#STRask

Can You Recommend Good Books with More In-Depth Information and Ideas?

Questions about good books on Christian apologetics, philosophy, and theology with more in-depth information and ideas, and resources to help an intellectually-inclined person with spiritual formation and developing the non-cerebral side of living a Christian life.

 

• As a high school student, I have read many baseline books on Christian apologetics, theology, and philosophy, so could you recommend good books with more in-depth information and ideas?
• As someone with a passion for intellectual pursuits such as apologetics, theology, and philosophy, what resources might be helpful for spiritual formation and developing the non-cerebral side of living a Christian life?

What Do You Think About Churches Advertising on Social Media?

Questions about whether there’s an issue with churches advertising on social media, whether it’s weird if we pray along with a YouTuber, and whether Christian social media influencers are going against Matthew 6:1–2 when they film themselves doing good deeds.

 

• What are your thoughts on churches advertising on social media?
• Is it weird that I often find myself praying along with a YouTuber when he ends his videos with a prayer?
• Are Christian social media influencers going against Matthew 6:1–2 when they film themselves doing good deeds?

Why Are So Many Christians Condemning LGB People Just Because of How They Love?

Questions about Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love, how God can expect someone to be celibate when others are free to marry and have happiness, and why Christians seem to hate people today.

 

• If God sent Jesus to die for our sins, and all who believe in him are accepted into Heaven, why are so many Christians condemning LGB people just because of how they love someone?
• How can God expect you to be celibate when others are free to marry and have happiness?
• Can you explain the hate I see from Christians today?

Does God Really Need a “Pound of Flesh” to Forgive Sins?

Questions about how to answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive, and whether the claim in Romans 10:13 that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved contradicts Matthew 7:21.

 

• How do you answer the challenge that God doesn’t need a “pound of flesh” to forgive sins but can simply forgive?
• Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but Matthew 7:21 says not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will be saved. Can you help me understand this contradiction?

Can Two Logical People Come to Conflicting Conclusions Without Committing a Fallacy?

Questions about whether two logical people can come to conflicting conclusions on a topic without committing a fallacy, how Greg, as a public figure, deals with criticism, and whether or not criticism gets to him.

 

• Can two people come to conflicting conclusions on a topic while holding true to logic and reason without committing a fallacy?
• As a public figure, how do you deal with criticism, and does it get to you?

How Do I Determine Which Topics at Work Are Worth Commenting On?

Questions about how to determine which topics at work are worth commenting on, and a good way to respond when you’re in a group Bible study and hear earnest, lifelong Christians talk excitedly about books or content creators that aren’t orthodox.

 

• As someone who works in an open room with six others, where topics shift quickly and it’s hard to interject with multiple people chiming in, how do I determine which topics are worth commenting on and asking questions about?
• What is a good way to respond when you’re in a group Bible study and hear earnest, lifelong Christians talk excitedly about books or content creators that aren’t totally orthodox?

Did Jesus Prove He Wasn’t Sinless When He Overturned the Tables?

Questions about whether Jesus proved he wasn’t sinless when he overturned the tables, whether Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in Mark 3:22–26 was a bad argument, why Jesus was known for associating with sinners, and to what extent we should follow his example.

 

• How would you respond to someone who said Jesus lacked self-control, got angry, and had a violent temper tantrum when he overturned the tables in Matthew 21:12–13, proving he wasn’t sinless?
• Is Jesus’ response to the Pharisees in Mark 3:22–26 a bad argument?
• Why was Jesus known for associating with sinners, and to what extent should Christians follow his example?

What About Those Who Never Heard the Name of Jesus?

Questions about what will happen to those who never heard of Jesus or were brought up in a different faith, whether there’s biblical warrant to think a humble, repentant attitude can save people who don’t know Jesus, and where the souls who lived before Jesus go.

 

• We’re taught that the only way to Heaven is through belief in Jesus, but what about those living on this planet who never heard of him, those brought up in another faith, or those of a Jewish faith?
• Is there any biblical warrant for thinking that those who haven’t heard of Jesus will nevertheless be saved due to a humble, repentant attitude?
• Where do the souls who lived before Jesus go since they couldn’t be baptized or saved?

How Do You Justify Calling Jesus the Messiah?

Questions about how one can justify calling Jesus the Messiah when he didn’t fulfill the Hebrew messianic prophecies, and whether the reason for the virgin birth was just to set Jesus apart as unique or there was a deeper meaning.

 

• How do you justify calling Jesus the Messiah when he didn’t fulfill the Hebrew prophecies the Messiah was required to complete?
• Is the reason for the virgin birth just to set Jesus apart as unique, or is there a deeper meaning?

Are You Accursed If You Tithe?

Questions about whether anyone who tithes is not a Christian and is accursed since Paul says that if you obey one part of the Mosaic Law you’re obligated to obey all of it, and the claim that tithing preceded the Law and therefore remains a principle for the church today.

 

• Since Paul says that if you obey one part of the Law to please God you’re obligated to obey all of it, does that mean that anyone who tithes is not a Christian and is accursed?
• How would you respond to the claim that tithing preceded the Law of Moses, as evidenced by Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek in Genesis 14, and therefore remains a principle for the church today?