#STRask

Did Lazarus Go to Heaven Because of His Poverty?

Questions about whether the parable of the rich man and Lazarus teaches that Lazarus went to Heaven because of his poverty and how to respond when someone refuses to answer Columbo questions.

• Does the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31 teach that Lazarus went to Heaven because of his poverty?
• How should we respond when someone refuses to answer Columbo questions?

Does a Literal Interpretation of the Bible Refute the Divinity of Christ?

Questions about responding to someone who says a literal interpretation of the Bible led him to believe Arianism is true and how to respond when you hear people express bad theology.

• How would you respond to someone who says a literal interpretation of the Bible led him to believe Arianism is true?
• How do you respond when you hear people express bad theology?

Is It Okay to Read the Writings of Other Religions?

Questions about whether it’s okay for Christians to read the writings of other religions in order to gain a better understanding of the people they’re evangelizing and whether a Christian who witnesses to Mormons should read the Book of Mormon.

• Is it ever okay for Christians to read the writings of other religions in order to gain a better understanding of the people they’re evangelizing?
• Should a Christian who witnesses to Mormons read the Book of Mormon in order to know what their book says?

How Does Christ’s Momentary Ordeal Equal the Torment of Sinners for Eternity?

Questions about how Christ’s “momentary ordeal” could equal the continuous torment of sinners for eternity and how the sun could have stopped shining while Jesus was on the cross when there couldn’t have been a solar eclipse that day.

• How does Christ’s “momentary ordeal” equal the continuous torment of sinners for eternity?
• How is it that the sun stopped shining while Jesus was on the cross when there couldn’t have been a solar eclipse that day?

Will Remembering Our Life on Earth Make Us Sad in Heaven?

Question about how to respond to someone who thinks we won’t recognize our loved ones in the afterlife because if we were to remember this life, then we would feel sadness in Heaven.

• How do I respond to a friend who thinks we won’t recognize our loved ones in the afterlife because if we were to remember this life, then we would feel sadness in Heaven?

Is It Better to First Argue for Jesus’ Divinity or God’s Existence?

Questions about whether it’s a better apologetics tactic to begin with Jesus’ divinity or to argue for God’s existence, whether the story of Cornelius shows that God heeds the prayers of unbelievers, and how to encourage a family member to resume bringing his family to church.

• Is it a better apologetics tactic to begin with Jesus or to argue for God’s existence?
• Does the story of Cornelius in Acts 10 show that God heeds the prayers of unbelievers?
• How can I encourage my brother-in-law, who is unequally yoked to an unbeliever, to resume bringing his family to church?

Should Christians Expect to Receive the Blessings Listed in the Mosaic Covenant?

Questions about whether Christians should expect to receive all the blessings listed in the Mosaic Covenant and whether modern Christians over-emphasize the Ten Commandments.

• Should believers in the New Covenant expect to receive all the blessings listed in the Mosaic Covenant?
• Do modern Christians over-emphasize or idolize the Ten Commandments?

Will People Make Mistakes in Heaven?

Questions about whether we will still be fallible and make mistakes in Heaven, whether the people who will never come to Christ are collateral damage in the best of all possible worlds where the most people will freely choose Christ, and whether a change in one’s theology is sufficient grounds for seeking a new church home.

• Will there be football in Heaven? Will Russell Wilson throw interceptions there? Do our mistakes and fallibility in this world actually make it interesting, and will this change in the next world?
• Are the people who will never come to Christ collateral damage in the best of all possible worlds where the most people freely choose the path to eternal life with Christ?
• Is a change in one’s theology sufficient grounds for seeking a new church home?

How Would You Tell Someone Who Believes in Her Tribe’s Gods and Goddesses about Jesus?

Questions about how to tell someone about Jesus when her cultural heritage, including her belief in her tribe’s gods and goddesses, is her entire identity and whether one is morally required to use a defibrillator to restart a person’s heart after cardiac arrest.

• When speaking to someone who believes in her tribe’s gods and goddesses and has made her cultural heritage her entire identity, how would you tell her about Jesus?
• Are we morally required to use a defibrillator to restart a person’s heart after cardiac arrest?

If the Wages of Sin Is Death, How Could God Take Enoch without Death?

Questions about how God could take Enoch away without death if the “wages of sin is death,” whether having a special service for vaccinated people threatens the unity of a church, and how to reconcile Jesus’ compassion with his harsh response to people who asked to follow him. 

• If the “wages of sin is death,” how is it that God took Enoch away without death?
• Does having a special service for vaccinated people who haven’t been able to attend out of fear for their health threaten the unity of our church?
• How can we reconcile Jesus’ harsh response in Luke 9:59–62 to people who asked to follow him with his being compassionate?