#STRask

Why Didn’t God Answer My Prayer for Guidance?

Questions about why God didn’t answer prayers for guidance regarding a major life decision and whether there’s evidence that God is more likely to say yes to a prayer request made while fasting.

• When facing a major life decision, I prayed daily for guidance and for the Holy Spirit to order my steps, but I didn’t get an answer, and my decision turned out to be the wrong one. Why?
• Is there evidence (biblical or extra-biblical) that God is more likely to say yes to a prayer request made while fasting, and if not, then why fast?

How Can God Be Omniscient about Never-Ending Future Events?

Questions about how God can be omniscient about never-ending future events, whether the salvation of a man who comes to Christ after being dramatically changed by a brain injury “counts,” and whether one should feel at peace dating another believer who differs on whether or not one can lose one’s salvation.

• Since our time in Heaven will be endless, how can God be omniscient, knowing everything that will happen, when there isn’t a finite amount of knowledge to be known?
• If a cruel, abusive man becomes kind and gentle and comes to Christ after a traumatic brain injury, which is the real version of him, and does his salvation “count”? 
• Should I feel at peace dating another believer who differs with me on whether or not one can lose one’s salvation?

Is the Movement to Ban Abortion Really about Babies?

Questions about why pro-lifers don’t support making everything that has to do with having and raising a baby free if the movement is really about babies and whether there are times when Christians should use rhetoric as a tool of persuasion.

• If the movement to ban abortion were really about babies, wouldn’t pro-lifers support making everything involving babies free (prenatal care, delivery, medical care, and schooling)?
• Are there times when Christians should use rhetoric as a tool in a situation where giving a detailed answer wouldn’t have as powerful an impact?

What if Someone Says He Believes in Science, Not God?

Questions about what to say to someone who says he “believes in science, not God” and how to respond to the slogan “Love Is Love” without using the Bible.

• How would you respond to someone who says he “believes in science, not God”? 
• How would you respond to the slogan “Love Is Love” without using the Bible?

What Happens to People Who Never Heard of God or the Gospel?

Question about what the Bible has to say about the eternal destiny of people who never got the chance to know the God of the Bible and had no access to the salvation message.

• What does the Bible have to say about the eternal destiny of people who never got the chance to know the God of the Bible and had no access to the salvation message?

Aren’t Some Unbelievers Sincerely Seeking Truth?

Questions about whether there are scriptural explanations for why people don’t think God exists other than that they’re “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness” and how to make the case for apologetics to a pastor who uses 1 Corinthians 2 to argue against it.

• Are there scriptural explanations for why some people don’t accept the existence of God other than that they’re “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness” or “fools saying in their hearts there is no God”? 
• How can we make a case for apologetics to a pastor who uses 1 Corinthians 2 to say it isn’t necessary and we should only be sharing the simple gospel?

Should I Speak up about a Student Handing out Pro-Gay Stickers in My Fifth-Grader’s Class?

Questions about piquing the interest of teenage daughters who believe the resurrection probably happened but don’t really care and whether a parent should speak up when a student in his fifth-grader’s class is handing out pro-gay stickers.

• How can I pique the interest of my two teenage daughters who say they believe the resurrection probably really happened but that they don’t really care?
• Should I speak up about a student in my fifth-grader’s class handing out pro-gay stickers?

Since God Values Humility, Is He Against Certainty?

Questions about whether God is against certainty because it breeds arrogance, the difference between fearing God and living in fear, and why Solomon, who was given wisdom by God, had so many wives.

• What are your thoughts on someone who says that since God so clearly values humility, then he wouldn’t expect certainty from us because that would breed arrogance?
• What’s the difference between fearing God and living in fear?
• If God gave Solomon wisdom, then why did he have so many wives?

Should Christians Be Expected to Work for Free?

Questions about why Paul circumcised Timothy in Acts 16:1–3 after the judgment against requiring circumcision was given by the Council of Jerusalem and whether it’s wrong for Christians to expect other Christians to work for free since it’s “for the Lord.”

• Why did Paul circumcise Timothy in Acts 16:1–3 after the judgment against requiring circumcision was given by the Council of Jerusalem?
• Is it wrong for fellow Christians to expect me to work for free since it’s “for the Lord”?

What Questions Would You Ask to Engage an “Agnostic Atheist”?

Questions about how to engage someone who calls himself an “agnostic atheist” and how to deal with a parent contradicting you with heretical theology while you’re teaching students in a confirmation class.

• What tactical questions would you ask to engage someone who calls himself an “agnostic atheist”? 
• How would you deal with a parent contradicting you with heretical theology while you’re teaching students in a confirmation class?