#STRask

What if We Can’t Agree on the Definition of “Faith”?

Questions about how to navigate a conversation with someone who insists “faith” is not based on proof, how to use apologetics without sounding like you’re avoiding the question being asked, and how to respond to the statement “Certainty is a sin” logically and tactically.

• How do I navigate a conversation with my friend when we can’t agree on what “faith” means? He’s using a dictionary definition that says it’s not based on proof.
• How can I use apologetics without sounding like I’m avoiding answering the question being asked?
• How can I analyze the statement “Certainty is a sin” logically and respond tactically?

Can We Conclude from John 10 That Jesus Speaks to Us Today?

Questions about whether we can conclude from John 10 that Jesus speaks to us today, whether 1 Samuel 3 means we have to learn to hear God’s voice, and how to respond to someone who says God communicated a message to him when he saw clouds cover the moon and then dissipate.

• Can we conclude from John 10, where Jesus speaks about his sheep hearing and knowing his voice, that he speaks to us today?
• What would you say to someone who uses 1 Samuel 3 to show that we have to learn to hear God’s voice?
• How should I respond to someone who says God communicated a message to him when he saw clouds cover the moon and then dissipate?

Does Matthew 19:27–29 Incentivize Leaving Your Spouse to Do Ministry Work?

Questions about what to do about a friend who is actively serving in his church but is living with a married woman and says he has peace about it and whether Matthew 19:27–29 incentivizes leaving your spouse if you feel “called” for the kingdom.

• What should I do about a friend who is actively serving in his church but is living with a married woman and says he has peace about it?
• Does Matthew 19:27–29 incentivize leaving your spouse if you feel “called” for the kingdom?

How to Use Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges

Greg and Amy chat about Greg’s new book, Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges, discussing the goal of the book, how this new material differs from and adds to the original Tactics book, how using tactics will help you have clearer, more personalized conversations with others about what they believe, and more.

Do Atheists Read the Bible More Literally Than Christians?

Questions about whether atheists read the Bible more literally than Christians because they don’t have to make up excuses for what it says and how to make a case for the attributes of God by arguing from cosmology rather than the Bible.

• How would you respond to an atheist who says nobody reads the Bible more literally than atheists because they don’t have to make up baloney excuses when it says something they can’t allow it to mean?
• When arguing from cosmology, how do you show what attributes God has without using the Bible?

What if Someone Uses the Columbo Tactic against Us?

Questions about what to do if someone uses the Columbo tactic against you, why some Christians say that only some doctrines matter and should be defended, and whether the extent to which one spends time and resources looking for answers to apologetics questions can become wrong.

• What should we do if someone uses the Columbo tactic against us?
• I have a high respect for truth, but my Christian friends tell me that only some doctrines matter. Why not defend all that has been taught for the past 2,000 years?
• Can the extent to which one spends time and resources looking for answers to apologetics questions become wrong if other parts of one’s spiritual life are beginning to suffer?

What Are Your Thoughts on Aliens?

Questions about whether the aliens people encounter are really evil spirits, whether the supposed biological pieces of crashed UFO pilots could be biological evidence of demons or angels, and what impact true evidence of aliens would have on the faith of Christians.

• What are your thoughts on aliens? Are they really evil spirits of Satan?
• Could the supposed biological pieces of crashed UFO pilots be biological evidence of demons or angels?
• What impact would true evidence of the existence of aliens have on the faith of Christians?

Should Christians Really Be so Concerned about Homosexuality, Abortion, and Science?

Questions about whether Christians should really be so concerned about homosexuality, abortion, and science when Jesus doesn’t seem to care about those things and thoughts on AI leading a congregation in prayer or giving a sermon.

• Are gays, abortion, and science really the foremost concerns of Christianity, or have politicians figured out how best to herd us? I can’t picture those things making the top 50 things out of Jesus’ mouth when he returns.
• What do you think about the fact that AI can now lead a congregation in prayer and even give a sermon? It doesn’t feel right to me.

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?”