#STRask

Are Demon Possessions and Exorcisms in the New Testament Literal?

Questions about whether references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament are literal, how to talk to young children about ghosts, and whether it’s arrogant to think Satan knows your name when he’s a single entity with bigger fish to fry.

 

• Are references to demon possessions and exorcisms in the New Testament literal, or are they cultural references to physical or psychological conditions that they didn’t understand?
• How do you talk to young children about ghosts? It’s tempting to say they aren’t real, but I don’t want to deny the reality of “spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12).
• Is it misguided or arrogant to think Satan even knows my name when he’s a single entity with bigger fish to fry than me and can only be in one place at a time?

Why Would Any Rational Person Have to Use Any Religious Book?

Questions about why any rational person would have to use any religious book, whether apologetics would be redundant if there were actually a good, unrefuted argument, and how to get enough people interested in apologetics to start an apologetics group.

 

• Why would any rational, thinking person have to use any religious book, including the Bible, unless they don’t really think with reason or comprehend logic and logical fallacies such as circular reasoning?
• If there were a single good, unrefuted apologetics argument, then apologetics would be redundant. Outside of faith, can we really say we know? If we can’t, then why do apologetics?
• If, as Greg says, “you can’t start a fire with wet wood” when starting an apologetics group, how can someone keep “wet wood” from putting out their fire?
• How can I get others interested in apologetics and the importance of being able to have fruitful conversations with anyone who disagrees with their Christian beliefs?

What Tools of Reasoning Help You Know What’s True, Right, and Good?

Question about what tools of reasoning help us determine whether something is true or false, right or wrong, good or bad before bringing Scripture into it.

 

• How do you determine whether something is true or false, whether an action is right or wrong, or whether something is good or bad? Before you bring in Scripture, what tools of reasoning help you recognize these categories in daily life?

When I Can’t Stop Thinking About Something, Is That God Speaking?

Questions about whether having a recurring thought is an indication God is speaking to you, what to say to someone who says they sinned because “God told them to do something” and they didn’t do it, and whether God speaks to us through premonitions.

 

• Would you characterize not being able to stop thinking about something as God speaking?
• What would you say to someone who says they sinned because “God told them to do something” and they didn’t do it?
• Does God speak to us through premonitions?

How Can I Explain Modesty to My Daughter?

Questions about how to explain modesty to a nine-year-old in a way that won’t cause shame about her body, and when and how to tell a child about a previous marriage and divorce.

 

• How can I explain modesty to my nine-year-old daughter without causing shame about her body?
• When and how should I tell my son about my previous marriage and divorce?

Why Do We Say Someone Was Saved on a Particular Date If It Was Part of an Eternal Plan?

Questions about why we say someone was saved on a particular date if it was part of an eternal plan, the Roman Catholic view of the gospel vs. the Bible’s, and why Paul circumcised Timothy but rebuked the Galatians for saying Gentiles needed to be circumcised.

 

• Since God had a plan from all eternity to redeem a people for himself, why do we say  someone was saved on a particular date or moment in time?
• Can you suggest some tactical questions to ask a Roman Catholic relative who doesn’t see the distinction between the Catholic view of the gospel and the one in the Bible?
• Why did Paul circumcise Timothy but rebuke the Galatians for saying the Gentiles needed to be circumcised?

How Do We Advocate for Christian Policy Without Making the Government Interfere in Every Area of Life?

Questions about how to advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life, and the differences between the modern environmental movement and the Christian perspective on caring for the earth.

 

• How do we advocate for Christian policy without making the government interfere in every area of life?
• Can you compare and contrast the modern environmental movement’s view with the Christian view regarding caring for the earth?

How Would You Convince Someone That Evil Exists?

Questions about how to convince someone that evil exists, whether Charlie Kirk’s murder was part of God’s plan, whether that would mean the murderer didn’t have free will, and whether or not God is responsible for that plan.

 

• How would you respond to an atheist friend who doesn’t believe evil exists and thinks “evil” actions are done by people who are just trying to get by with the circumstances they’ve been given?
• If God is sovereign and has a plan, then he knew Charlie Kirk would be murdered. But if it was God’s plan, does that mean the murderer didn’t have free will, and is God not responsible for his plan?

Why Does the Bible Teach You How to Be a Proper Slave Owner?

Question about why it seems like the Bible teaches you how to be a proper slave owner rather than than saying, “Stop it. Give them freedom.”

 

• It seems like the Bible teaches you how to be a proper slave owner rather than saying, “Stop it. Give them freedom.”

Can You Provide Verifiable, Non-Religious Evidence That a Supernatural Jesus Existed?

Question about providing verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus existed.

 

• I am an atheist and militantly anti-god-belief. However, I do have an open mind, so could you please provide verifiable, non-religious evidence that a supernatural Jesus actually existed?