#STRask

How Should I Interact with Someone Who Wants Sound-Bite Answers?

Questions about why God expects us to be perfectly moral if he doesn’t expect us to be omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent and tips for interacting with someone who asks a lot of questions but then wants a sound-bite answer.

• If God doesn’t expect us to be omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent to gain eternal life, why does he expect us to be perfectly moral?
• What are your tips for interacting with someone who asks a lot of questions but then wants a sound-bite answer?

“If Jesus Didn’t Come to Condemn the World, I Doubt He Sent You To”

Questions about how to respond to a meme that says, “If Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, I doubt he sent you to,” and whether it’s common for God to prepare us for a specific purpose that never actually happens.

• How would you respond to the meme stating, “If Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, I doubt he sent you to”?
• Is it common for God to prepare us for a specific purpose that never actually happens?

How Much Influence Can Demons Have on Our Lives?

Questions about the biblical approach to deciding if eating meat is ethical and how much influence demons can have on our lives.

• What’s the biblical approach to deciding if eating meat is ethical?
• How much influence can demons have on our lives?

Is the Bible Merely Unreliable Translations Written by Men?

Question about how to respond to someone who dismisses the Bible’s divine authority on the grounds that it was “written by mere men” and “is a bunch of unreliable translations of translations of translations.” 

• How would you respond to someone who dismissed the Bible’s divine authority on the grounds that it was “written by mere men” and “is a bunch of unreliable translations of translations of translations”? 

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?