#STRask

How Do We Know the Protestant Canon of Scripture Is the Correct One?

Questions about how we know the Protestant canon of Scripture is the correct one, how we can know the New Testament books are inspired if we don’t know who the authors were, and how to talk to a friend who denies Paul’s apostleship and writings.

• How do we know the Protestant canon of Scripture containing 66 books is the correct one as opposed to the Catholic canon?
• If the authors of 20 of the 27 books of the New Testament are unknown, how do we know those books are inspired if nobody knows who wrote them?
• I have a friend who claims to be a Christian but who believes the earth is flat and denies Paul’s apostleship and writings. How should I discuss these matters with him?

What Should I Do When People I’m Teaching Don’t find Apologetics Interesting or Relevant?

Questions about what to do when the people you’re teaching don’t find apologetics interesting or relevant, resting one’s faith on experience vs. objective evidence, and an elevator speech answer to the question “What do you believe, and why do you believe it?”

• What should I do when the people I’m teaching don’t find apologetics interesting or relevant?
• My faith rests on a dramatic experience I had rather than objective evidence for Christianity, and I’m scared to throw out my “blind faith” for fear of falling away. How should I navigate this?
• What’s your elevator speech answer to the question “What do you believe, and why do you believe it?”

Judging Hurts People, so It’s Okay for Me to Judge You for Judging

Questions about how to respond to the claim that it’s okay to judge someone who is hurting another person by judging them and good ways to respond to the claim that we are just animals.

• How should I respond to someone who claims it’s okay to judge me because I’m hurting another person by judging them first?
• What are good ways to respond to the claim that we are just animals? 

Is There Anything in the Gospel of John That a Mormon Might Object To?

Question about whether there’s anything in the Gospel of John that a Bible study leader should be prepared to discuss with a Mormon who is interested in attending the study.

• Is there anything in the Gospel of John that I should be prepared to discuss with a Mormon who is interested in attending my Bible study?

Wouldn’t a True Christian Refuse to Leave People Behind in Hell?

Questions about whether the fast rate at which Christianity spread is evidence it’s true, whether a true, loving Christian would refuse to leave people behind in Hell by accepting Heaven, and challenging someone who favors religions that pre-date Christianity because they’re older.

• If the fast rate at which Christianity spread is evidence it’s true, how do I square that with the fact that there will be as many Muslims as there are Christians in 2050?
• Would not a true, loving Christian say that if anyone has to experience eternal torment, then they have to as well? Is it possible God is testing whether some of us will accept Heaven and leave others behind?
• How would you go about challenging a person who favors religions that pre-date Judaism and Christianity because they’re older?

How Should I Respond to Christians Who Disbelieve My Faith Because I Still Experience Homosexual Temptations?

Questions about how to respond to Christians who disbelieve your faith because you still experience homosexual temptations, whether Christians are morally obligated to refuse to do business with LGBT customers, and principles for determining what kind of proofreading jobs to accept or reject.

• How should I respond when other Christians disbelieve my faith and repentance solely because I still experience homosexual temptations?
• Are Christian business owners morally obligated to refuse to do business with LGBT customers?
• Can you offer any moral principles that can help someone determine what kind of proofreading jobs to accept or reject?

What Parenting Advice Would You Give Christian Fathers?

Questions about whether the Bible considers medicine to be sorcery, making the case for the existence of God to someone who believes in the spirit realm, whether religion was made up for people who don’t have the psychological strength to face life without it, and parenting advice for Christian fathers.

• Does the fact that the Greek word for “sorcery” is pharmakeia imply that Western medicine is sorcery?
• How would you make a case for the existence of God to someone who believes in the spirit realm (angels, demons, magic, etc.) but doesn’t believe there’s a God above it all?
• How would you respond to someone who thinks the soul and the afterlife are made-up constructs for people who don’t have the psychological strength to face life without the hope religion gives them?
• What parenting advice would you give Christian fathers who hope their children will become Christians?

Should the Bible Be Removed from Public Schools under a Law Prohibiting Indecent Material?

Questions about a public school library that wants to remove the Bible because of a state law prohibiting “pornographic or indecent material,” what to tell children who ask if art pieces that contain nude figures are inappropriate, and whether it’s inappropriate to pray in the shower or bathroom.

• What argument should I make against a school library that claims a state law that prohibits “pornographic or indecent material” in public schools should be applied to the Bible because it contains descriptions of incest, prostitution, rape, and infanticide?
• What should I tell my children when they ask if art pieces that contain nude figures are inappropriate?
• Is it inappropriate to pray when you’re in the shower or bathroom?

Why Did God Command Israel Not to Eat Pigs?

Questions about why God commanded Israel not to eat pigs if it wasn’t an issue of morality and why Jesus said his yoke is easy and his burden is light when we know how difficult it is to take up our cross and fight our sin.

• If the Old Covenant law forbidding the eating of pigs wasn’t a matter of morality and isn’t part of the New Covenant, why did God command Israel not to eat pigs in the first place?
• It’s not easy to take up your cross and fight your sin, so why did Jesus say his yoke is easy and his burden is light?

How Does Grounding Morality in God’s Nature Solve the Euthyphro Dilemma?

Questions about how grounding morality in God’s nature solves the Euthyphro dilemma and whether we only have moral values because our culture has learned over time what does and does not benefit society.

• How does grounding morality in God’s nature solve the Euthyphro dilemma?
• How would you respond to someone who claims we have moral values because our culture has learned over time what does and does not benefit society?