#STRask

Is “Satan” Merely the Propensity of Humankind to Commit Evil Acts?

Questions about the idea that “Satan” is merely the propensity of humankind to commit evil acts, why Satan and the demons would want to keep storing up wrath for themselves if they know they’ll be defeated, and whether a “spirit of divorce” can be carried from generation to generation.

 

• What would you say to someone who believes that Satan is not a being but rather the propensity of humankind to commit evil acts?
• If Satan and the demons know they’ll ultimately be defeated and tormented, why would they want to keep storing up wrath for themselves?
• I’ve heard Christians talk about a “spirit of divorce," but is that biblical, could it be carried from generation to generation, and does Exodus 20:5 support that view?

How Right Do I Need to Be About Theology to Enter the Kingdom?

Questions about how right a person’s theology needs to be to enter the kingdom, whether it’s okay to baptize a cognitively challenged person who isn’t able to explain salvific concepts, and whether an intellectually disabled person can be saved if they can’t understand the theology of salvation.

 

• Considering there are a lot of Christians who say they’re right that don’t agree with each other, how “right” do I need to be to enter the kingdom?
• Is it okay to baptize a young man who really wants to be baptized but who has cognitive challenges and isn’t able to explain salvific concepts like God’s grace or why Jesus needed to die on the cross?
• Can my intellectually disabled daughter be saved if she can’t understand the concepts involved with Jesus personally dying for her sins?

Are You About to Tell Me You Know the One and Only True Denomination on Earth?

Questions about claiming to know the one and only perfectly true denomination on earth and how a person can know they are going to Heaven.

 

• Are you about to tell me you know the one and only perfectly true denomination on earth?
• How can a person know they are going to Heaven?

Should Confidence in a Belief Be Informed by How Long the Belief Has Been Held?

Questions about whether confidence in a belief should be informed by how long the belief has been held or by how many have held it, and whether it’s irrational and illogical to believe in God and one has to go against reason to believe in him.

 

• Should confidence in a belief be informed by how long the belief has been held or by how many have held it?
• Is it irrational and illogical to believe in God, and does one have to go against reason to believe in him?

How Do You Tell the Difference Between Someone Who Is Righteously Offended by Homosexuality and a Bully?

Questions about how to tell the difference between someone who is righteously offended by homosexuality and a bully, and how to challenge cultural Christians to think more deeply about the Christian worldview when they complain about men wearing women’s dresses in public.

 

• How do you tell the difference between someone who is righteously offended by homosexuality and a bully?
• How can I challenge my cultural-Christian friends to think more deeply about the Christian worldview when they complain about people dressing in bizarre ways in public (like men in women’s dresses)?

What Would You Do If Your Child Came Home and Told You They Were Gay?

Questions about what to do if your child came home and told you they were gay, and whether it’s strategically wiser to set emotionally charged sexual ethics aside at first and begin with other sins when evangelizing.

 

• What would you do if your child came home and told you they were gay?
• Given how emotionally charged sexual sin is today, is it strategically wiser to set sexual ethics aside at first and begin with less identity-loaded sins (lying, theft, etc.) to establish repentance and regeneration—letting sexual ethics follow as a result of new birth?

If the Idea of Intrinsic Human Value Came from Christianity, Then What Happened with Germany in World War II?

Questions about what happened with Germany in World War II if the idea of intrinsic human value came from the Christian worldview, and how to explain the fact that Christians on both sides of World War II slaughtered each other while claiming to fight in the name of God.

 

• If the idea of intrinsic human value came from the Christian worldview, then what happened with Germany in World War II?
• How do you explain the reality that World War II saw roughly 40 million Christians slaughtering other Christians—both sides claiming to fight in the name of God?

What Should a Christian Think About Capitalism?

Question about what Christians should think about capitalism.

 

• What should a Christian think about capitalism?

What Are the Benefits of Not Expecting to Hear Special Messages from God?

Questions about the benefits of holding Greg’s view on not expecting to hear special messages from God, and how the ideas of God putting something on someone’s heart and prompting someone to pray a certain thing fit with Greg’s theology.

 

• What are the positive benefits of holding Greg’s view on not expecting to hear the voice of God and using more appropriate language for describing how the Holy Spirit interacts with us?
• In light of your view on hearing the voice of God, what did Greg mean when he talked about God putting something on someone’s heart, and what did Amy mean when she said God might prompt someone to pray a certain thing? How do these ideas fit with your theology?

What Does Hebrews 7 Mean When It Says Jesus Became a Priest Forever in the Order of Melchizedek?

Question about what Hebrews 7 means when it says Jesus became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

 

• What does Hebrews 7 mean when it says Jesus became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek?