#STRask

How Do We Discern between Our Own Inner Voice and the Holy Spirit Telling Us What We’re Supposed to Say?

Questions about how to discern between our own inner voice and the Holy Spirit telling us what we are supposed to say if, according to Matthew 10:20, “it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” at the right moment and whether Acts 11:17 indicates we can get in God’s way when he is speaking to us.

• If “it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” at the right moment, as Matthew 10:20 says, how do we discern the difference between our own inner voice of our previous training and the Holy Spirit telling us what we are supposed to say?
• In terms of God speaking to us, can we get in God’s way (see Acts 11:17)?

How Can We Apply the Bible to Our Lives if We’re Not Supposed to Read Our Circumstances into It?

Questions about how to apply the Bible to our lives if we’re supposed to read it in context and not insert our circumstances into it and how to respond to someone who says the Great Commission was given to the apostles and not to the church writ large (similar to how Jeremiah 29:11 was given to the exiles).

• If we’re supposed to read the Bible in context and not insert our lives or circumstances into it, how do we then apply the ancient Word to our current lives?
• How would you respond to someone who said that the Great Commission was given to the apostles and not to the church writ large (similar to how Jeremiah 29:11 was given to the exiles)?

Is Christianity Really a Story of Reality?

Questions about whether Christianity is about following Jesus rather than a story of reality, what John the Baptist meant when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” and why John the Baptist seemed confused about whether or not Jesus was the Messiah after he had already confessed he was.

• You said Christianity is a story of reality, and I agree that the Bible is a story of reality (it helps lead our lives), but isn’t Christianity about following Jesus?
• What did John the Baptist mean when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” and how does that apply to us?
• In John 1:34, John the Baptist acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God after baptizing him, so why does he seem confused in Luke 7:19 and Matthew 11:3?

If We Can’t Impose a Moral Standard from One Period of Time on Another, How Does That Affect the Moral Argument?

Questions about how one can use the moral argument and also say we can’t impose a moral standard from one period of time on another and responding to someone who says she would never follow a God who killed his own son.

• If you say we can’t impose a moral standard from one period of time on another, then how does the moral argument fit into this way of thinking?
• How would you respond to someone who says she would never follow a God who killed his own son?

Does This Prove We Can’t Ground Objective Morality in God?

Question about an objection to grounding objective morality in God that states that if God has a morally perfect nature, and he either engaged in or directly allowed genocide, slavery, and torture, then that means genocide, slavery, and torture are objectively good.

• How would you address this atheist challenge to grounding objective morality in God: If God has an unchanging, morally perfect nature, and he either engaged in or directly allowed genocide, slavery, and torture, then doesn’t that mean genocide, slavery, and torture are objectively good?

How Concerned Should I Be about My Spouse Believing in Annihilationism?

Questions about how concerned one should be and what to do about a spouse who now believes in annihilationism and how to navigate differences in doctrine with those who take strong stands on their distinctives.

• My wife has changed her view on Hell to annihilationism, and I feel betrayed and worried for her and how she’ll influence our kids. How should I think about this and deal with it?
• How do you navigate differences in doctrine with those who take strong stands on their distinctives?

Do These Verses Support the Idea That Everyone Will Be Saved?

Question about whether Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:22, and 1 John 2:2 support the idea that everyone will be saved (universalism) as a New York Times opinion piece by David Bentley Hart claims.

• Do Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:22, and 1 John 2:2 support universalism (i.e., the idea that everyone will be saved and the doctrine of Hell is incorrect) as a New York Times opinion piece by Dr. David Hart claims?

Is Consent to Sex Consent to Pregnancy?

Questions about how to respond to the claim that consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy and what to say to a Christian who argues that the law should give women a choice about abortion because God allows us to have free will and doesn’t force us to follow his commands.

• How would you respond to the claim that consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy?
• How should I respond to a Christian who argues that the law should give women a choice about abortion because God allows us to have free will as human beings and doesn’t force us to follow his commands?

Should I Stop Telling People That Attempting to Speak to Ancestors Is Demonic?

Questions about how to respond to someone who says we should stop saying that attempting to speak to ancestors is demonic, how to answer a Sikh who doesn’t understand why a Christian wouldn’t marry a non-Christian, and a response to the claim “God is not out there; he is in here.”

• How would you respond to someone who says from an African spirituality perspective we should stop saying that listening to or attempting to speak to ancestors is demonic?
• How would you answer a Sikh who is questioning why a Christian wouldn’t marry a non-Christian if all gods are the same?
• What would be a tactical way of responding to someone who says, “God is not out/up there; he/it is in here” (pointing to himself)?

Should I Provide My Preferred Pronouns When Asked by a Judge During Jury Duty?

Questions about whether we should provide our preferred pronouns during jury duty when a judge asks for them and how to respond to a Christian who says it’s kind to use a person’s preferred pronouns and that not using them is unkind, unloving, and judgmental.

• When a judge asks me to provide my preferred pronouns in a courtroom during jury duty, is that the wrong place to resist providing them?
• How should I respond to a Christian who says it’s kind to use a person’s preferred pronouns, that by not doing so I’m being a hypocrite, unkind, unloving, and judgmental, and that not all translations of the Bible say God made male and female?