Can We Be Guilty When We Sin?

Questions about how we can be guilty when we sin if sin is a disease we’re born with, how it can be that we’ll have free will in Heaven but not have the ability to choose to sin, and whether morality and logic are correct because God says so or he says so because they’re correct.

 

• If sin is a disease we’re all born with, how can we be guilty when we sin?
• Can you explain how we will retain free will in Heaven but will not have the ability to choose to sin?
• Is morality correct because God says so, or does he say so because it is correct? Is logic correct because God says so, or does he say so because it is correct?

Do People with Dementia Have Free Will?

Question about whether or not people with dementia have free will and are morally responsible for the sins they commit.

 

• Do people with dementia have free will? Are they morally responsible for the sins they commit, like their hurtful words and aggressive actions towards others?

If Jesus Is God, Why Didn’t He Know the Day of His Return?

Questions about why Jesus didn’t know the day of his return if he truly is God, and why it’s important for Jesus to be both fully God and fully man.

 

• If Jesus is God, then why didn’t he know the day of his return, and if the answer is that he limited himself, wasn’t it a lie to say that he didn’t know?
• Why is it important for Jesus Christ to be both fully God and fully man?

Is It Wrong to Feel Satisfaction at the Thought of Some Atheists Being Humbled Before Christ?

Questions about whether it’s wrong to feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of some atheists being humbled before Christ when their time comes, and practical methods of engagement that can be used when conversing with conspiracy theorists.

 

• Is it wrong that I sometimes feel a sense of satisfaction at the thought of some atheists being humbled before Christ when their time comes?
• What are some practical methods of engagement that can be used when conversing with conspiracy theorists?

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?