#STRask

Should We Use Preferred Pronouns When Not Sure of a Person’s Biological Sex?

Questions about using a person’s preferred pronouns when we’re not sure of their biological sex and whether we should ask why our employer is requesting we use pronouns in our email signature in case the purpose is to help people who are unfamiliar with English names know what sex we are.

• What should I do about using a person’s preferred pronouns when it’s not clear what that person’s sex actually is?
• Since including pronouns may be helpful to immigrants who aren’t familiar with English names, if requested to include pronouns in an email signature, must we always ask why? 

Is God’s Inability to Change an Imperfection?

Questions about responding to the idea that God’s inability to change is an imperfection, why God loves us, and whether evil can “claim” a child.

• If God is perfect, then he can’t change, but not being able to change is an imperfection, therefore God is not perfect. How would you respond?
• Does God love me only because I’m in his image or because of my personality and who I am?
• Can evil “claim” a child?

How Can I Get into Spiritual Conversations with People?

Questions about how to get into spiritual conversations with people and what to say to someone who says Jesus, the stories in the Bible, Heaven, etc. are all just metaphorical.

• Greg’s tactics seem to be designed to react to something someone says, but how do you get into a conversation with someone to begin with?
• What would you say to someone who says Jesus, the stories in the Bible, Heaven, etc. are all just metaphorical?

Why Didn’t God Explain the Trinity Explicitly in Scripture?

Questions about whether the Old Testament believers were regenerate, how the work of the Spirit is different in the New Testament, and why God didn’t explain the Trinity explicitly in Scripture.

• Were Old Testament believers regenerate, and how is the work of the Spirit different in the New Testament?
• I agree the Trinity best explains all the biblical data, but why didn’t God lay it out explicitly in Scripture?

How Can We Determine Which Christian Moral Principles Should Be Made into Laws?

Questions about how to determine which Christian moral principles should be made into laws and which shouldn’t and why Christ suffered a temporary punishment delivered by man while he was alive if the punishment for man’s sin is eternal and delivered by God after death.

• Is there a clear principle that can be used to determine which Christian moral principles should be made into laws and which ones should be left out of the law?
• If the punishment for man’s sin is eternal and delivered by God after death, why was the punishment Christ suffered temporary and delivered by man while he still lived?

Should We Object to People Storing Embryos Indefinitely after IVF?

Questions about how we ought to respond to the indefinite storage or death of human embryos after IVF, whether pregnant women should be able to use carpool lanes, and whether it follows that we ought to forgive Satan if we ought to forgive our enemies.

• If life begins at conception, and all life is valuable, how do we respond to those who create human embryos and then leave them to die or remain in storage indefinitely following IVF?
• Should pregnant women be able to use carpool lanes since their unborn babies are separate individuals?
• If Jesus commanded us to forgive our enemies, does it follow that we are to forgive Satan?

I Can’t Accept the Gospel Because It Would Mean My Loved One Is in Hell

Questions about how to respond to someone who refuses to accept the gospel because it would mean a loved one has likely gone to Hell, why we should think animals have souls, and how to differentiate between true Christian love and an indifference to social and political issues that are harming our communities.

• How do you respond to someone who refuses to accept the gospel because it would mean their deceased loved one has likely gone to Hell?
• Can you explain how you reached the conclusion that animals have souls?
• How can we differentiate between true Christian love and an indifference to social and political issues that are harming our communities?

What Does the Old Testament Say about the Nature and Role of the Messiah?

Question about what the Old Testament says about the nature and role of the Messiah and whether it leaves open the option that Jesus is God and a man can die for our sins.

• In light of hearing a Jewish person say he isn’t a Christian because he doesn’t believe Jesus is God or that a man can die for our sins, what does the Old Testament say about the nature and role of the Messiah that the Jews are/were waiting for?

Did Jesus Ever Teach against Homosexuality?

Questions about how to respond to someone who claims Jesus never taught against homosexuality, who also doesn’t consider anything outside the Gospels to be authoritative, and advice for befriending a lesbian couple without appearing to condone their lifestyle.

• How should I respond to a friend who claims Jesus never taught against homosexuality and who also doesn’t consider anything outside the Gospels to be authoritative?
• Any advice for befriending a lesbian couple without appearing to condone their lifestyle?

Should I Pretend to Have a Greater Degree of Conviction Than I Actually Have?

Questions about whether we should pretend to have a greater degree of conviction than we actually have in order to make our arguments more persuasive and whether the uptick in violence is a purely spiritual problem or is also related to other ideologies and practices in our society.

• Should I pretend to have a strong degree of conviction I do not actually have on a matter in order to make my arguments more persuasive?
• Is the uptick in violence and brutality in our society a purely spiritual problem with purely spiritual solutions, or do psychology, sociology, criminology, etc. have something to contribute to the solution?