#STRask

How Can I Start Conversations with Postmodernists about the Need for Repentance?

Questions about how to start conversations with postmodernists about the need for repentance and what question one can use to put a stone in the shoe of a Buddhist friend.

• In a postmodern world, what tools can believers use to start a conversation about the need for repentance?
• What question can I use to put a stone in the shoe of my Buddhist friend?

What Constitutes a Marriage?

Questions about what constitutes a marriage, at what point God considers a committed relationship to be a marriage, whether the freedom to pursue marriage is a natural right (and what restrictions would be inappropriate), and how to decline an invitation to an unbiblical wedding.

• What constitutes a marriage?
• At what point does God consider a committed relationship to be “marriage”?
• Is the freedom to pursue marriage a natural human right, and are there any any inappropriate restrictions that should not be placed on marriage?
• Should I explain my reason for declining an invitation to a marriage ceremony that doesn’t reflect the biblical order or just address it when asked?

How Can I Reconcile Romans 6:12–14 with Romans 7:21–25?

Questions about how to reconcile Romans 6:12–14 (where Paul talks about victory over sins) with Romans 7:21–25 (where Paul bemoans sins he still commits) and why Paul uses the Mosaic Law as a starting point for moral instruction if believers aren’t under any part of the Law.

• Please help me reconcile Romans 6:12–14 (where Paul seems to be saying we can have victory over our sins) with Romans 7:21–25 (which sounds like Paul is bemoaning sins he still commits).
• How do you reconcile Paul’s use of the Mosaic Law as a starting point for moral instruction with the idea that believers aren’t under any part of the Mosaic Law?

Is There Something I Can Do to Develop Love for Christ if I Am Emotionally Detached?

Questions about whether there is something a person can do to develop love for Christ if they are emotionally detached and whether one should stay in a church that is slowly drifting away from historic Christianity.

• How is a person supposed to love Christ if they are emotionally detached? Is there a way to do something about it?
• Should I stay in a church that is slowly drifting away from historic Christianity and seems to question basic beliefs such as the authority of the Old Testament, Heaven, Hell, evangelism, etc.?

Why Do Atheists Get Angry When I Bring up Belief in God?

Questions about why atheists get angry when someone brings up belief in God, how to reconcile God’s sovereignty and Satan being the prince of the world, and why the Lord’s Prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation,” when God would never lead us into temptation.

• What is the source of the anger I encounter from atheists when I bring up belief in God?
• How does one reconcile God’s sovereignty and Satan being the prince of this world?
• Why does the Lord’s Prayer say, “Lead us not into temptation,” when leading us into temptation isn’t part of his nature?

Are We Only Interpreting the Bible This Way Because of Our Post-Enlightenment Way of Thinking?

Questions about whether we’re only interpreting the Bible according to authorial intent because of our post-Enlightenment way of thinking and whether Zephaniah 3:17 is being taken out of context when someone takes comfort in it.

• How should I respond to someone who says, “The only reason you interpret the Bible by going back to authorial intent is that you live in a post-Enlightenment way of thinking, and others might interpret it differently”?
• Am I taking Zephaniah 3:17 out of context when I take comfort in it?

How Can We Defend the Claim That Marriage Was Created by God?

Questions about how to defend the claim that marriage was created by God and what to say to someone who doesn’t want her daughter to grow up Christian because she thinks Christianity is harmful to women.

• How can we defend the claim that marriage was created by God if marriage has been in non-Judeo-Christian civilizations throughout time?
• What should I say to someone who doesn’t want her daughter to grow up Christian because she thinks Christianity is harmful to women?

Does the Existence of Evil Point to the Existence of Multiple Gods?

Questions about whether the existence of evil points to the existence of multiple gods and why God needs to slowly improve our character here on earth if he’s going to make every Christian sinless at the resurrection regardless of how long each one was a Christian.

• Would the existence of multiple gods, some good and some evil, explain the existence of evil better than the existence of one God who allows evil?
• If, after death, God will give the thief on the cross the same sinless character as the Christian who lives to be 100, why does he need to slowly change us over time here on earth? Why doesn’t he just make us sinless immediately instead of at the resurrection?

How Can I Make Sure I Will Honestly Consider People’s Arguments?

Questions about how to make sure we will honestly consider people’s arguments and why God doesn’t give more evidence to the “non-resistant non-believers” who are seeking truth.

• It’s frustrating when someone doesn’t seem to be honestly considering a persuasive argument. How can I make sure I don’t make that same mistake?
• Why doesn’t God give more evidence to the “non-resistant non-believers” who are seeking truth?

What Advice Would You Give for Debating an Atheist?

Question about advice for debating an atheist.

• If I were to debate an atheist one day, what advice would you give?