#STRask

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?

How Should I Respond to Someone Who Says He’s Offended?

Questions about whether it’s biblical to refer to God as the Divine Mother and tactical ways to respond to someone who says he’s offended by your views.

• Is it biblical to refer to God as the Divine Mother?
• What are some tactical ways to respond when someone says he’s offended by my views?

Is Jesus Evil because He Drowned Babies in the Flood?

Questions about whether Jesus is evil because he drowned babies in the flood, why Scripture talks about “innocent blood” being shed when no one is innocent, and whether the context of the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah really points to Jesus. 

• How would you respond to the meme that claims Jesus is evil because he drowned babies in the flood?
• Why does Scripture talk so often about “innocent blood” being shed when everyone is born in sin and no one is innocent?
• How can Jesus fulfill the prophecies of the Lord’s Suffering Servant when it seems like Isaiah isn’t talking about something that far in the future?

Are Demons and Fallen Angels the Same Spiritual Beings?

Questions about whether demons and fallen angels are the same spiritual beings (and if so, why angels don’t possess people) and why Hell wouldn’t bring Satan pleasure.

• Are demons and fallen angels the same spiritual beings, and if they’re the same, why don’t angels possess people like demons do?
• If Satan is able to able to work evil in people’s lives in Hell, wouldn’t being in Hell be something that brings him pleasure?

Is It Okay to Use Violent Force to Defend your Family and Home?

Questions about how to tell the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusation of Satan and whether there’s a biblical argument for using violent force in defense of family and home.

• How can I tell the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusation of Satan?
• Is there a biblical argument for the use of violent force in defense of family and home?

Since Skin Cells Have Human DNA, Would Killing Them Be Murder?

Questions about whether killing skin cells (which have human DNA) is murder, how to know when to stop engaging someone who is antagonistic, how to graciously decline to engage in a discussion with someone who just wants to argue, and what to do when you hear Christians misinterpret and misquote Scripture.

• If a human being begins at fertilization, and killing an embryo would be murder, then when I scratch my skin and kill human skin cells (which have human DNA and might develop into full human beings through cloning), is that also murder?
• How do you know when to stop engaging someone who is antagonistic?
• How do you graciously decline to engage in a discussion with someone who just wants to argue?
• What do you do when you hear Christians misinterpret and misquote Scripture?

Can We Reasonably Conclude Something Is Designed?

Question about whether or not there’s a conclusive way to differentiate designed things from undesigned if some designed things appear undesigned and some undesigned things appear designed.

• Since some designed things appear undesigned, and some undesigned things appear designed, how can we reasonably conclude that what creationists interpret as design actually is design?

Are Wiccans’ Beliefs Proved by the Efficacy of Their Spells?

Questions about what to say to a Wiccan who says her beliefs are proved by the efficacy of her spells, how to explain people having spiritual experiences outside of Christianity, and recommended materials for teaching elementary-aged kids critical thinking.

• What would you say to a Wiccan who says her beliefs are proved by the efficacy of her spells?
• How do we explain the fact that people have had spiritual experiences outside of Christianity?
• What materials would you recommend for teaching elementary-aged kids critical thinking skills?

How Does the Holy Spirit Work in Our Lives?

Questions about how God guides, comforts, empowers, etc. through the Holy Spirit and advice for Christians who want to work in Hollywood.

• What are the ways God guides, comforts, empowers, etc. through the Holy Spirit?
• What advice would you give to Christians who want to work in Hollywood?