#STRask

Do Imprecatory Prayers Violate New Testament Commands?

Question about whether praying an imprecatory prayer like Psalm 5 today would violate the New Testament commands to “put aside all anger,” to “forgive or you won’t be forgiven,” and to “bless and not curse.” 

• If imprecatory prayers like Psalm 5 are allowable today, how does that square with the command in Colossians 3:8 that we are to “put aside all anger,” the command to “forgive or you won’t be forgiven” in Matthew 6:15, and the command in Romans 12:14 to “bless and not curse”?

If God Is Love, Why Did He Kill so Many People in the Old Testament?

Question about why God killed so many people in the Old Testament if he’s a God of love.

• If God is love, why did he kill so many people in the Old Testament?

If Christianity Had a Goddess to Worship, I Might Consider It

Questions about how to respond to someone who says she would only consider Christianity if it weren’t patriarchal and had a goddess to worship and how a husband could persuade his wife, who is extremely pro-choice due to significant trauma, to see the truth of pro-life arguments.

• How should one respond to someone’s assertion that she would only consider Christianity if it weren’t patriarchal and had a goddess for her to worship?
• How can I persuade my wife to be pro-life when she’s extremely pro-choice due to significant trauma?

How Could Someone in the Old Testament Have Believed without First Being Regenerated?

Questions about how someone in the Old Testament could have believed without first being regenerated and why the devil would need to blind anyone (as referred to in 2 Corinthians 4:3–4) if total depravity is true and people already aren’t able to choose God on their own.

• How could someone in the Old Testament (or any time period) have believed without first being regenerated?
• If total depravity is true in the sense of people being hardened and not being able to choose God without being changed prior to conversion, then why would the devil need to blind anyone as it says in 2 Corinthians 4:3–4?

Is It Better for Christians to Worship in an Economical Space or a Beautiful One?

Questions about whether Christians are obligated by Matthew 6:19 to meet in the most practical, economical space possible and whether playing music too beautifully during worship can actually become a distraction.

• Are Christians obligated by Matthew 6:19 to meet in the most practical, economical space possible, or is it preferable to construct buildings like cathedrals that are outwardly beautiful and reflect God’s glory?
• At what point does playing music beautifully during worship actually become a distraction?

Why Is It Said That Jesus Was the First to Rise from the Dead?

Questions about why it’s said that Jesus was the first to rise from the dead if he already raised Lazarus and how to explain how Judaism and Christianity are related to someone who doesn’t know much beyond the fact that they’re two religions.

• Why is it said that Jesus was the first to rise from the dead if he already raised Lazarus?
• How would you explain how Judaism and Christianity are related to someone who doesn’t know much beyond the fact that they’re two religions?

What Should I Read to Take My Apologetics Knowledge up a Notch?

Questions about what to read to take your apologetics knowledge up a notch, how to reconcile friends’ experiences encountering ghosts with what the Bible teaches, whether you should give charitably without taking a deduction on your taxes, and whether God has moods.

• For those who have a good grasp of the basics of apologetics, what would you recommend reading to take things up a notch?
• How can I reconcile friends’ experiences encountering ghosts in a house that was used in the Underground Railroad with the Bible’s teaching that dead people can’t come back to haunt the living?
• Should I give charitably without taking a deduction on my taxes so “my left hand doesn’t know what my right hand is doing”?
• What do you think of the idea that God has moods?

What’s the Most Important Distinction I Can Make between Christianity and the Book of Mormon?

Question about the most important distinction one can make between Christianity and the Book of Mormon when talking to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• When ministering to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what’s the most important distinction I can make between Christianity and the Book of Mormon?

Will God Not Answer My Prayers if I’m Doubting He will?

Questions about why Hebrews is included in the New Testament canon if the author is unknown and whether God won’t answer your prayers if you’re doubting he will.

• If apostolic authority was an important factor in deciding which books to include in the New Testament canon as Scripture, then why was Hebrews included if the author is unknown?
• I’m beginning to doubt the efficacy of prayer since so many of my prayers don’t seem to be answered. Will God now not answer my prayers if I’m doubting he will?

Do Verses in Acts about Baptism Support a Oneness Understanding of God?

Questions about whether the fact that the apostles baptized people in Jesus’ name supports a oneness understanding of God and how to reconcile the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit in Acts 8 with the idea that we receive the Holy Spirit simply by believing.

• Does the fact that the apostles baptized people in Jesus’ name support a oneness understanding of God?
• How can I reconcile the fact that the Samaritan believers in Acts 8 didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until the apostles laid hands on them with the idea that we receive the Holy Spirit simply by believing, as it says in Galatians 3:2?