#STRask

Questions about what to say to a confused four-year-old grandson whose father is telling him there are hundreds of gods, why it’s difficult to persuade a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness, and how to engage someone who claims to be Christian yet attends a Unitarian Universalist church.

 

• How do I respond to a confused four-year-old grandson whose father is telling him there are hundreds of gods?
• Why is it so hard, when having a discussion with a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness, to help them understand and set them free with the truth of the gospel?
• How do I engage someone who claims to be a Christian yet attends a Unitarian Universalist church?

Questions about evidence in Scripture that identifies the Holy Spirit as a person rather than the transforming power of God, whether Mark 13:33 means that the Holy Spirit doesn’t know the day of Christ’s return, and thoughts on contemplative prayer and other popular spiritual formation practices.

 

• Aside from translators’ use of the male pronoun, what evidence in Scripture identifies the Holy Spirit as a “person” as opposed to the transforming power of God?
• Does Mark 13:33 mean that the Holy Spirit does not know the day of Christ’s return?
• Can you comment on popular spiritual formation practices such as contemplative prayer, lectio divina, and the need to explore our past in order for the Spirit to work in us to remove sin?

Questions about whether perfect justice requires that the penalty be paid by the offender rather than someone else, and whether the references in Scripture to sharing in the sufferings of Christ are only about persecution for one’s faith or include things like sickness and financial hardship.

 

• For “perfect justice” to be accomplished, doesn’t the penalty have to actually be paid by the offender rather than someone else?
• Are the references in Scripture to ”sharing in the sufferings of Christ” only about persecution for one’s faith in Christ, or are they also about sickness, financial hardship, emotional pain, etc.?

Questions about whether to attend the wedding of someone who is into the New Thought movement and will have New Age items at the wedding location, whether one should not listen to hymns sung by Latter-day Saints, and how to respond to the Buddhist “Walk for Peace.”

 

• Should I attend the wedding of my sister, who is into the New Thought movement and will have a meditation yurt, a drum circle, and other New Age items at the wedding location and is very outspoken against Christianity?
• I’ve found that Latter-day Saint singers sing hymns that I like, and I get disturbed by that. Should I not listen?
• How should Christians respond to the Buddhist “Walk for Peace” and the people and churches excited to see and support it?

Questions about which Bible translation to recommend to an adult who’s new to the Bible, and what resources to recommend to an unbeliever who’s interested in reading the Bible with her son.

 

• Which Bible translation would you recommend to an adult who’s new to the Bible?
• What resources would you recommend to an unbeliever who’s interested in reading the Bible with her son?

Questions about how to respond to the criticism that Christianity is narrow-minded and dangerous, and what to say to someone who thinks Christianity is a cult.

 

• How would you respond to the criticism that Christianity is narrow-minded and dangerous?
• What would you say to someone who thinks Christianity is a cult?

Questions about whether God’s primary object is to not be found, how one can say God doesn’t make mistakes if the percentage of Christians in the world is so low, and whether the fact that not everyone will be in Heaven is proof that God doesn’t win every battle.

 

• Would you say God’s primary object is to not be found?
• If God doesn’t make mistakes, how do you explain the fact that Christians have reached an all-time low percentage of the world’s population?
• If the common belief that God wins every battle were true, then no one would be in Hell.

Questions about whether the fact that the truth about one’s age changes over time is an argument for relativism, and how to ground virtues like courage in objective reality without relying on circular definitions.

 

• I’ve heard truth doesn’t change and doesn’t contradict itself, but how does yearly change fit into that—e.g., I’m 38 one year and 39 the next. Does this create an argument for relativism?
• If “cowardice” is defined as failing to do what’s right, then calling it “wrong” is just a tautology. How do we ground virtues like courage in objective reality without relying on circular definitions?

Questions about what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited the Jews’ covenant with God if Scripture explicitly says it was with Israel and not the Gentile nations, and why the Jews were chosen.

 

• The covenant in Scripture is explicitly with Israel and not the Gentile nations, so what gives modern Christians confidence that they’ve inherited that covenant?
• Why were the Jews chosen?

Questions about why there is no effort towards a neutral interpretation of Scripture that doesn’t take denominational preferences into account, and how so many people in different denominations that believe different things can all claim to be followers of Christ.

 

• Why is there no effort towards a neutral exegesis—i.e., without taking denominational preferences into account—in light of the fact that there are so many denominations divided over hundreds of topics? Which inspiration theory and which explanatory system do you use?
• Considering there are so many denominations that all believe different things, how can they all claim to be followers of Christ?