Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

Greg talks to callers about the rebellion of angels in Genesis 6, how to respond to a naturalism-of-the-gaps argument, how to use Shedd’s Dogmatics, whether an abandoned spouse can remarry, and whether human beings are responsible for the salvation of others. Topics: What is your view on the rebellion of the angels referred to in Genesis 6, Jude, and 2 Peter? (01:00) What would you say to someone who responded to an argument for intelligent design by saying, “We just need to wait for science to give us the answer”? (11:00) I purchased Shedd’s Dogmatics. Can you tell me how to use it? (29:00) My husband left me. Does that mean I can never get remarried? (38:00) Am I right in challenging the idea that God would give human beings the responsibility for other people’s salvation? (50:00) Mentioned on the Show: Were the sons of God in Genesis 6 fallen angels? Who were the Nephilim? – Peter Gentry The Privileged Planet (20th Anniversary Edition): How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards STR U Online Training The Design of Life DVD Collection: Volumes 1–3 Dogmatic Theology by William G.T. Shedd What the Bible Says about Divorce and Remarriage by Wayne Grudem Related Links: God of the Gaps? by Greg Koukl

Greg reminds Christians to be mindful of their character when making their case, then he answers questions about Jesus’ prayer to “forgive them, for they know not what they do” and how we know the Protestant canon is the correct canon. Topics: Commentary: Be mindful of your character when making your case. (00:00) Should I apply Jesus’ prayer to “forgive them, for they know not what they do” to everyone? (16:00) How can we know the Protestant canon is the correct canon? (30:00) Mentioned on the Show: Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH STR U Online Training The New Testament Canon: Which Books and Why? by Greg Koukl

Greg talks about the House of David series, then he answers questions about why someone should read the Bible rather than the Quran or the Book of Mormon, how God stirs our hearts to do things, and whether or not one category of the Old Testament Law still applies to us. Topics: Commentary: Thoughts on the House of David series (00:00) Why should I read the Bible rather than the Quran or the Book of Mormon? (20:00) How does God stir our hearts to do things? (36:00) What do you think of the idea that we can divide the Old Testament Law into three categories—judicial levitical, and moral—and the moral regulations still apply? (47:00) Mentioned on the Show: Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH House of David – Series on Prime The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Greg Koukl Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 by Greg Koukl Related Links: Where Did These Minimal Facts about the Resurrection Come From? by Amy Hall (quoting Gary Habermas) How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians Today? by Greg Koukl Why We’re Not Under the Mosaic Law by Amy Hall Should Followers of Christ Observe the Torah? by Amy Hall The Law Is Good by Amy Hall

Greg talks to author Rod Dreher about the soft totalitarianism he describes in Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, the Christians who resisted that totalitarianism, and the new documentary series based on the book. Topics: Interview: Rod Dreher – Live Not by Lies documentary series (00:00) Mentioned on the Show: Live Not by Lies – Documentary series Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents by Rod Dreher Freedom Fading by Greg Koukl Brave New World by Aldous Huxley The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William Shirer The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith after Freud by Philip Rieff Related Links: We Need Confidence to Endure by Amy Hall

Greg talks to callers about how we know people didn’t take things out of the Bible, whether people who die young can earn eternal rewards, whether Jesus appeared to Mary after his resurrection, dealing with an abusive parent, and why more pastors don’t believe in an old earth. Topics: With all the translations of the Bible, how do we know people didn’t take things out of it that they didn’t want us to know about? (03:00) Is it the case that people who die young can’t earn any eternal rewards? (08:00) Is there any indication in the Bible that Jesus appeared to his mother after his resurrection? (15:00) As a Christian, how should I deal with an abusive and controlling father in light of the command to honor our parents? (28:00) Why don’t more pastors believe in an old earth? (49:00) Mentioned on the Show: Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH

Greg reflects on the futility of man-based idealism, then he answers questions about why he isn’t Eastern Orthodox and how to show that philosophical materialism isn’t supported by materialism itself. Topics: Commentary: The futility of man-based idealism (00:00) What are your arguments against Eastern Orthodox Christianity? (26:00) How do I show that philosophical materialism isn’t supported by materialism itself? (50:00) Mentioned on the Show: Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH A Complete Unknown – Film

Greg answers questions from callers about the likelihood that we’re living in a simulation, using the laws of nature to argue against evolution, and recommendations for a young man starting out in apologetics. Topics: What do you think about the fact that, when asked about the origins of the universe, one of the smartest AI computers in the world said it’s more likely that we’re living in a simulation? (01:00) How can I spread my idea of using the laws of nature to argue against evolution? (10:00) What would you recommend for a young man starting out in apologetics? (32:00) Mentioned on the Show: Bloom Where You’re Planted by Greg Koukl Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl Related Links: For the Student Who Wants to Be a Christian Apologist by Amy Hall

Greg talks about recent examples of moral insanity in California and England, then he answers questions about whether apostasy can happen unknowingly and how Greg comes up with his Street-Smarts-style questions. Topics: Commentary: Moral insanity in California and England (00:00) Can apostasy happen unknowingly? (27:00) How do you come up your Street-Smarts-style questions? (47:00) Mentioned on the Show: California ballot measure named after Luigi Mangione would make it illegal to ‘delay, deny’ healthcare coverage: ‘Crazy’ by Isabel Keane Toddler is kicked out of nursery ‘for being transphobic’ - as families blast school’s ‘insanity’ by Noor Qurashi STR U Online Training Reality Student Apologetics Conference – April 25–26 in Dayton, OH #STRask podcast with Greg and Amy God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement by Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl

Greg answers questions about why there are so many different denominations, how to help someone who prayed a prayer as a child but doesn’t seem to be following Jesus, people saying, “Oh my God,” and knowledge of Jesus through existential experience. Topics: Why are there so many different denominations? (05:00) How can I help people who are counting on a prayer they prayed as a child—but have no evidence of sanctification in their lives—understand that they have a need for Jesus? (23:00) Can you explain why you don’t have a problem with people saying, “Oh my God”? (40:00) My fundamental existential experience of Jesus seems undeniable. Is this a category in epistemology? (48:00) Mentioned on the Show: Upcoming events with Stand to Reason speakers Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 21–22, in Philadelphia, PA; April 25–26 in Dayton, OH The Magic Prayer by Greg Koukl Why the “Sinner’s Prayer” Has Me Concerned...and a Biblical Alternative by Greg Koukl The Invisible Man by Greg Koukl Related Links: Three Reasons Why People Interpret the Bible Differently by Amy Hall

Greg talks about the meaning of the “Word of God” in Acts, then he warns against holding grudges and answers questions about requiring repentance before forgiveness, whether Jesus will have the only scars in Heaven, and making sense of the origin of evil as a Calvinist. Topics: Commentary: The “Word of God” in Acts (00:00) Is repentance required for believers to grant forgiveness to others? (12:00) Commentary: If you hold grudges, you will destroy your soul. (38:00) Is Jesus the only one with scars in Heaven? (47:00) How do you make sense of the origin of evil? (51:00) Mentioned on the Show: Dogmatic Theology by William G.T. Shedd Related Links: The Sin of Forgiveness? by Greg Koukl How Can We Condemn Evil if God Is Sovereign? by Amy Hall

Greg talks to Sean McDowell about new information included in the second edition of his book, The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus. Topics: Interview: Sean McDowell, author of The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Second Edition) (00:00) Mentioned on the Show: The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Second Edition) by Sean McDowell Sean McDowell’s website Related Links: Problems for Hallucination Theories of the Resurrection by Gary Habermas

Greg explains that the first rule of prayer is to pray and the first rule of Bible reading is to read, then he answers questions about what it means to “pray about it,” overcoming a tendency to freeze up when asked a question, mistakenly claiming a promise, and finding fellowship. Topics: Commentary: The first rule of prayer and Bible reading (00:00) What should “pray about it” look like in practice? (22:00) What can I do to overcome my tendency to freeze up when someone asks me a question? (34:00) If Old Testament promises don’t apply to us, why is it that when people mistakenly claim a promise in the Bible for themselves, it seems to work for them? (38:00) How can I put my identity in Christ and truly follow him if even those who are called by his name push me away while they themselves don’t seek him? (48:00) Mentioned on the Show: Submit a question on the Open Mic Line Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Greg Koukl Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 21–22, in Philadelphia, PA; April 25–26 in Dayton, OH Related Links: Making Sense of Unanswered Prayer by Amy Hall

Greg answers a question about why Provisionists tend to be so venomous towards Calvinism and gives some of his thoughts on Provisionism, then he talks to a caller about reasons why he rejects evolution. Topics: Why do you think Provisionists tend to be so venomous towards Calvinism? (00:00) Do you reject evolution, and if so, why? (33:00) Mentioned on the Show: Desert Apologetics Conference – March 14–15 Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God by Kevin DeYoung Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe by Stephen Meyer Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique by J.P. Moreland, Stephen Meyer, Wayne Grudem, and more Related Links: Theistic Evolution: Drifting toward Darwin by Greg Koukl Why Intelligent Design Is an Argument from Knowledge, Not Ignorance by Amy Hall

Greg talks to Jonathan Morrow, creator of the Refresh Roadmap online course, about strategies to help parents navigate screen time and social media with their kids. Topics: Interview: Jonathan Morrow, creator of the Refresh Roadmap course, on navigating screen time and social media with your kids (00:00) Mentioned on the Show: Jonathan Morrow’s website Refresh Roadmap: A Practical Guide for Parents to Navigate Screen Time and Social Media with Confidence – This link automatically includes the 20% discount. 20% off code for listeners at refreshcourse.net: STR Impact 360 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

Greg talks about four skills to instill in your kids to increase their maturity, then he answers questions about God being in A-theory time, identifying as sinners vs. saints, responding to someone who attributes everything to “the universe,” and disagreement in the early church. Topics: Commentary: Four simple skills to help your kids soar above the crowd (00:00) Why can’t we exist under an A-theory of time while God exists under a B-theory of time, and if God exists in A-theory time, don’t we have an infinite regression issue? (20:00) What are your thoughts on simultaneously being sinners and saints, and which should we identify with more? (34:00) How would you engage someone in conversation who keeps attributing things that happen to “the universe”? (46:00) Contrary to apologetics claims of Catholics, why should we look to the early church for our doctrine and praxis when it seems like there was plenty of disagreement and heresy in the early church? (52:00) Mentioned on the Show: Reality Student Apologetics Conference – March 21–22, in Philadelphia, PA; April 25–26 in Dayton, OH The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Greg answers questions about whether prayers are pointless if God knows what will happen, why we would be held responsible for Adam and Eve’s decisions, how John 3:13 could say no one has ascended into Heaven, and interactions between non-physical things and physical things. Topics: If God knows what will happen tomorrow, then God cannot change tomorrow, which means all prayers are null and void and cannot change anything. (00:00) Why would anyone be responsible for Adam and Eve’s decisions? The idea that we’re born sick and in need of a savior is simply immoral and unjust Christian dogma meant to control your mind. (19:00) How do you reconcile John 3:13 (which says that no one has ascended into Heaven) with Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from the dead) and with 2 Corinthians 5:6–9 (which says that to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord)? (36:00) A Jehovah’s Witness said sin became embedded in Adam and Eve’s DNA, and I asked how something non-physical can be embedded in something physical, but then I realized that I do think our soul can interact with our body, so what is the difference between these two ideas? (46:00) Mentioned on the Show: Submit a question on the Open Mic Line Related Links: Can a Non-Physical Being Affect the Physical World? by Amy Hall