#STRask

What Is the Biblical Definition of God’s Wrath?

Questions about the biblical definition of God’s wrath and how Christians can process the heartbreaking idea of decent Jewish people going to Hell because they don’t have Christ.

• Many people think of wrath as blinding, uncontrolled rage leading to violence or as one of the seven deadly sins, so what is the biblical definition of God’s wrath?
• How should we as Christians process the heartbreaking idea of decent Jewish people going to Hell because they don’t have Christ?

What if Two Men Who Are Legally Married Choose to Follow Christ?

Questions about whether two men who are legally married and have an adopted daughter should divorce and break up their family if they choose to follow Christ and how Christians can be compassionate on topics like homosexuality, abortion, and other religions.

• If two men who are legally married and have an adopted daughter choose to follow Christ, should they divorce and break up the family?
• As Christians, how can we be compassionate on topics like homosexuality, abortion, and people of other religions?

Why Does It Matter Which Higher Power Someone Believes In?

Questions about what to say to a Christian who doesn’t think it matters which higher power a person believes in, how to help friends see they’re attending an unhelpful or heretical church, whether it’s wrong to wish a dead loved one happy birthday, and when to leave a parachurch organization over theological differences.

• What should I say to a “lukewarm” Christian who says people need to believe in a higher power “even if it’s Buddha or something”?
• How do I help a Christian friend see that the church she’s attending is actually hindering her rather than helping?
• What would be a tactical approach to helping friends and family members realize they’re attending a church of a false teacher/heretic?
• Are Christians crossing a line into talking to the dead when they wish a happy heavenly birthday to their dead loved ones?
• How do I know when it’s time to leave a parachurch organization with which I disagree theologically?

Should God Be Held Morally Accountable for Knowingly Creating a World Where People Would Sin?

Questions about whether we should hold God morally accountable for knowingly creating a world where people would sin, whether the crucifixion of Jesus was God’s way of taking some personal responsbility for his part in bringing about sin through creation, and why God creates people he knows will go to Hell.

• If we would hold someone morally accountable for giving a suicidal person access to a loaded gun, shouldn’t we hold God morally accountable for creating a world where he knew people would sin?
• Was the crucifixion of Jesus God’s way of taking some personal responsibility for his part in bringing about sin he knew would take place if he created Adam and Eve?
• Why would God create a person he knows will go to Hell?

Is God Good?

Questions about how to respond to teens who are asking whether God is good, a good way to respond to coworkers who joke that they would burst into flames if they entered a church, how to engage with an apathetic person, and evangelism tips for a high school freshman who has non-Christian friends.

• How would you respond to teens whose questions are about whether or not God is good?
• What’s a good way to respond to coworkers who joke that they would burst into flames if they stepped into a church?
• How would you engage with an apathetic person who keeps saying they “don’t know” in response to everything?
• Do you have any evangelism tips for a high school freshman who has made new friends who aren’t Christians?

Why Can We Euthanize Pets but Not People?

Questions about why we can euthanize pets to end their suffering but we can’t do the same for people, how to talk to a six-year-old about biblical marriage when she’s been told same-sex marriage is okay, and thoughts on the phrase “biological sex.”

• What is the biblical position on euthanizing pets that are old or sick, and if it’s okay, why doesn’t the same principle  apply to people? They shouldn’t have to suffer either.
• How should I talk to my six-year-old granddaughter about biblical marriage when her parents tell her same-sex marriage is okay and she brings it up often because she’s confused?
• What do you think of the phrase “biological sex”? What other kind of sex is there?

There’s No Such Thing as an Atheist Argument

Questions about whether there’s such a thing as an atheist argument, whether one can ask a nonbeliever to prove a negative, and how to respond to an atheist who says morality is determined by consensus in a society and may change over time.

• There’s no such thing as an atheist argument. We don’t have to make an argument against the Loch Ness Monster either.
• Is it a fallacy to ask a nonbeliever to prove a negative? How much time would I have to spend disproving flying pigs if someone believed in them? Isn’t it that person’s burden to argue for them?
• What do you say to an atheist who says morality is determined by consensus in a society and may change over time?

How Do We Know the Universe Isn’t Eternal?

Questions about how we know the universe isn’t eternal and whether there are theological implications to evolution being true or false.

• If you think God wasn’t created and is eternal by nature, how do we know the universe isn’t eternal by nature and men just created God because they were struggling to understand the eternal nature of the universe?
• Are there theological implications to evolution being true or false?

They’re Only Christians Because They Were Indoctrinated at a Young Age

Questions about whether most Christians are only Christians because they were indoctrinated at a young age, whether getting pregnant out of wedlock was “just God’s plan,” underlining text in books, and whether we should always find something new in the Bible when we read it.

• How would you respond to someone who argues that since 60% of American Christians came to their faith between the ages of four and fourteen, that means most people in the church are only Christians because parents and churches indoctrinated them at a young age?
• How should one respond when someone who got pregnant out of wedlock says, “I guess it was just God’s plan”?
• Do you ever underline or highlight text in a book you’re reading, or do you always use pencil to allow for changes?
• Preachers say the Bible is a living book wherein you always find something new, yet I seem to only keep hearing the same thing.

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?