#STRask

Is There a Reference Guide to Teach Me the Vocabulary of Apologetics?

Questions about a resource for learning the vocabulary of apologetics, whether to pursue a PhD or another master’s degree, whether to earn a degree in general apologetics or to pick a specific topic to study, and how tactics can be used in written communication.

 

• I feel like I need a vocabulary lesson in Christian apologetics just to be able to keep up. Is there a reference guide you could suggest?
• I’m finishing up my MA in apologetics, and I’m not sure whether to pursue a PhD or another master’s degree.
• Do you recommend earning an advanced degree in apologetics or choosing a specific lane (theology, philosophy, science, etc.)?
• How can tactics be used in written communication? Is it possible to use your tactics in a digital written age?

Why Does It Seem Like God Hates Some and Favors Others?

Questions about whether the fact that some people go through intense difficulties and suffering indicates that God hates some and favors others, and whether someone is being abused because God doesn’t think she’s worshiping him enough.

 

• I constantly feel like God hates me because of a congenital defect that affects my career choices, my self-worth, and my bitterness towards God. Why does it seem like God hates some and favors others?
• If God lets Satan live to bring God glory and to test us, does that mean my friend is being abused by her mom’s boyfriend because God doesn’t think she’s worshiping him enough?

Is It Okay to Ask God for the Repentance of Someone Who Has Passed Away?

Questions about asking God for the repentance of someone who has passed away, how to respond to a request to pray for a deceased person, reconciling Hebrews 9:27 with people who have died twice, and whether we’ll be judged according to the revelation we received.

 

• What are your thoughts on asking God for the repentance of someone who has passed away?
• When asked to pray for a friend’s deceased mother’s soul, what is a compassionate response that may lead to an opportunity to share the gospel?
• How do we reconcile Hebrews 9:27, which says it’s appointed for each of us to die once, with people being raised from the dead by Jesus, Peter, and Paul and then dying a second time?
• Are people judged differently by God according to the revelation they received?

Can You Really Say Evil Is Just a Privation of Good?

Questions about whether one can legitimately say evil is a privation of good, how the Bible can say sin and death entered the world at the fall if angels rebelled before man, and why God would judge Israel with a famine so great they would eat the flesh of their children.

 

• Saying that evil is a “privation” is simply wordplay. How is the privation of a thing not creating the result of that privation? If one is denied oxygen, he will die, but you would blame the one denying the oxygen for that death.
• Scripture says sin and death entered the world at the fall, but didn’t angels rebel before man? Wouldn’t sin have been introduced then?
• Why would God judge the Israelites for sacrificing their children to idols by pronouncing upon them a famine so great that they would eat the flesh of their children?

Can Secular Books Assist Our Christian Walk?

Questions about how secular books assist our Christian walk and how Greg studies the Bible.

 

• How do secular books like Atomic Habits assist our Christian walk?
• How do you personally study the Bible?

How Do You Know You Have the Right Bible?

Questions about the Catholic Bible versus the Protestant Bible, whether or not the original New Testament manuscripts exist somewhere and how we would know if we found one, and the implications of not having the original manuscripts of the Bible.

 

• How do you know you have the right version of Christianity? The Catholic Bible was assembled closer to the time of Jesus, and your church just took books out of that Bible. If an all-powerful God can’t maintain the truth over time, he probably isn’t real.
• Do you think the original New Testament manuscripts still exist somewhere, and if we ever found one, how would we know it was the original?
• What do we mean when we say we don’t have an original copy of the Bible? Which parts aren’t right, and how would we ever know?

Can God Be Real and Personal to Me If the Sign Gifts of the Spirit Are Rare?

Questions about disappointment that the sign gifts of the Spirit seem rare, non-existent, or fake, whether or not believers can squelch the Holy Spirit, and whether 2 Peter 1:21 points to the Holy Spirit “impressing” us during prophecy.

 

• I came to faith because the gifts of the Spirit that seemed integral to church life in the Bible made God so real and personal, but now that I’ve found the gifts to be rare, non-existent, or fake, I have doubts I know anything about God.
• Can the squelching of the Holy Spirit be supported biblically, and can we, as believers, squelch the Holy Spirit?
• Does 2 Peter 1:21 point to the Holy Spirit “impressing” us during prophecy?

Can Someone Impart Spiritual Gifts to Others?

Questions about whether or not someone can impart the gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, etc. to others and whether being an apostle necessarily means one is part of the foundation of the church according to Ephesians 2:20.

 

• Can someone impart the gifts of healing, prophecy, words of knowledge, etc. to others?
• Is being the foundation of the church (see Ephesians 2:20) a necessary or accidental property of being an apostle?

What Discernment Skills Should We Develop to Make Sure We’re Getting Wise Answers from AI?

Questions about what discernment skills we should develop to make sure we’re getting wise answers from AI, and how to overcome confirmation bias when evaluating claims related to theism and Christianity.

 

• What discernment skills should we develop to make sure we’re getting wise answers from AI when asking the question “What would Jesus have me do in this situation”?
• How do you overcome confirmation bias when evaluating claims related to theism and Christianity, and is it possible to have strong beliefs and still be objective?

How Should I Respond to the Phrase “Just Follow the Science”?

Questions about how to respond when someone says, “Just follow the science,” and whether or not it’s a good tactic to cite evolutionists’ lack of a good biogenesis theory in support of the teleological argument.

 

• How should I respond to the phrase “Just follow the science?”
• Is it a good tactic to cite evolutionists’ lack of a good biogenesis theory in support of the teleological argument?