#STRask

Questions about how to engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine,” and how to be kind and loving without compromising truth with someone in a Bible study who says her adult child goes by “they/them.”   How would you engage someone wearing a button that reads, “Jesus had two dads, and he turned out just fine”? How can I be kind and loving without compromising biblical truth with a member of a Bible study group I lead who told me her adult child goes by “they/them”?

Questions about whether Christian business owners should provide a livable wage, whether doing a corporate sponsorship that promotes one’s business contradicts Matthew 6:3, and whether the parable of the rich fool refutes America’s approach to retirement.   Do Christian business owners have a moral responsibility to provide a livable wage? Would doing a corporate sponsorship with an organization we have been working with and financially supporting contradict Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:3 about giving in secret since part of the motivation would be to promote our business? Is the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13–21 a direct refutation of America’s approach to retirement?

Questions about leaving a church with biblical theology because they refuse to preach on divisive topics, whether it’s okay to write an apologetics book under a pen name out of fear of repercussions, and how to reconcile Romans 13:1–5 with rulers who are unjust.   Should I leave a church that has solid biblical theology but refuses to preach on divisive topics (LGBTQ, abortion, anything political, homosexuality, immigration, etc.) because they want to introduce those topics once the person is “comfortable”? As someone who works in the public sector in Canada, where speech is heavily policed, am I wrong to write my apologetics book under a pen name to protect my identity and family out of fear of repercussions? How do you reconcile Romans 13:1–5, which tells us not to resist authority, with rulers who are unjust?

Questions about whether Jesus lied in Mark 5:39, proving that lying can’t be a sin, when he said, “The child has not died, but is asleep,” and what Jesus meant when he said we need to be “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5.   Jesus never sinned. Jesus lied in Mark 5:39. Therefore, lying can’t be a sin. What did Jesus mean by “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3:5?

Questions about whether the principle that a house divided against itself can’t stand would apply not only to Satan casting out demons but also to God allowing evil, whether or not God is the author of everything he permits for a purpose, and the primary sin of Eve.   Wouldn’t the principle in Mark 3:24–25 that a house divided against itself can’t stand apply not only to Satan casting out demons but also to God allowing evil? If God is pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit something, having purposed it to his own glory, does that make him the author of that which he purposed? What was the primary sin of Eve? Was it coveting? Pride? Curiosity?

Questions about giving a biblical perspective to a single friend who is a relatively new Christian and is planning to use IVF to have a baby, and whether or not it’s wrong to pray for a baby for a single Christian who wants to adopt.   A Christian friend who is relatively new to the faith confided that she isn’t sure marriage is for her and is planning to use IVF to have a baby. How can I talk to her about this from a biblical perspective? Is it wrong to pray for a baby for my single, Christian friend who wants to adopt?

Questions about whether there’s a gracious way to explain to manipulative and demanding patients that they’re giving Christianity a negative reputation, and how to deal with friends who send a lot of end-time prophecy videos that take Bible verses out of context.   As a Christian nurse, is there a gracious way to explain to manipulative and demanding patients who claim to be Christians that they’re giving Christianity a negative reputation in my workplace? How do we deal with well-meaning Christian friends who constantly send end-times prophecy videos that take Bible verses out of context and who respond to objections to their claims with, “It might happen—we can’t put God in a box”?

Questions about how to handle objections from Christians who think we should all be harvesters and should not focus on gardening, and whether attending a service at a mosque would communicate approval of the religion (similar to attending a same-sex wedding).   How do you handle objections from Christians who think we should all be harvesters and should not focus on gardening? Should Christians attend a service at a mosque in order to reach the nations, or would this communicate approval of the religion (similar to attending a same-sex wedding)?

Questions about what qualifies as witchcraft, where the line is between witchcraft and science manipulating nature to accomplish things, whether the devil is omnipresent, and whether a demon can possess a location and affect the people at that location.   What specifically qualifies as witchcraft, and where’s the line between witchcraft and science manipulating nature to accomplish things? Is the devil omnipresent? Can a demon possess a location and thereby affect the people who are at that location?

Questions about favorite books that left a lasting impression on Greg and Amy, their response to Christians who warn that all fantasy novels (including C.S. Lewis’s books) tap into demonic ideas, and where to draw the line when it comes to the fantasy genre.   Which books (fiction or non-fiction) are your favorites and left a lasting impression? How would you respond to Christians who warn against all sorts of fantasy novels (including C.S. Lewis’s books), saying they’re tapping into demonic ideas, and where would you draw the line for yourself and for your children?

Questions about whether matter and energy already existed before the Big Bang, how to respond to a Christian friend who believes Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 describe two separate creation events with two sets of humans, and the source of Moses’ creation information.   What do you think of the argument that matter and energy already existed before the Big Bang—that it was compacted by gravity, then the Big Bang happened, then repeat? How would you respond to a Christian friend who believes Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 are two separate creation events with two sets of humans being created? From what source did Moses obtain his creation information?

Questions about why, if Adam and Eve were in perfect community with God, we would need to be in a fallen world to fully know God, and why God cursed nature after the fall.   If Adam and Eve were in perfect community with God, why would we need to be in a fallen world to fully know God, and did God create a set of circumstances that would bring about a fallen world solely to reveal his other qualities? Why did God curse nature after the fall?

Questions about how to handle a conversation with an atheist who claims to lack a worldview, and how to respond to someone who accuses you of being “stubborn and dogmatic” because you defend your views and don’t capitulate to their arguments.   How would you handle a conversation with an atheist who claims to lack a worldview and denies holding every belief atheists usually hold? How would you respond to someone who accuses you of being “stubborn and dogmatic” simply because you defend your views with facts and reason and don’t capitulate to their arguments?

Questions about how to respond to the concern that no one wrote about Jesus during his lifetime, why scholars say Jesus was born in AD 5–6 rather than AD 1, and what Paul meant when he said God sent his son “when the fullness of the time came.”   What should I say to someone who is hung up on the fact that no one wrote about Jesus during his lifetime? If Jesus’ birth started AD 1, why do scholars say he was born in AD 5–6? Paul says in Galatians 4:4–5 that God sent his son “when the fullness of the time came.” What was “just right” about that point in history, and is God doing anything special in our day?

Questions about whether it’s problematic for a DJ on a secular radio station to play songs with lyrics that are contrary to his Christian values, and what approach a musician should take toward royalties he’s still receiving from music that had less-than-Christian lyrics.   As a DJ on a secular radio station that plays music from the ’60s through the ’90s, is it problematic for me to play music with lyrics that are contrary to my Christian values? What approach should I take toward the monetary royalties I still collect from music that had less-than-Christian imagery and lyrics?